There has been quite a bit of entertaining golf during the first two months of 2022. The problem is that other so-called golf news has edged the players to the sidelines while those with a platform, or perhaps a giant megaphone, have taken center stage. First and foremost are Greg Norman and Phil Mickelson. This embittered duo has aligned itself with financial interests in Saudi Arabia in an attempt to host an alternative professional tour with guaranteed paydays.
A large portion of the golf news during the past three weeks has featured an array of name pros stating their allegiance to the PGA Tour. In the end, the likes of Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy answered the most crucial of questions. Would you rather have a claret jug or a green jacket for victories in the British Open and the Masters or would you rather have hundreds of millions guaranteed for playing in an alternative tour? The success of the alternative tour now sits alongside other failed ventures such as the American Basketball Association (ABA) or the United States Football League (USFL) of past eras.
While all this was going on, reigning Masters champ Hideki Matsuyama was capturing the Hawaiian Open, Ryder Cup hero Scottie Scheffler was experiencing his breakthrough win before the throngs at Phoenix, Joaquin Niemann of Chile was showing his formidable game at the iconic Riviera, and Sepp Straka won in West Palm Beach while prevailing on an all-time tough course. Yes, there has been a lot of great golf at great courses during the past eight weeks.
Speaking of taking home a green jacket and a claret jug, it was also announced that Zach Johnson of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, would serve as the American captain at the 2023 Ryder Cup Matches in Italy. While Zach is the ultimate middle-American golf professional of note, he just so happens to have won the Masters in 2007 and the British Open in 2015. To those keeping score, the unassuming Johnson has exactly as many major titles as the high-profile Greg Norman. Simply put, Team USA is in very good hands with Zach Johnson at the helm.
The 46-year-old Johnson was born in Iowa City and grew up in Cedar Rapids. He played all the sports that kids played such as baseball, football, basketball and soccer. Zach started playing golf as a 10-year-old. It was something he could do with his dad. He was pretty good at golf although early on he was never the best. His high school team won the Iowa State championship when he was a sophomore. He was No. 2 on that squad. Johnson attended Drake University in nearby Des Moines. Drake is not exactly a powerhouse in the world of collegiate golf. While at Drake, Johnson and his teammates won two Missouri Valley Conference titles and went to the NCAA Regionals three times. He also was the No. 2 golfer at Drake during those years.
In 1998, Zach Johnson turned pro after his senior season and began playing on the Prairie Golf Tour. He collected three wins in two years and then moved on to the Hooters Tour in 2000. The following year he won three times on the Hooters. He then advanced to the Nationwide (now Korn Ferry) Tour in 2001. He had a great 2003 campaign, winning in Arkansas and Utah while finishing atop the money list. That season of success resulted in Johnson finally getting to the PGA Tour in 2004 as a 28-year-old rookie. Johnson played a control game and it was hard to know whether he’d find success on a tour dominated by the likes of Tiger, Phil, Ernie and Vijay, all power players. It took just about three months to find out.
In April of 2004, Johnson prevailed over Mark Hensby by one stroke to win the Bell South Classic in Atlanta for his first tour win. Three years later he played in the 2007 Masters that was mired by miserable weather. Johnson posted a 1-over-par 289 for 72 holes in cold and wet conditions. Knowing how tough Augusta National was that weekend, Zach famously laid up on every par-5 hole during the course of four rounds. He posted the highest winning score in Masters’ history as he defeated the trio of Rory Sabbatini, Retief Goosen and Tiger Wood by two strokes. Most unexpectedly he suddenly was the owner of the green jacket as well as tons of respect for the way he prevailed at Augusta. He defeated all of the long ball knockers.
Zach Johnson started winning PGA Tour events at an almost annual clip. He won again in Atlanta in 2007, won the Texas Open in 2008, captured the Hawaiian Open and a second Texas Open in 2009, prevailed at Colonial in 2010, won a second Colonial as well as his hometown Quad Cities in 2012, won a Fed Ex Cup playoff tourney in Chicago in 2013, and captured the TOC in 2014. He capped it all off with a four-hole, three-way playoff victory at the 2015 British Open. With his victories at Augusta National and St. Andrews, Zach joined the elite sixsome of noted golfers named Sam, Jack, Seve, Nick and Tiger who have won majors at those two historically iconic sites. That’s pretty heady stuff for the Iowa kid.
During those years Zach played on five Ryder Cup teams and four Presidents Cup teams. While Team USA was 1-4 during that time, Johnson had a winning record of 8-7-2. His Presidents Cup record was an impressive 10-6-1. Highly respected for getting the most out of his game, Johnson was named a vice captain on the last two Ryder Cup teams as well as the most recent Presidents Cup team. He has served under Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods. According to Brooks Koepka, “The stuff he does behind closed doors is what I think makes the big difference. I think every guy that’s played on a team that he’s been an assistant or played with him would definitely agree with that and be happy to see him do it.”
Zach Johnson played his best golf during the Tiger Woods era. He was a top-10 money winner five times, won two majors and 10 other PGA Tour events, was the recipient of the Payne Stewart Award in 2020, and is considered an all-around good guy. Yes, he is a tenacious competitor. True, he is admired for getting the most out of his game. And because he is a 40-something who is still active on the PGA Tour, he knows all the players of note.
Team USA has not won a Ryder Cup on foreign soil since 1993. Yet Zach Johnson and his team of dynamic young Americans just might end that streak in Italy next year. Johnson’s mantra is “Practice hard, play hard, and pray hard.” More important was his line following his ascension to Ryder Cup captain. He said, ”I despise losing.” It should be most entertaining in Italy.
