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. Swell Canada . Each of Houstons starters scored in double figures as the Rockets improved to 2-0 against the Spurs this season, with both victories coming on the road. They also moved within 3 1/2 games of San Antonio (22-7) for the lead the Southwest Division. Swell Bottle Ombre Canada . The Vikings announced Thursday that Priefer will be one of seven holdovers from the previous staff, along with offensive line coach Jeff Davidson, wide receivers coach George Stewart and others. Norv Turner will mark his 30th year of coaching in the NFL as the offensive co-ordinator, as widely reported for weeks, and George Edwards will be the defensive co-ordinator. http://www.swellbottlesaleclearance.com/swell-water-bottle-marble-wholesale.html . With the short-handed Warriors needing help from someone -- anyone -- to stop a three-game skid, ONeal returned from right knee and groin injuries that had sidelined him for four games and put up season highs with 18 points and eight rebounds. It was just enough to help lift Golden State to a 102-101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Swell Water Bottle Canada . Rousey will put her perfect 8-0 record and hardware on the line against another undefeated fighter, 7-0 Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Nevada on February 22nd. Swell Wood Bottle Canada . But Bourque, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, wont be in the lineup when the Habs travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Wednesday. Suspended Oakland Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith has entered a treatment center, according to multiple reports.It isnt clear what Smith is seeking treatment for, but the news comes days after a Periscope video surfaced that shows an unidentified man and woman talking about a hand-rolled cigarette.Smiths decision to enter a treatment center was first reported Friday by TMZ Sports.Smith is currently serving a yearlong suspension handed down in November for violating the NFLs substance-abuse policy. He will be eligible to apply for reinstatement in September, 60 days before the one-year anniversary of the suspension.I heard the same information, but I havent technically checked with the front office, Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said when asked about the Smith reports. It doesnt matter for me at this point. Theres a process that hes involved in that I cant be a part of. A November (return) is the earliest I can hope for, and I remain hopeful for the young man to get himself and his life turned around. If he can get his ducks in a row, as a football team we would invite back a good football player. The first thing for him is to make sure hes taken care of. The focus should be on him getting the help he needs to get his life in order so he can have a good life.Asked if he has had any contact with Smith, Del Rio said, Im hoping for the best from a distance, because I cant be directly involved.At one point in the video posted online earlier tthis week, the woman tells the man that he shouldnt even be posting that and that he is hella stupid as the man holds the lit cigarette.ddddddddddddThe video cuts off immediately after the man says, They dont know its me. Its not like I put Aldon Smith.Smith had tweeted an apparent denial that it was him in the video. Smith had previously been to rehab, in 2013, following two DUI arrests.ESPNs Ed Werder had reported that because of the video, the NFL will investigate whether Smith had violated the protocols required of a suspended player seeking reinstatement to the league following a violation of the substance-abuse policy.As a teammate and friend, the only thing I can tell him is anything he needs, let me know and Ill have his back, Raiders fullback Marcel Reece said. If someone needs rehab, then thats exactly what they need and I pray for Aldon that he gets any and all help that he needs. All football aside, just want him to get help if he needs it. And when all is said and done and hes ready to come and join this team, as a team were going to welcome him back and were going to win a championship. Thats what our goal is. But as a man and as a friend, we just want to help him and pray for him and do anything we can to help him if he needs it.Information from ESPNs Paul Gutierrez was used in this report. ' ' '