SILVIS — Since a top-10 finish in March at the Honda Classic, Zach Johnson has had very pedestrian results on the golf course.
He has missed the cut in all three major championships. He’s broken 70 only nine times in his last 26 competitive rounds. He’s failed to put himself into contention on a Sunday.
Nearly six years removed from his last victory, the 2015 Open Championship at St. Andrews, Johnson is not troubled about the state of his game.
It is the contrary.
“I like the trajectory of my game,” Johnson said on the eve of the 50th John Deere Classic.
“There’s been periods where my ball-striking wasn’t good and my putting was great and vice versa. It’s just really a matter of meshing those aspects together.”
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Johnson is 99th in the FedEx Cup standings and has dipped to 125th in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Still, the motivation is there for the 45-year-old.
If there is any place on the PGA Tour that can springboard Johnson's game, it is TPC Deere Run. Johnson has added more than $3 million to his bank account from his performances on the property nestled along the Rock River.
Only Steve Stricker has pocketed more in earnings at the JDC.
From 2009-17, Johnson had a win, three runner-up finishes, two thirds and a fifth. He’s 172-under par in his last 44 rounds at Deere Run.
“Obviously, I’ve got a comfort level here, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen,” Johnson said. “I’ve still got to go out there and hit shots and make putts. This is a place where I’m fairly confident I’ve probably birdied every hole, but I’ve probably had opportunities to bogey every hole.
“I’m going to go out and wait for my stretch because there’s plenty of opportunity here to make birdies. There’s plenty of opportunity to get the accelerator down on the floor and go.”
Johnson has had one of his best seasons statistically on the greens. He’s third in strokes gained putting on the Tour but outside the top 65 in greens in regulation and 92nd in driving accuracy.
He is coming off his best finish in four months at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut two weeks ago, a tie for 25th, and three rounds in the 60s.
“It was one of the best weeks I’ve had in ball-striking,” Johnson said. “I just didn’t make that many putts.”
If the putter can cooperate this week, Johnson believes he can be in the hunt come the weekend.
“If it happens this week, great,” he said. “That doesn’t mean it’s going to be a ‘W,' but I just want to get those feelings of being in contention again on Sunday, and I don’t feel like that’s far off.”
After missing out on what Johnson has dubbed his “fifth major” last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he is eager to be back on the grounds and contend for the bronze buck trophy.
Johnson, born in Iowa City and raised in Cedar Rapids, understood the reasoning for not having the tournament last year but admitted it was tough to stomach not having a Tour stop here in mid-July.
"It's like my body and mind was ready to get here to the Quad-Cities (last July)," Johnson said. "It's almost like they took something away from me.
“Those decisions were obviously very strategic, thoughtful and the right decision at the right moment, but for me selfishly, it stunk because I wanted to come back. I always enjoy coming back. I wish it was two times a year, three times a year.”
In a tournament celebrating its 50th anniversary that has produced many iconic moments, Johnson is a substantial part of that history. He would savor the chance at another JDC title to add to his collection of 12 Tour wins.
"It's another home for me," he said. "I don't say that lightly, nor do I take that for granted. Coming back here is special."
