IN BRIEF

*GOLF: Zach Johnson made a 12-foot birdie on the first playoff hole to beat James Driscoll and repeat as the Valero Texas Open champion Sunday in San Antonio. Johnson's even-par 70 was good enough for a 15-under 265 and forced the sudden-death playoff with Driscoll, who surged from eight strokes back. ... Ji Young Oh shot 2-under 70 to capture the $2 million Sybase Classic in Clifton, N.J. by four shots. ... Irish amateur Shane Lowry capped off his remarkable debut by winning the Irish Open title on the third hole of a playoff against Robert Rock of England.

*HORSE RACING: Rachel Alexandra's victory in the Preakness Stakes has earned the race its highest overnight television ratings since 2004 and its second highest rating since 1990. NBC said on Sunday that the race portion of Saturday's broadcast drew a 7.9 rating and an 18 share as fans tuned in to watch Rachel Alexandra hold off Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird. That's up 27 percent over last year, when the much-hyped Big Brown won to take the first two legs of the Triple Crown. Rachel Alexandra returned to Louisville Sunday. She'll stay at Churchill Downs while her owners decide whether to run her in the Belmont. The filly is set to return to the track on Wednesday and is scheduled to breeze on Memorial Day.

*TRACK AND FIELD: Usain Bolt ran the world's fastest 150 meters in a soggy street sprint on Sunday that marked his return to competition after foot surgery following a car crash. The triple Olympic champion ran down Manchester's main thoroughfare in windy conditions, finishing in 14.35 seconds to break Donovan Bailey's 12-year-old world best of 14.99.

*CYCLING: Mark Cavendish won the ninth stage of the Giro d'Italia in a sprint on Sunday, but the times did not count in the overall standings because riders -- prodded by Lance Armstrong -- staged a protest over safety midway through race.

*ALSO: Michael Phelps was beaten again at the Charlotte UltraSwim on Sunday night, losing to Frederick Bousquet of France in the 100-meter freestyle. The loss to Bousquet, world-record holder in the 50 free, came 24 hours after Phelps lost his first final in nearly a year. ... Forward Juan Pattillo has been kicked off Oklahoma's basketball team for an undisclosed violation of team policy.

MASTERS WINNER JOHNSON AT HOME IN JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

Zach Johnson was walking off the 18th green over the weekend at the TPC at Deere Run when two men from Chile asked if he would be playing in the pro-am on Wednesday. Recounting the story, Johnson said he said yes.

"Oh, are you a professional?" the men asked.

Johnson said, "Yeah, I'm a professional."

The men asked Johnson if he had won a tournament this year.

"Yeah," Johnson said, "I won a tournament in Augusta."

"The Masters?" the men asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Johnson said.

"All right," the men said.

Johnson still might not be well known in Chile, but he clearly will be the big man in the field when the John Deere Classic begins with first-round play Thursday in the Quad Cities. It will be the return of the native son, who grew up down the road in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Johnson was the fans' favorite at Deere Run even before he won the Masters in April. But now that he owns a green jacket, Deere Run galleries are treating him like he is Tiger Woods. There was such a demand for his autograph during a practice round Tuesday, he had to let a group play through. "It was pretty overwhelming," Johnson said.

Johnson insists he is the same humble Iowan. However, his life has been anything but humble since he outlasted Woods at Augusta. More than three months later, things haven't slowed down when it comes to endorsement offers and demands on his time.

"Maybe at times there have been some breaks, but there really hasn't been much of a calming effect," Johnson said. "That's just the way it's going to be for a while. I don't know if that's going to quit. I think I have the easy job. My agent, my instructors and probably some of my family members have the bulk of it."

If there is anything Johnson has learned, it is the art of saying no.

"The hardest thing, the most frustrating thing, the downside of it is saying no," Johnson said. "And I have to. I don't have the time or the means."

Johnson can't say no to playing in the John Deere. He calls the tournament "a borderline major" for him.

Johnson said he loves the course, and calls the tournament staff the best in the game. Of course, they did the right thing by putting Johnson on the tournament's board of directors.

Johnson would like nothing more than to win this week. He never has finished higher than 20th in the John Deere.

Perhaps he feels a bit of the hometown pressure.

