LOS ANGELES -- Dustin Johnson moved down the coast of California and brought his game with him Thursday in the Northern Trust Open. So did Jimmy Walker. Johnson made six birdies on a warm, sunny day at Riviera for a 5-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead when the opening round was suspended by darkness. Walker birdied his last three holes and was in the large group at 67 that included Francesco Molinari of Italy and Torrey Pines winner Scott Stallings. Four days ago, Johnson closed with a 66 in the grey, cold weather of Pebble Beach to finish one shot behind Walker. In conditions that could not have been any different -- and could not have been any better -- he made birdie on all of the par 5s at Riviera and only had one bogey on his card, at the long par-3 fourth. The only comparison was the quality of his golf. "It was cold, windy and wet at Pebble on Sunday. Here, its not a lot of wind and perfect conditions. Its sunny and a really nice temperatures," Johnson said. "Its still golf, though. Youve still got to adjust no matter what youre doing." That was no trouble for Walker, whose victory in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am was his third of the season. He drove his RV down from the Monterey Peninsula, got up at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday to appear on Golf Channel, and then went right back to work. Walker was in the middle of the pack until his tee shot on the par-3 16th settled just over a foot from the cup. He nearly reached the par-5 17th in two to set up a simple birdie, then finished with one of his best shots -- an 8-iron from 184 yards out of a flyer lie in the rough to the back of the green and a 30-foot putt. "Its four more days of golf," Walker said. "You can ride the momentum of really good play. But everyone started at even and you just have to be like, Lets go get it again." It was a glorious day off Sunset Boulevard, and Riviera was in ideal shape -- firm and fast, particularly on the greens. The warmth meant a little more distance, such as the 349-yard tee shot Johnson hammered down the middle of 13th fairway, a slight dogleg left framed by eucalyptus trees. That left him only 97 yards, and he stuffed it. And on the par-5 17th -- 608 yards up the hill, no help from wind -- he reached it in two and had a two-putt from just over 20 feet. His only glitch was coming up just short of the green and in the bunker on the 225-yard fourth. Johnson isnt playing a lot this season, but when he does, he plays well. He already has a win at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai. He shared the 54-hole lead at Kapalua and tied for sixth, and then took off four weeks before returning at Pebble Beach. That was a good sign for Johnson, who said he doesnt have a good history of playing well in the first event after a long break. "This time, I stayed with it. I worked hard at home," Johnson said. "It was tough at Pebble because of the weather, and it was hard to keep your concentration." Life is bliss right now for Walker, who is going for his third win in California this season, starting with the Frys.com Open at CordeValle in October. The only struggle was a bogey on the par-5 11th when his tee shot just missed the fairway and buried in a small indentation in the long grass. He followed that with another bogey on the tough 12th, and then rallied at the end. "I dont know what its like for some of those guys that are winning 40 times and they have done this a ton," Walker said. "But right now, enjoy it. Its fun. Its a good place to be." Jim Furyk, Keegan Bradley and Rickie Fowler were among those at 68. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., opened with a 1-under 70. Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., shot a 71. Jordan Spieth looked as though he might be among the leaders after holing out from 125 yards for eagle on No. 7 to reach 3 under. He was in position for a birdie on the 11th until leaving a shot in the greenside bunker and missing the par putt. Spieth caught a huge break on the next hole when his tee shot was hooking out-of-bounds until hitting a tree, though he had to scramble for bogey. He also made three par putts in the 5-foot range to hold it together, but dropped a shot on the 18th when he tried to punch a hybrid around some Eucalyptus trees. He had a 73. Spieth was playing with Fred Couples -- the 20-year-old Texan was born a year after Couples won the Masters -- and the old guy held his own. Couples had a lost ball on his second shot at No. 11 and made double bogey, rallied with two birdies and then made bogey on the final hole for a 72. Couples is playing the Northern Trust Open for the 32nd time. DIVOTS: The 10th hole was perilous as ever at 314 yards, especially for Scott Verplank. He took two shots from the front bunker and three from the back on his way to an 