Zach Johnson tees off at the John Deere Classic
Zach Johnson will follow Troy Matteson with seven strokes into the second round of the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic, after hitting a three-under par 68 in Illinois.
He started off on the back nine, struggled with his putter, and suffered two bogeys against a lone birdie to go one-over for the round.
The front nine saw him pick up some pace and sink four birdies to tie for the 39th position after the first round of the final tournament before the British Open.
“I actually had some good opportunities on my front side, the back nine, but just didn't capitalize. And then, you know, a couple errant shots,” he said.
“The front nine, which is my back nine, had an opportunity on almost every hole. Apparently the chip-in didn't work, but three lip outs and I put myself in position to make putts and fortunately I got some”.
He is currently playing along Mike Bender, his swing coach, as his caddie for the tournament. Damon Green, his regular caddy, went on a leave to participate in the US Senior Open, currently in progress.
While talking to the PGA Tour official website, Johnson told that Bender was of great help to him during the day and gave some really good suggestions on the greens.
“He did awesome. Just, you know, good to have someone to converse with, one of your best buddies, one that also knows the golf swing, knows how to caddie, knows how to play the game. That's pretty invaluable,” he said.
Johnson currently looks forward to returning to the form that earned him a victory in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial two months ago.
Right after his victory, he missed the cut at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, followed by tied 41st and 64th in the US Open and Travelers Championship, respectively.
Therefore, it is now essential for him to record a strong finish at TPC Deere Run to gain some confidence prior to the third major event of the year.
In the meantime, the defending champion Steve Stricker managed to share the third position with a six-under par 65.
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