"I don't get first-tee nerves or jitters very often," Johnson said. "I have in the majors, a couple of times in particular. For whatever reason, I might have a little of bit of nerves here, but I get into it pretty quickly."

Johnson knows one thing: Whether he shoots a 65 or a 75, the fans will be behind him. He calls it an Iowa thing.

"If you are from Iowa, I think you understand," Johnson said. "They grab hold of their own and they go with them. If I wasn't Zach Johnson the golfer and I hadn't done what I've done, I'd be the one outside the ropes following the one who did, just as much as they are ... It's just the way the state is, and that's never going to change. It's ingrained in our skin."

MERRITT MAKES AUSPICIOUS DEBUT

Troy Merritt had strong credentials as a PGA Tour rookie, just not the hype.

Even though he set an NCAA record by winning five straight tournaments at Boise State, and last month went wire-to-wire at Q-school to earn his PGA Tour card, he was overlooked Thursday in Hawaii's Sony Open while playing next to 21-year-old Rickie Fowler.

If that wasn't enough, the standard-bearer had the wrong name on the sign -- Merrick -- which wasn't fixed for an hour.

By the end of the round, he was starting to make a name for himself.

One of four rookies who had never teed it up on the PGA Tour, the 24-year-old played with poise at Waialae for a 5-under 65 that gave him a share of the lead with Davis Love III, defending champion Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, Robert Allenby and John Merrick.

Ten other players, including Steve Stricker, were tied at 4-under.

*The Four Seasons Resort that hosts the annual Byron Nelson Championship is facing foreclosure. The club's general manager said the posting will not affect the property's daily operations. ... Neil Schietekat shot a 9-under 62 for the Joburg Open lead.

source : http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-01-15/sports/1001150066_1_steve-stricker-robert-allenby-pga-tour

JOHNSON PUTTS TO LEAD

Zach Johnson birdied five holes and eagled another for a 15-point third round and the 54-hole lead at the International in Castle Rock, Colo., golf's most novel event, one which features two cuts and uses the modified Stableford scoring system.

Johnson's 27 points heading into Sunday are one more than Steve Flesch and two more than Stewart Cink and Ian Leggatt.

Big changes are the norm at the International, the only stop on the PGA Tour that uses the special scoring system that awards five points for eagles, two for birdies, nothing for pars and deducts one for bogeys and three for double-bogeys or worse.

Angela Stanford moved a step closer to an elusive second LPGA Tour victory, shooting a 3-under 69 to take a four-stroke lead after the third round of the Canadian Women's Open in London, Ontario. Stanford, 28, had a 13-under 203 total. Defending champion Meena Lee was second after a 66.

ZACH BIRDIES INTO LEAD

Zach Johnson birdied four of his final six holes for a 6-under 66 and a two-stroke lead after the second round of the BellSouth Classic in Duluth, Ga.

Johnson, the player of the year last season on the Nationwide Tour, had a 9-under 135 total on the TPC at Sugarloaf.

Defending champion Ben Crane (69) was tied for second with Craig Bowden (71) and Tim Petrovic (70).

Annika Sorenstam shot a 4-under 68 to take a one-stroke lead over Jill McGill and Meg Mallon in the Office Depot Championship in Los Angeles.

Karrie Webb, a two-time LPGA player of the year, started with a bogey and kept going downhill on the way to an 81--her worst round since she joined the tour in 1996.

GOLF PRO RESULT

BELIEVE IN HIMSELF, PRAY TELL

On the eve of the 2007 Masters, Zach Johnson walked off the 18th green with one prevailing thought: "I haven't got a prayer."

"It was playing so hard," Johnson recalled of that practice round. "It was so cold and windy. My preparation was good, but I just didn't feel like I had an opportunity to play well because it was so long."

Trevor Immelman had a similar woe-is-my-game mind-set one year ago.
He entered the tournament ranked 129th and less than four months removed from surgery to remove a benign, Titleist-sized lesion on his diaphragm.

"I had no expectations," he said.

So if you're trying to handicap the 2009 Masters, you might want to consider names other than WOODS, T and MICKELSON, P.

That's not to say that every off-the-radar type is worthy of your attention.

But if the field of 96 had a guy named George Mason, he probably could win it all. Even as a No. 11 seed.

