'The Dude' Dustin Johnson is as laidback as ever, but he's the star
American ignores his less than perfect start, but DJ isn't worried as he soaks up the limelight
High noon is as good a place as any to find a gunslinger and right on cue at a few minutes past 12 American Dustin Johnson ambles into view. He looks, for all intents and purposes, like he just stepped out of the Wild West.
A towering presence, his casual swagger could easily have been found in Dodge City or Tombstone, Arizona. But instead it's the first tee box at the 2015 UBS Hong Kong Open where he is playing alongside Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell and England's Justin Rose.
The galleries are already starting to swell considerably for this marquee group even though it is only day one of the event. Johnson is arguably the biggest American PGA star in his prime to play at the Hong Kong Open since the late Payne Stewart in 1995.
I'm here to watch DJ, of course. There are few players who can do what he does and we are looking for a bit of magic
"I'm here to watch DJ, of course," says Kelvin Yiu. "There are few players who can do what he does and we are looking for a bit of magic."
After all three players hit their opening tee shots the crowd spills through the ropes onto the fairway and the few marshals they have with the group seem helpless to stop them. By the third hole the numbers of marshals are thankfully reinforced and order is restored.
Johnson starts bogey, bogey and his wonky putter could easily doom him.
The notion of him missing the cut and not being around for the weekend would clearly have organisers in a bit of a tizzy. Standing on the tee box at the third hole, a 551-yard par 5, he seems a bit perplexed before doing what he does best and ripping a laser of a drive off into the daylight.
Watch Dustin Johnson's spectacular 377-yard drive