Dustin Johnson Leads PGA Championship

Already tied for the lead, Dustin Johnson was in position for more Thursday in the PGA Championship. He was in the fairway on the par-5 second hole at Whistling Straits and faced a "perfect 3-wood" to reach the green for a sure birdie or even better. So he laid up with a 5-iron.

"I wanted to try to make today as easy as possible," Johnson said. "And it worked out."

He made birdie and opened with a 6-under 66 and a one-shot lead over David Lingmerth. It was the fifth time in 13 rounds at the majors that Johnson has had at least a share of the lead and the third straight first round. But he hasn't been the leader at the end on Sunday.

That's why he wanted to get off to an easy start. Even in the midst of his best year in the majors, Johnson has had a hard time.

Nothing stung more than the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay, where three putts from 12 feet on the final hole took him from a chance to win his first major to a runner-up finish behind Jordan Spieth. He had the 36-hole lead at The Open until a 75-75 weekend. And one round into the PGA Championship, here he is again.