Facts about Zach Johnson
Zach Johnson Biography
Zach Johnson outplayed Tiger Woods and a field of other golf greats to win the 2007 Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia. Johnson graduated from Drake University in 1998. He turned pro the same year and began working his way up through pro golf’s minor leagues, the Prairie, Hooters and Nationwide Tours. Johnson is not a long hitter (he finished 2006 ranked 145th in driving distance on the PGA tour) but is known as for his steady demeanor and accuracy. His first win on the PGA tour came at the 2004 BellSouth Classic. His next win was a doozy: he beat Woods, Phil Mickelson, and nearly 100 others to win the 2007 Masters on April 5-8 of 2007. Johnson shot rounds of 71, 73, 76 and 69 for a total of 1-over-par 289, making him the first player since Jack Burke in 1956 to win the Masters with an over-par final score. He continued to improve during 2007 and 2008, and by the end of 2009 he was ranked in the top five in winnings.
Extra credit
Johnson is 5’11” tall… According to the PGA website, Johnson won the final three regular-season events on Hooters Tour in 2001, “earning the nickname ‘Back-to-Back-to-Back-Zach’”… Sam Snead (1954) is the only player besides Johnson and Burke to win the Masters with an over-par total. All three had four-round totals of 289… 2007 was Johnson’s third trip to the Masters. He earned $1,305,000 for the win.