Why? Perhaps because there's no surefire road map to thriving at Augusta National.

"It's not a formula," said Stewart Cink, who has nine top-30 finishes in 11 starts. "The course is a perfect balance of ball-striking and short game. It doesn't matter if you hit it long or short, it has to be quality. And you have to have steady nerves."

Statistically speaking, the last four champions had little in common.

In 2005, Tiger Woods hit just 57.1 percent of fairways but compensated with absurdly accurate iron play. He hit 75 percent of greens to rank second in the field.

Driving distance of 299.3 yards set Phil Mickelson apart in 2006. Johnson's driving average in 2007 of 264.6 yards makes you wonder whether he was hitting 3-woods. But he wasn't wayward off the tee, and his putter flowed.

Immelman did everything well in his wire-to-wire victory last year. And the weight of expectations on his shoulders could have been weighed in feathers.

"I wasn't putting any pressure on myself," he said.

Johnson opened the 2007 tournament with a 71 and held his ground with a second-round 73. Saturday brought Bear weather -- as in Chicago, not Jack Nicklaus -- with temperatures in the mid-40s and wind gusts up to 33 m.p.h.

The Iowan survived the day with a 76, then tied for the low round Sunday with 69. The first moment Johnson thought he could win?

"When Tiger's ball landed on the 18th green and didn't go in," he replied.

Johnson has excelled in 2009, winning the Sony Open in Hawaii and taking third in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

At 33, Johnson believes he's a more polished player than the 31-year-old guy who tamed Tiger.

"I'm more complete, certainly from an experience standpoint," he said. "Back then I had that ignorance-is-bliss thing; I didn't know what I was getting myself into."

He didn't think he had a prayer.
source : http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-04-09/sports/0904080815_1_zach-johnson-mid-40s-and-wind-gusts-trevor-immelman

ZACH JOHNSON HAS FANS ON HIS SIDE AT MASTERS

The state of Iowa helped turn Augusta National into a home course for Zach Johnson. The defending Masters champion and native Iowan took advantage with a solid opening round of 70.

Johnson was cheered on by a large Iowa contingent, including the state's top official, as Gov. Chet Culver and his family were on hand.

Johnson didn't know they were coming.

"Am I surprised?" Johnson said. "No, I'm not because that's what Iowa is all about. The beauty of the governor is that he's a fan. Taking time out of his schedule to come here, that's a little shocking. But the support he has given me and other athletes from the state, that's what it's all about."

In the lead

Trevor Immelman won the last Western Open in 2006. Since then, he has endured some rough times.

Entering the Masters, he has missed the cut in four of nine starts. His highest finish in a stroke-play event is a tie for 40th.

So Immelman naturally was thrilled to open with a 68, putting him in a tie for the first-round lead with Justin Rose.

"Obviously, my form hasn't been too stellar," Immelman said. "I've been struggling, and each week I've felt like I chipped away at something new and started getting a little better."

Ace

Ian Poulter had the shot of the day with a hole-in-one on the par-3 16th. He hit an 8-iron from 169 yards.

"Pretty exciting moment," said Poulter, who had a 70. "Any hole-in-one is a nice one. But to do it on 16 with all those spectators, it's a great amphitheater to have a hole-in-one. It gave me a great boost and a great adrenaline rush."

Still the King

Fifty years after winning his first Masters in 1958, Arnold Palmer kicked off the Masters with the ceremonial first tee shot. Palmer couldn't see where it landed because of the fog, which delayed the tournament for an hour.

"I hit it out of sight," Palmer cracked.
source : http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-04-11/sports/0804101440_1_zach-johnson-trevor-immelman-solid-opening

WHO'S ZACH

AUGUSTA, Ga. — It all seemed surreal to Zach Johnson. Three clutch birdies on the back nine at the Masters. His name atop the leaderboard. Toppling Tiger Woods. Slipping on the green jacket.

"I'm from Cedar Rapids, Iowa," he said when asked to describe himself. "That's about it. I'm a normal guy."

Not anymore.

Normal guys don't beat Woods in the final round of a major, especially when Woods is in the lead. Normal guys aren't unfazed by the ground-shaking cheers of Woods making an eagle to mount a charge.