8. "That was fun," Verplank said. The rest of the day wasnt. The 49-year-old Verplank, who has been battling injuries the last few years, withdrew with a bad back. ... Billy Hurley missed last week at Pebble Beach because his wife, Heather, gave birth to their first daughter (and third child), Madison Joy. Then, he got in as an alternate when Harrison Frazar withdrew. Hurley opened with a 70. Nike Free 3.0 Womens . Washington, who had led the club since the start of the 2007 season, has guided Texas to a 53-87 record in 2014, far and away the worst record in any of his seven-plus seasons at the helm. Nike Free 5.0 V4 . Therrien would not confirm his lineup for the game, but he did have the same line combinations practicing together for the third straight day which is usually a pretty good indication of what the lineup will be. http://www.cheapfreerun-au.com/nike-air-max/nike-air-max-95.html . Who knew then that the Bombers would be 2-12 and facing playoff elimination when they returned to Montreal three months later? Watch the game on TSN starting at 12:30pm et/9:30am pt. Nike Air Max 1 . 11 Ana Ivanovic and American Sloane Stephens, and former world No. Nike Free 3.0 V4 . The 20-year-old Puig beat Madison Keys 7-5, 6-3 in the second semifinal after qualifier Soler-Espinosa edged Christina McHale 5-7, 7-6 (7), 6-3 in a match which lasted 2 hours, 46 minutes, 3 seconds. Both Puig and Soler-Espinosa reached their first final. SAN FRANCISCO -- Much like the San Francisco 49ers, Antoine Bethea understands the disappointment of losing a Super Bowl. That defeat came with the Indianapolis Colts after the 2009 season. San Franciscos new safety also won a championship during his rookie season of 2006. Bethea insists he is ready for another ring after finalizing his new $23 million, four-year contract with the 49ers on Wednesday, becoming a key new presence in the secondary after Donte Whitners departure to the Cleveland Browns. "One of the reasons Im here in San Fran, to try to get another ring," Bethea said. "Thats what Im here to do." Bethea announced Tuesday on Twitter he had joined the 49ers, then the team made it formal Wednesday. The 29-year-old Bethea had 110 tackles, two interceptions and a sack last season, his sixth straight year starting every game for the Colts. "Just as a football fan, you have to notice the talent they have on the team. You have to respect what theyve been able to accomplish these last couple years," Bethea said. "First of all, its a winning organization. From the past couple years, from outside looking in, an extremely good team. It looks like they have a ball out there on the field. Coming in, knowing this defence, a great defence, a great front seven, a great back end, I just wanted to come in and do my part." A two-time Pro Bowler, Bethea was a sixth-round draft pick by the Colts out of Howard in 2006. "Antoine is a durable, experienced player who has competed at a high level throughout his career in the National Football League," 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said. "He has proven to be a man of high character and iss a welcome addition to our team and the Bay Area community.dddddddddddd" He will be called upon to help lead the secondary after Whitner made the calls for that unit, and will work with 2013 top draft pick Eric Reid after his impressive rookie season. "Im ready for that. Eric Reid he had a great year," Bethea said. "With us working together, well be fine. ... Whatever it is, Im willing to do whatever I need to do to help this team win, for this defence to be successful." Also Wednesday, San Francisco re-signed cornerback Eric Wright to a one-year contract. He posted a photo Tuesday on Instagram of his new contract. Wright had seven tackles and an interception in seven games for San Francisco last season. Wright spent the first half of the season on the reserve/non-football injury list to handle what the team called a personal matter after he signed a one-year contract last August. Wright had been traded to the 49ers in July for a conditional draft pick in 2014, but he failed his physical, nullifying the deal. Tampa Bay then released Wright. Shortly after the trade, reports surfaced that Wright had been arrested a week earlier in Los Angeles on an unspecified misdemeanour charge. Baalke said the team was aware of the situation. Wright was arrested in 2012 on felony DUI charges and was suspended for four games last season by the NFL for violating the performance-enhancing drug policy in his first season with the Bucs. He finished with 37 tackles and one interception in 10 games, all starts. The 28-year-old Wright, a San Francisco native entering his eighth NFL season, had signed a five-year, $35.3 million contract with Tampa Bay in 2012. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '
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