Zach Johnson doesn't worry about the what-ifs
By Melanie Hauser, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
It wasn't so much about the putt he missed. It was about the one he made. Ten feet. At the 73rd hole. Slam dunk.
You see, Zach Johnson doesn't look at couldas.
Yes, he was staring at a 19-footer in the dark for one of those elusive 59s a couple of weeks ago in his rain-delayed third-round on a Saturday afternoon in San Antonio. But he left it three feet short, then made the next one for a 60.
The second 60 his career, we might add. Something no one else has done. Again, a nice addition to the bio, but 59? 60? For Johnson, the only number that really mattered in the end was two -- as in second consecutive Valero Texas Open win and second win of the year.
There are times when it might seem all too easy to overlook Johnson in a crowd, but right now isn't one of them. He's a steady-as-you-go guy, not flashy or a daily camera stop. His game is as rock-solid as his character -- not filled with roller-coaster wild swings or mind-boggling shots, but certainly more than his share of low numbers.
He's down-to-earth. A family man with a strong faith. Dry sense of humor and funny, but the kind of funny that's out there for everyone to see. A middle-America guy from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who gives back not because you're supposed to, but because it's just who he is. Humble.
He does things like dedicate his first Valero Texas Open win to the folks in Cedar Rapids who are still drying out from last year's horrendous floods. He calls himself a normal guy. Grew up middle-class and wasn't even the best player on his high school team. Or at Drake University.
And now? He's ranked 20th in the world -- he dropped a spot when he took last week off -- and has six career wins, including the 2007 Masters that put him in the major club. Then there are two Cup teams -- the 2006 Ryder Cup and 2007 Presidents Cup -- and the fact that he now leads the FedExCup points standings.
Oh, and this week he's playing a classic course in Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth.
Johnson likes classic courses. Now if the recently restored/tweaked layout would only return the favor and like him.
Johnson's fairways-and-greens game -- he's ranked in the top 16 in both driving accuracy and greens in regulation -- is perfectly suited to the narrow Colonial fairways. And he's ranked fifth in scoring average this season (69.82).
Yet his best finish at Colonial is a tie for 14th in 2004 and he followed up with a tie for 26th in 2005 and a tie for 30th in 2006. Solid, not great.
But the good news? This is his time of the year.
Five of his six wins have come in this late spring time frame and he's obviously playing well again this year. In addition to the two wins, he finished third at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard and he contended at the Quail Hollow Championship until a final-round meltdown with a 76.
Johnson has put that and a second-round 80 at the Masters -- he had opened with a 70 -- behind him. He doesn't dwell on things -- good or bad -- which is, perhaps, the key to his success.
Cedar Rapids gave us actors Ashton Kutcher and Elijah Wood and former Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner. Orville and Wilbur Wright spent time there as kids. And Johnson? He's just happy to be mentioned as one of the gang.
He worked his way up through the ranks and cut his teeth on the Prairie Golf Tour before moving onto the Nationwide Tour, where he was 2003 Player of the Year. He won more than $2 million his rookie season on the PGA TOUR.
Like we said, hard work.
He held his own with David Letterman and Regis and Kelly -- among others -- after winning the Masters but never let it go to his head. Nice moments; surreal media circus. But his feet are always on the ground.
Johnson went on to win the AT&T Classic six weeks after winning the Masters. Then he finished second to Tiger Woods at the TOUR Championship. It was a great 2007.
Two years later, he's off to another great one. Will he be in the mix for PGA TOUR Player of the Year? Too early to tell. But definitely not too early to think he's a must-have for Presidents Cup Captain Fred Couples.
As for another major? Johnson has had top-25 finishes at both the British Open and PGA Championships, but the U.S. Open hasn't been as kind. His best finish is a tie for 45th from 2007, and Bethpage Black is one long course.
But that's getting ahead of ourselves, something Johnson doesn't do.
Colonial's here this week and Johnson is on a roll. He won't look at what he hasn't done here, but rather what he can do.
And if he's overshadowed in the pre-tournament build-up by guys like Geoff Ogilvy and Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry and Vijay Singh? Well, it wouldn't be the first time.
Things like that don't bother him. He's the same person no matter what. He'll go about his business this week, hang out with buddy Stewart Cink and go to Bible study. He and caddie Damon Green will learn the subtleties of Colonial's renovation and plot their strategy.
He'll start the week leading the FedExCup standings. And see what this week brings.
Like we said, no couldas. Just hard work to prepare him for what's ahead.
Melanie Hauser is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. Her views do not necessarily reflect the views of the PGA TOUR.
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