History was made at 3.39pm local time in the first round of the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship as the world's top three - Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald - teed off in the same group.
It was the first time that three Europeans, occupying the highest territory in professional golf, had played together with World Number One Kaymer from Germany, Number Two Westwood and his fellow Englishman, Donald, in third position going into the event in Miami.
The high powered threeball teed off almost three hours after their scheduled start time, as only 30 minutes play was possible before a fierce thunderstorm hit the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship at Doral Resort and Spa.
A clean-up operation was needed at the Blue Monster course after gusts of over 50 miles per hour disrupted the start.
Seventeen trees were uprooted, television towers blown and the 17th green suffered some damage, while the giant scoreboard by the 18th was reduced to rubble.
Only 30 minutes' play was possible before the thunderstorm caused a suspension of more than two and a half hours and despite it being only a 66-strong field - Americans Bubba Watson and Ben Crane and South African Tim Clark all withdrew before teeing off - the first round was bound to spill into Friday.
On the resumption England's Ross Fisher charged into a share of the early lead with American Matt Kuchar and Australian Adam Scott by sinking putts of 30, 25 and 20 feet on the opening three greens.
While Crane and Clark failed to recover from injuries in time Watson had decided he was not well enough to play.
The World Number 15, a semi-finalist at the WGC-Accenture Match Play a fortnight ago, had tweeted: "I am going to try and play today, but my head hurts, body aches and got no energy!"
The big-hitter also joked that Ian Poulter, one of his playing partners, would be out-driving him, but then he went to the practice range and realised the situation was a bit more serious.
"Hit one ball and knew I could not play," he said. "Club felt so heavy. Time to rest and be ready for next week."
While Johnson was off a flyer, Poulter drove into the water on the third for a double-bogey six - Welshman Rhys Davies did the same just ahead of him - and after seven holes was down on one over.
Tiger Woods was on the same mark after five, failing to get up and down from a bunker at the short 13th, and trailed his playing partners Graeme McDowell and Phil Mickelson.
World Number Four McDowell birdied the tenth and 14th and made two superb recoveries from bunkers to save pars on the 11th and 13th, while Mickelson picked up shots on the tenth and 12th - the two par fives on the back nine - but bogeyed two holes later.
Padraig Harrington was alongside McDowell on two under, while Kaymer, Westwood and Match Play winner Donald all birdied the long first.
Woods did not manage a single birdie over the inward half, and with scoring low in the soft and relatively calm conditions once the storm had passed, he was down near the rear of the field at one over.
Kuchar, who had a tap-in eagle at the first and birdies on the second, fourth and fifth, led by one on five under from Ryder Cup teammate Hunter Mahan, Colombian Camilo Villegas and Kaymer, who birdied four of the first five holes to outshine Donald and Westwood.
McDowell and Mickelson turned one under, but that was not in the top 20.
Woods finally got going with birdies at the first and third, but on one under he was still five adrift of Mahan, who turned in 30 to take over at the top.
The world's top three were all still very much in it, Kaymer starting for home five under, Donald four under with Fisher, and then Westwood three under alongside McDowell and Harrington.
