ATLANTA -- Dustin Johnson is playing better than anyone in the world, and Kevin Chappell cant wait to watch him at the Tour Championship.Even if that means having to beat him.Johnson powered his way down the fairways and occasionally out of the brutal rough at East Lake on Friday for a 3-under 67, giving him a one-shot lead over Chappell and moving him one round closer to the $10 million FedEx Cup prize.The U.S. Open champion is on a different level at the moment.Even on a demanding test like East Lake this year -- only 10 players remain under par -- Johnson is hitting his driver long and straight. His wedge game has gone from a weakness to a strength. A new putter he put in play two weeks ago when he won the BMW Championship is giving him a better feel for alignment.Small wonder that this was his seventh straight round at 68 or better during the FedEx Cup playoffs.The game is never easy. I wish it was, Johnson said. Obviously, Im playing good right now. Ive got a lot of confidence in my game. Every week, I feel like I bring the same game, which is nice. But I put in a lot of work to get to where I am.Johnson was at 7-under 133.Chappell, one of two players at the Tour Championship who has yet to win on the PGA Tour, was just as solid, even if it doesnt look as spectacular. He has made only one bogey in 36 holes, quite a feat on a course where the Bermuda rough is so punishing that balls sink to the ground and sometimes cant be seen from a foot away.He shot a 68 and will be in the final group of a playoff event for the second time this year.Kevin Kisner (70) and Hideki Matsuyama (71) were four shots behind, while Rory McIlroy overcame another rough start on the front nine to post a 70. He was in the group five shots behind, which isnt much of a deficit at the halfway point except for Johnson being the one they have to chase.If nothing else, Johnson all but eliminated nearly everyone not among the top five seeds vying for the FedEx Cup. McIlroy is No. 6 and still has a chance, though he would have to win the Tour Championship and Johnson would have to finish third.I need to win, and I just need someone to play as good as Dustin this week, McIlroy said.Jason Day is out of the picture. The worlds No. 1 player withdrew in the middle of a round at the second straight tournament, citing the same nagging back issues that he hopes will be cured by rest.By Day withdrawing, Johnson won the points-based PGA player of the year award and is likely to win the player vote as PGA Tour player of the year because of his three victories, with perhaps another to follow.But there is still work ahead of him, and that starts with Chappell.I promise you, Ill be watching Dustin, Chappell said. Hes the best player in the world right now, and its an opportunity for me to see where my game is. Theres a golf tournament going on, and I have a chance to win that. Thats the ultimate goal. But I also have a chance to see why hes the best player in the world right now, and I look forward to taking advantage of that opportunity.Chappell has been a runner-up three times this season and keeps running into the wrong guys -- Kisner at Sea Island, Day at Bay Hill and The Players Championship. He also was in the mix at the TPC Boston until McIlroy pulled away.It seems I like going against the hot player at the time, he said.Russell Knox matched the low score of the tournament with a 66 that allowed him to get back under par at 1-under 139, along with Justin Thomas, who is still hopeful of a Ryder Cup pick at the end of the week.Thomas lost a shot when his ball moved right as he set his putter down behind a short par putt on the 11th hole. The PGA Tour reviewed it on videotape and gave him a one-shot penalty under Rule 18-2, the same penalty applied to Johnson at Oakmont in the U.S. Open.Thomas disagreed with, but accepted, the penalty. His argument was it was not a flat surface and the greens were running fastIts nothing against the rules officials. Its a god-awful rule, Thomas said. Its very fortunate it didnt cost Dustin a major championship. I hope it doesnt cost me anything. I dont feel like I did anything wrong.Mark Russell, the vice president of rules and competition for the tour, said, the wind was light and the ball had been at rest for quite some time.And the moment that Justin put his club behind the ball and addressed the ball, the ball moved, he said. In that situation, the evidence is against the player and he was penalized.That left him six shots behind Johnson instead of five. Either way, its a tall order for Thomas or anyone to catch Johnson. Rangers Jerseys China . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. 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According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington.Health officials have dismissed calls for this summers Rio Olympics to be postponed or moved over the Zika crisis. With just 10 weeks before the Games are due to begin, 152 leading scientists have written an open letter to the World Health Organisation (WHO) saying new findings about the virus make staging the event in the city irresponsible and unethical.But the WHO rejected the warning, insisting that shifting the Olympics would not significantly alter the spread of the virus. It said in a statement: Based on current assessment, cancelling or changing the location of the 2016 Olympics will not significantly alter the international spread of Zika virus. Brazil is one of almost 60 countries and territories which to-date report continuing transmission of Zika by mosquitoes. People continue to travel between these countries and territories for a variety of reasons. Over 100 scientists says Rio Olympics should be postponed The best way to reduce risk of disease is to follow public health travel advice. One of the letters signatories, Professor Arthur Caplan, told Sky News a postponement of three to six months would have allowed time for a vaccine to be created.He added: What we are learning about Zika is that the strain not only causes birth defects but also has this neurological explosion impact on children. Its more serious than we thought.We are also starting to understand that it can cause paralysis, rarely but it can do it, in adults, and we dont yet know how long it lingers in a person. Brazil faces new health epidemic as mosquito-borrne Zika virus spreads rapidly To top it all off Brazil has been undergoing economic and political troubles and its not clear that theyre going to be able to do whats necessary to protect both athletes and visitors.ddddddddddddZika can cause microcephaly in which babies are born with unusually small heads and brains.It has also been linked to Guillain-Barre syndrome and Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis which affect the nervous system.Nearly 1,300 babies have been born in Brazil with microcephaly since the mosquito-borne Zika began circulating there last year.The letter said the Games should be moved or delayed in the name of public health after infections in Rio rose despite increased efforts to wipe out the mosquitoes. Signatories were from more than two dozen countries and include former White House science adviser Dr Philip Rubin.The WHO has already advised pregnant women not to go to Rio and says travellers should avoid poor and overcrowded parts of the city.The UN agency also predicts the Zika risk will drop in August, with the South American winter resulting in fewer mosquitoes.No Olympic Games has ever been moved from its host city due to medical concerns.A dissenting voice in the scientific community is Dr Tom Frieden, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.He said: There is no public health reason to cancel or delay the Olympics.The risk to delegations going and athletes is not zero, but the risk of any travel isnt zero. The risk is not particularly high other than for pregnant women. Also See: Move Games or stop it Farah wins in Oregon 23 fail London retests Xena: Pool princess ' ' '