PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. _ World No. 1 Dustin Johnson has been the man to beat whenever he has teed it up in recent months.
This week, he would be happy to contend at the Players Championship.
Johnson's overpowering game and designer Pete Dye's tricky layout have been uneasy rivals.
Johnson's best finish during eight starts at TPC Sawgrass is last year's tie for 28th, culminating with a four-under par 68. On Wednesday, a reporter noted it was just Johnson's second round in the 60s during 26 tries here.
"Thanks for that," Johnson deadpanned.
Johnson still likes his chances, and for good reason.
The 32-year-old won three consecutive starts prior to suffering a freak back injury that forced him to withdraw from the Masters. Johnson returned from a four-week layoff last week and finished runner-up to Brian Harman, who sank a 22-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a one-shot win.
"I'm interested to see how I can play here this week," Johnson said. "I haven't had a lot of success around here, so it's definitely a challenge for me. But I feel like if I'm going to play well here, this is the time.
"Everything throughout my whole game is in really good form right now."
Johnson leads the PGA Tour in driving distance and greens and regulation, is 23rd in putting and 27th in scrambling.
"This golf course is tough," Johnson said. "You've got to have all facets of your game working if you want to contend."
