KAPALUA, Hawaii — Jordan Spieth thought the Plantation Course was a blast to play when he arrived at Kapalua. He had even more fun Friday. Coming off a sensational rookie season, Spieth opened the new year by never coming close to bogey and making a 12-foot birdie putt on the last hole for a 7-under 66. That gave him a share of the lead at the Tournament of Champions with fellow newcomer Michael Thompson, Chris Kirk and Webb Simpson. “It's a course that I shouldn't make a lot of bogeys on if you keep the ball in play and just think your way around the course,” Spieth said. “Ultimately, I did some good preparation and did a lot of hard work the last two or three weeks getting ready for today, and now just happy to be in good position after the first round.” The wind off the west coast of Maui was the biggest surprise, shifting direction and speed throughout the opening round. But following rain overnight, the Plantation Course was soft enough that only two players in the 30-man field of US PGA Tour winners failed to break par. Kirk, who hasn't played since winning the McGladrey Classic at Sea Island two months ago, closed with five straight birdies. The last two were not easy, especially with the wind blasting into him on the 17th hole, a par 4 measuring 545 yards down the hill. He hit a poor tee shot and had to smash a 3-wood into 30 feet for an unlikely birdie. He followed with a 3-wood and 9-iron for his final two shots on 18 to make birdie. For the opening round of the year, where players are still trying to shake off some rust, the leaderboard has rarely been this tight. PGA champion Jason Dufner had four birdies and an eagle on his front-nine 30, only to settle into a string of pars on the back nine for a 6-under 67. Kevin Streelman bogeyed his last two holes and also was at 67, along with Zach Johnson and Ryan Moore. The top 10 players were separated by three shots. Adam Scott, coming off a two wins and a runner-up in Australia, and defending champion Dustin Johnson were among those at 70. — AP