Jack Fleck was a normal guy from Iowa, too, and he took down the great Ben Hogan in the 1955 U.S. Open.

Maybe everyone should have seen this one coming.

A strange week at Augusta National saved the biggest surprise for the very end--Johnson as the Masters champion, and beating Woods to get there.

"As they say, a giant has got to fall at some point," he said.

Johnson pulled away from Woods and the rest of the pack with three birdies in a pivotal four-hole stretch, closing with a 3-under 69 for a two-shot victory over Woods, Retief Goosen and Rory Sabbatini.

It was only the second victory of his career.

CAREER

Johnson turned professional in 1998 and played on the developmental tour circuit, including the now-defunct Prairie Golf Tour, the Buy.com Tour (now called the Nationwide Tour), and the Hooters Tour, where he won the final three regular-season events in 2001. In 2003, he topped the money list on the Nationwide Tour with then record earnings of $494,882, earning an automatic promotion to the PGA Tour. He won his first PGA Tour event at the 2004 BellSouth Classic outside of Atlanta. Johnson qualified for the 2006 U.S. Ryder Cup team, finishing 9th on the U.S. points list.

On April 8, 2007, Johnson won the Masters Tournament in Augusta by a margin of 2 strokes over Tiger Woods, Retief Goosen, and Rory Sabbatini. It was his first major title. His score of 289 (+1) tied Sam Snead (1954) and Jack Burke Jr. (1956) for the highest winning score at the Masters. His victory took him from #56 to #15 in the world rankings; he was the first outside the top 50 in the world rankings to win the Masters in the history of the ranking. After winning, he mentioned his Christian faith and thanked God, saying "This being Easter, I cannot help but believe my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ was walking with me. I owe this to Him." [1]

Six weeks after winning the Masters, Johnson won the 2007 AT&T Classic in a playoff over Ryuji Imada. Following the win, Johnson moved to a career-best 13th in the world rankings. His next PGA Tour victory, and first outside the state of Georgia, came at the 2008 Valero Texas Open.

Johnson won the Sony Open in Hawaii in January 2009, and successfully defended his title at the Valero Texas Open in May with a playoff victory over James Driscoll.[2] With a third-round 60, Johnson became the first player to shoot 60 twice on the PGA Tour, having done so previously at the 2007 Tour Championship. The win was Johnson's sixth on tour. Other highlights in 2009 include a tied for 2nd place finish at the John Deere Classic and a solo 3rd place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He finished the season ranked a career best fourth on the money list.

Personal
Began playing golf at age 10...Lists his father and mother among his heroes. Father is a chiropractor...Huge Drake University and University of Iowa sports fan...The gallery at BellSouth Classic at 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 as a pro 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. "It's unbelievable having them here. They would buy a couple stock shares in me and just allow me to go out and not have to worry about the necessities of traveling week to week."...When heavy rains caused flooding in the Midwest in the summer of 2008, stepped up to help. Served as the spokesman on a public service announcement and held a one-day golf event in Cedar Rapids, IA, that raised $350,000. Was instrumental, along with Jerry Kelly, in starting the PGA TOUR Flood Relief effort, which donated approximately $125,000 to the cause.

source : http://en.wikipedia.org

BACKGROUND

Height : 5ft 11 inch
Weight : 160 lbs
Turned Pro : 1998
Birthdate : February, 24 1976
The son of a chiropractor, Johnson was born in Iowa City, Iowa and raised in Cedar Rapids, the oldest of Dave & Julie Johnson's three children. Playing many sports as a youth (baseball, basketball, football, and soccer), Johnson took up golf at age 10 and developed his skills at Elmcrest Country Club. He played #2 on the Regis High School golf team and led them to an Iowa 3A state championship in 1992, his sophomore year.

Following graduation from high school in 1994, Johnson enrolled at Drake University in Des Moines. As the #2 player on the Drake golf team, he led the Bulldogs to three NCAA regional meets and two Missouri Valley championships. Johnson received early inspiration when his uncle, Tom Harris, qualified for the 1975 NAIA national tournament. Johnson has admitted to not being the best player on his high school or college team, but was quoted in his Masters speech saying, "I just kept getting better every year."

source http://en.wikipedia.org