year, would have to win and have Johnson finish worse than ninth to

ATLANTA -- Dustin Johnson was in trouble from the start Thursday, just not for very long. The game feels easy for the U.S. Open champion, who began his bid for the FedEx Cup title on Thursday with a 4-under 66 to share the lead at the Tour Championship.Johnson had 165 yards from the sand and worried about getting it over the lip of the bunker. He hit 8-iron to 2 feet for birdie and was on his way to his sixth consecutive round at 68 or lower.It was a very nice shot to start the day, Johnson said with a smile.Hideki Matsuyama of Japan ran off three straight birdies early in his round and finished with a birdie on the par-5 18th -- the nines have been switched at East Lake -- for a 66, while Kevin Chappell joined them with a bogey-free round.Johnson is coming off his third victory of the year at the BMW Championship two weeks ago, and there was no indication that anything has changed. He hit a reasonable amount of fairways (eight out of 14) considering the dry, fast conditions, and only once when he was out of position did he fail to save par.He is the No. 1 seed in the FedEx Cup, and the top five seeds only have to win the Tour Championship to claim the $10 million FedEx Cup bonus. The top five were all among the dozen players who broke par in the opening round.Jason Day, the worlds No. 1 player who hasnt won in four months, dropped his only shot on the opening hole and was at 67, along with Kevin Kisner and Si Woo Kim.Id like to give Dustin a good run for it, Day said.Jordan Spieth didnt look like he would post anything near a 68 after he was 3 over through two holes. The defending FedEx Cup champion let his short game bail him out in a big way. Spieth holed three straight putts from the 30-foot range -- one of them for par -- and raced back into the mix on the back nine by holing a bunker shot for birdie right of the 13th green and finishing with a pair of 20-foot birdies.This is a course I feel very comfortable on, Spieth said. I feel if I play really solid golf here -- and it doesnt have to be perfect golf -- I can shoot 8 under on this golf course. I have no doubt. It fits me really well.Also at 68 was Rory McIlroy, who had consecutive double bogeys toward the end of the front nine and pulled himself together with four straight birdies on the back. McIlroy had a 68 without making birdie on either of the par 5s.That wasnt the case for Phil Mickelson. He started his day by holing a 95-foot birdie putt. His fortunes turned on the par-5 sixth hole when his second shot went over the green and up against a fence, leading to bogey. He hit his next tee shot out of play and made triple bogey, and followed that with a double bogey with a drive into the water. Mickelson played 1 under from there to salvage a 74. He didnt hit a fairway until the 17th hole, and then headed straight to the practice range.These are the kind of days Johnson rarely has.Johnson has finished out of the top 10 only twice in the last four months -- one of them a missed cut at the PGA Championship out of nowhere -- and is making it tough on everyone. While everyone has a mathematical chance of winning the FedEx Cup, that depends on how the top five fare.And one of those is Johnson, who is faring quite well at the moment.Chappell, three times a runner-up this year, would have to win and have Johnson finish worse than ninth to win the $10 million bonus.With the form Dustin is in, I dont think that scenario is going to happen for me, Chappell said. But theres a chance to win a golf tournament, and thats all Im really focused on.Hes not worried about the Ryder Cup either. Chappell said he hasnt been contacted by U.S. captain Davis Love III, nor was he among three players not on the team who were invited to practice at Hazeltine over the weekend.Of that trio, Justin Thomas opened with a 68.Bubba Watson made two late bogeys from the rough and had a 72 to tie for 15th, while Daniel Berger shot 40 on the front nine and shot 74.Theres nothing I can do now, Watson said. Davis said its all about strategies and different things. Its not about my play. Its not about anybodys play. So I cant worry about that. And the golf course is so tough, Ive got to worry about this golf course. Wholesale Custom Penguins Shirts . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Custom Penguins Jersey China . - The Oakland Raiders re-signed offensive lineman Khalif Barnes on Friday. http://www.custompenguinsjersey.com/ .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Cheap Penguins Jerseys . -- Vincent Lecavalier got everything but the desired result in his return to Tampa Bay. Paul Martin Jersey Large . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. ARLINGTON, Texas -- The AL West-leading Texas Rangers have made their first move to get more pitching, acquiring right-handed starter Lucas Harrell and left-handed reliever Dario Alvarez from the Atlanta Braves for an infield prospect.Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said Wednesday that Texas may not be done shopping for pitching with the non-waiver trading deadline five days away. He said there are still ongoing conversations with other teams but didnt get into details.Well see where they go. I cant really handicap it at this point, Daniels said. But yes, thats still our focus.Harrell is 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA in five starts for the Braves since they purchased his contract from Triple-A Gwinnett earlier this month. The 31-year-old sinkerballer pitched in Korea last year after appearing in 88 major league games (62 starts) the previous five seasons for the Chicago White Sox (2010-11) and Houston (2011-14), where he worked with current Rangers pitching coach Doug Brocail.The Rangers sent 2013 first-round pick Travis Demeritte to Atlanta. They needed a starter for Sundays series finale at home against Kansas City, and Daniels said the plan for now is to start Harrell then.In his last start for the Braves, Harrell threw six scoreless innings Tuesday night in a win at Minnesota.Alvarez was 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 16 relief appearances for the Braves, with 28 strikeouts in 15 innings. The left-hander set an Atlanta franchise record by striking out nine consecutive batters over three games earlier this month.Looking at both of the pitchers we got, we feel like they can help our club, Daniels said. They fill roles on the club, they add depth.The deal was announced before Wednesday nights game against Oakland, when right-hander Yu Darvish made only his third start for Texas since coming off the disabled list.dddddddddddd It was only Darvishs sixth start this season after missing all of last year following Tommy John surgery.Cole Hamels (11-2), who the Rangers acquired from Philadelphia before the deadline last July, starts Thursday in the series opener against Kansas City.Two other starters, right-hander Colby Lewis (right lat strain) and lefty Derek Holland (shoulder inflammation) are on the 60-day disabled list and could be back by late August.The Rangers had one open spot on their 40-man roster and designated Triple-A Round Rock infielder Matt Duffy for assignment to create another spot. They will have to make moves on their 25-man roster when Harrell and Alvarez join the team, which could be as early as Thursday.Atlanta, with the worst record in the majors, had added Harrell and Alvarez from other organizations within a week of each other in May.Harrell signed a minor league contract with Detroit on March 1 and was released May 16 before signing a minor league deal with the Braves on May 21. Alvarez began this year in the New York Mets organization before he was designated for assignment on May 23 and sent Atlanta on a waiver claim May 25.You look at two guys that werent even with our system in the middle of May, and now they did well enough that a contending team wants them, Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. That says a lot for what they accomplished here.The 21-year-old Demeritte was in the All-Star Futures Game in San Diego earlier this month. In 88 games with Class A High Desert, the second baseman batted .272 with 25 home runs, 59 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. ' ' '