YouTube Review: The Long Game with Zach Johnson

The Long Game with Zach Johnson

 In the 2014 season, there were 999 drives of 348 yards or longer. Not one of them belonged to Zach Johnson. His average drive is so far back of that you almost need a range finder to locate it. Certainly a measuring device would come in handy if comparing Johnson's typical drive, 273 yards, to the longest poke of last season, 424 yards, belonging to Bubba Watson. 

The Plantation Course at Kapalua is 7,452 yards this week, a perfect playground for guys like Bubba Watson, not Zach Johnson. He was tied for 193rd in driving distance in the 2014 season with his modest average. Nevertheless, Johnson is defending champ at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, despite being distance challenged off the tee. Surprisingly he's not deterred by the differences.

"I used to think this golf course wasn't in my favor, but the more and more I play it, the better I feel like it is suited to me, depending on wind situation and that kind of thing," he said.

Johnson's secret, like that of Steve Stricker, who has also won at the Hyundai venue, is staying in the short grass as often as possible. Johnson's driving accuracy for last year was 80 percent on 1,346 drives. He's in sixth place behind the likes of David Toms, Jim Furyk, Tim Clark, Heath Slocum and Justin Hicks. Like the Energizer Bunny, he just keeps charging along, albeit, from farther back in the fairway than the long hitters.

He is also is a fighter. He's Jim Furyk in an Iowa jersey.

"I'm never content, whether I'm playing great or playing average or bad," he added, "Just the fact that I just love to compete.  I mean I really—I'm not saying these guys don't because they're all champions, great players—but when I get into I guess you'd say into a mode of where I'm in control of my game and you get into the weekend and you get into Sunday and there's obviously a chance to win, I just—I relish it, I savor it. I mean if anything I don't—I mean I want it."

One reason he has won 11 times on the PGA Tour is that he has a team that helps him look at what he's doing well and what he can still improve on in terms of his on-course performance. They just finished their annual review of everything from his stats to his workout routines.

"I'm not saying I should treat it as a nine to five," he said, "but there's other things that need to fall into place too. You gotta schedule rest, you gotta schedule workouts and tissue work and all that. So scheduling was a big part of the discussion."

Plan, Train and give your best is your key to success. 

Thanks for reading and have a great day!