A NEW putter helped world No 1 Dustin Johnson produce a stunning burst of scoring to claim the halfway lead in the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai.
Johnson birdied six of the last seven holes at Sheshan International in a brilliant, bogey-free 63 to reach 13 under par, a shot ahead of first-round leader Brooks Koepka.
Koepka also kept a bogey off his card as he added a 68 to his opening 64, leaving the US Open champion three clear of Olympic gold medallist Justin Rose and Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat.
A victory for Johnson tomorrow would make him the first player to win three World Golf Championship events in the same year after he won the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and WGC-Mexico Championship on back-to-back starts in March.
“Obviously I played very well,” Johnson said after covering the back nine in 29. “But I actually got a putter like about 20 minutes before I teed off. It’s a (TaylorMade) Spider, so it’s one that I’ve used before.
“I wasn’t really pleased with the one I played with (on Thursday), so the guys here made me one. I got it before I walked to the tee. I hit a few putts on the practice green with it and I was like, ‘Oh, this will work pretty well’.
“I went out and holed a lot of putts, so I kind of like it.”
Johnson also clearly likes the course at Sheshan International, where his 24-under-par winning total in 2013 included a second round of 63.
“It suits my eye very well,” the 33-year-old added. “For me, if I drive it good out here, I feel like I can make a lot of birdies.
“I can reach all the par fives if I drive it in the fairway. The rest of the holes, I feel like if I’m in the fairway, I can attack the golf course.”
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