Can Zach Johnson stop Steve Stricker to defend his title at John Deere Classic?
Steve Stricker and Zach Johnson, two of the finest golfers on the PGA Tour, match each other very closely in terms of performances and stats. Both have a similar playing style and their average scoring is almost the same as well.
Johnson leads Stricker on the FedEx Cup ranking by 13 positions, Zach is ranked 6th where as Stricker is on the 20th
spot.
On the other hand, Steve is ahead of Zach when it comes to the World Golf Rankings, Zach Johnson is number 17 where as Steve Stricker is ranked at the 13th place.
Moreover, both of them had a similar season as well. Steve has played 11 events and he has failed to make the cut only once, he has 4 top-10 finishes. He won the Hyundai Tournament of Champions earlier this year.
On the other hand, Zach has featured in 16 events and he too failed to make the cut only once. He has 4 top-10 finishes. However, he has two second place finishes and a first place finish at the Crowne Plaza Invitational, at Colonial.
Zach has won more prize money this season but that is mainly because he has appeared in more events than Steve.
Both these players are toe to toe this season. Now, the John Deere Classic is about to start and the question is: will Zach Johnson be able to stop Steve Stricker from defending his title?
Last year, Steve Stricker took home his second title of the season, when he defeated Kyle Stanley by one stroke. It was an extremely tough competition that went right down to the wire. Stricker shot an overall 22-under to take home $810,000.00.
Meanwhile, at the same tournament, Zach Johnson finished at T3. He shot an overall 17-under, just 5 shots adrift of Steve Stricker.
Can this time Johnson stop Stricker? Well it looks like because both of them match each other very closely. Both of these players are in good form going into the tournament, and both of them have won once this season.
Stricker has a solid overall game, his putting is also very impressive but he would need to putt extremely well this time, if he wants to successfully defend his title.
If Zach wants to stop Stricker and bag his second title of the season, then he too will have to putt well. The course requires a good driving accuracy, which Zach has.
However, Zach will have to create numerous birdie opportunities and then convert them as well if has to do well in the event.
This year’s surprise package can be Camilo Villegas. He has good driving and putting averages, which is what is needed at John Deere Classic to do well.
Even though his form seems to have faded recently, but he surely has the skills to surprise anyone with his performance. If he can putt well, he would certainly finish among the top players at the John Deere Classic.
Can Johnson stop Stricker from defending his title is yet to be seen. Nevertheless, one thing for sure is that a tough competition will be witnessed by the fans. Although the favourites to win the event are Zach Johnson and Steve Stricker, there is always
a surprise package in any tournament.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: