Zach Johnson is a two-time major champion (2007 Masters and 2015 Open Championship) with an impressive Ryder Cup playing record.
He knows what it takes to get over the line in the biggest spots, but, like most people, he didn’t feel “comfortable” in those high-pressure situations.
Tiger Woods, on the other hand, is in the highest bracket of sports stars who came to expect to win at every single tournament.
Indeed, Johnson says that he consistently showed one “intangible” quality which no other modern player has.
Zach Johnson says what only Tiger Woods could do in golf tournaments
Johnson spoke about his 2007 Masters win recently, recalling that he suddenly found himself in an interesting situation.
The 49-year-old started the final round two shots behind the lead, so he had an attacking mindset in hopes of chasing them down.
That was until he asked his caddie about the leaderboard on the 15th hole and was surprised to hear that he was already in first place.
Johnson said: “I am walking off 15, and I turned to Damon [his caddie] and said, ‘It’s about that time man, I think I might need to know.’ I could kind of feel it. It was the back nine at Augusta on Sunday; you could feel it.
“I said I have to know where I am at right now. He said, ‘Well, we have got a couple.’ My first thought is that we have to go get a couple. We have to get a couple more! I was like, ‘We have got a couple what, buddy?’ He said, ‘We are up by two.’ I was like, ‘What!’
“So now electricity is everywhere. You are trying to control it, and I love it, but you’re human, and it’s just the way things work in the nervous system.”
Johnson added that Woods is the only player he’s ever come across who seemed perfectly fine with the lead in big events.
“There is only one guy in our time in my mind that when he is in the lead, he looks the most comfortable and that is Tiger. It is a rare air. It’s an intangible and innate area. And somehow, he has been able to harness everything and just feel comfortable in that position. Most humans do not. We want it, but we are not always comfortable.”
Zach Johnson recalls ‘massive’ moment in 2007 Masters victory
Johnson beat Justin Rose, Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald and defending champion Woods in his surprising 2007 Masters victory.
He remembers the 16th hole, after he was told about having the outright lead by his caddie, as a “massive” moment towards earning the Green Jacket.
“Going to the 16th tee, it’s the Sunday pin, which is kind of back third left. The only place you cannot go is – well, I shouldn’t say that, there are a lot of places you can’t go. But it was perfect for me. It was the perfect shot.
“Into the wind, out of the left, so it was going to hit the wind, my draw was going to hit the wind, I was trying to hit it low, I just had to stay right of the pin. 12 yards right of the pin, you can use the board; it’s exactly what happened. I had about 10 feet because it kind of went up and came back. Snuck that one in.
“Making a putt when you have the lead… There are only so many times I have done that, and I’m like, ‘holy cow that just happened!’ So that was huge. That was massive. And now, confidence is flowing.”
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