Meet the Americans: Zach Johnson

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Zach Johnson is making his second Presidents Cup appearance.

Oct. 1, 2009

MORE: Presidents Cup structure | Meet the American Team | Meet the International Team | Complete coverage

Here's an interesting trivia question: Coming into the 2008 PGA TOUR season, Zach Johnson had won three tournaments. What did they have in common? If you guessed that they were all in Georgia, you guessed right. He won two in Atlanta and a very big one -- the 2007 Masters Tournament -- in Augusta. But in recent years he's broadened his geographic reach, winning the Valero Texas Open twice and the Sony Open in Hawaii. Johnson's victory at Augusta National -- where he beat Retief Goosen, Rory Sabbatini and Tiger Woods by two strokes -- came as something of a surprise because the course is generally considered a long-hitter's paradise, not one of Johnson's strengths. But his wedge game is a thing of beauty, and he took full advantage of it on his way to the Green Jacket. This year marks his second Presidents Cup appearance. In 2007 at Royal Montreal Golf Club, he posted a 2-2-1 record for Captain Jack Nicklaus's victorious United States team.

The Johnson file

FULL NAME: Zachary Harris Johnson

HEIGHT: 5-11

WEIGHT: 160

BIRTHDATE: Feb. 24, 1976

BIRTHPLACE: Cedar Rapids, Iowa

RESIDENCE: St. Simons Island, Ga.

FAMILY: Wife, Kim; Will (1/4/07)

EDUCATION: Drake University (1998, Business Management/Marketing)

SPECIAL INTERESTS: Movies, all sports, downhill skiing, spending time with wife and son, Drake University and University of Iowa athletics

TURNED PROFESSIONAL: 1998

NATIONWIDE TOUR GRADUATE: (2003)

Personal info

Zach Johnson began playing golf at age 10 and lists his father, a chiropractor, and mother among his heroes. Johnson is a huge fan of Drake University and a University of Iowa sports fan. The gallery at his first TOUR victory included a group of about 10 men from Iowa who gave him financial support early in his career, buying a stake in Zach for $500 a share. Some were seeing him play professionally for the first time. It started out as a business, but it ended up as a business family, Johnson said of his relationship with them. Its unbelievable having them here. They would buy a couple of stock shares in me and just allow me to go out and not have to worry about the necessities of traveling week to week. It proved to be a wonderful investment in a terrific player.

Playing record

PGA TOUR VICTORIES: (6) 2004 BellSouth Classic. 2007 Masters Tournament, AT&T Classic. 2008 Valero Texas Open. 2009 Sony Open in Hawaii, Valero Texas Open.

2009 PGA TOUR HIGHLIGHTS: Zach Johnson shot a final-round 65 highlighted by a two-putt birdie on the final hole to post a two-stroke victory over David Toms and Australias Adam Scott at the Sony Open in Hawaii. It was his fifth career victory and the second in his last six starts dating back to the end of the 2008 season. Later in the year he sank a 10-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to beat James Driscoll and successfully defend his Valero Texas Open title at LaCantera Golf Club for his sixth career TOUR title. The win moved him to the top of the FedExCup standings, passing Geoff Ogilvy and Phil Mickelson -- the only other two-time winners on the PGA TOUR at that point in the season. He moved to the top of the official money list with a tie for ninth at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, putting him in first place on both the money list and the FedExCup standings.

NATIONAL TEAMS: The Presidents Cup (2), 2007, 2009; Ryder Cup, 2006; World Cup, 2005

PRESIDENTS CUP RECORD: 2-2-0

RYDER CUP RECORD: 1-2-1

COMBINED RECORD: 3-4-1

All-time playing partners

Chad Campbell (1 Foursomes RC)

Stewart Cink (1 Foursomes; 1 Foursomes RC)

Charles Howell III (1 Four-ball)

David Toms (1 Foursomes)

Scott Verplank (1 Four-ball RC)