|
Sybi Kuchar took over caddying for Johnson for
the final four holes when the two-times major winner's bagman
Damon Green took ill with suspected dehydration at El Camaleón
in Playa del Carmen.
"She had caddied for me before and was friendly with Zach and I
figured she would be good to handle it, and Zach would go easy
on her," Kuchar said of his wife, a former collegiate tennis
player, according to PGATour.com.
"She knows the deal of keeping up and staying out of the way and
I knew Zach would be happy to see a friendly face to take over
the bag."
Johnson battled to a 71, while Kuchar had seven birdies in a
seven-under-par 64 matched by fellow Americans Kramer Hickok and
Dominic Bozzelli.
Kuchar said accurate driving had been the key to his lowest
opening score in nearly two years.
"If you're not driving it well, this course is extremely hard,"
said the seven-times PGA Tour winner.
"If you're driving it well, you can make some birdies, which I
was able to do today."
Kuchar, Hickok and Bozzelli led by one stroke from 15 players
including India's Anirban Lahiri and defending champion Patton
Kizzire, the latter's cause helped by the first consecutive
eagles on the PGA Tour since June.
The second eagle, at the par-four sixth, came from the rough, a
shot that prompted Kizzire to remark 'oh boy' twice while the
ball was in the air.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by
Greg Stutchbury)
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
