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WACHOVIA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 1, 2007

Zach Johnson

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Zach, for joining us for a few minutes here in the media center at the Wachovia Championship. Last time you played was at the Verizon right after The Masters. You've had two weeks off with lots of rest because I've seen you on every publication and in the media in Iowa and a couple other places. But just talk about your last two weeks and then we'll go into questions.
ZACH JOHNSON: Well, I've taken the last two weeks off from golf, but I really haven't taken much time off. Sleep has been fairly nonexistent, especially with a 16-week-old baby. But any chaos or issues or commitments we've had have been obviously very good ones. It's just hard. It's been just getting used to it. Still probably hasn't sunk in completely.
Fortunately I've got a great team, and whatever comes about, we'll take it head-on and I'm sure we'll work through it and learn from it.
Last two weeks were much needed, and I'm ready to start playing because it's kind of -- my game is probably not quite where it wants to be, but I'm ready to start competing again.

Q. Did you do the Oprah show did I hear?
ZACH JOHNSON: Yes.

Q. What was that like?
ZACH JOHNSON: It was interesting. Yeah, we had the opportunity and eventually made it work. I think it's going to be good. I'm not sure when it's going to be aired, but maybe it's Friday. But it was pretty good. There was a couple surprises on there. It was brief, which is probably a good thing, considering I'm not much of a -- I'm pretty boring for an hour show I would think. It was good.

Q. Is that sort of where it hit you, that suddenly you're on the Oprah show?
ZACH JOHNSON: Right. Well, yeah, that's one of the hits. It's hit me a lot, but that certainly was one of them.

Q. Who else was on the show with you?
ZACH JOHNSON: They taped a number of different shows that day, so I'm not sure which ones are going to be on and how they're going to arrange it. But there was a couple of surprises on my segment, if you will, ones I'd rather not reveal, just because there's -- because it's a surprise.

Q. Of all the things that you did, what was the most fun?
ZACH JOHNSON: The most fun. Winning the golf tournament was certainly pretty fun. That's exactly right.
There's been a lot of things that have been very fun. The opportunities and some of the requests have been outlandish but yet still fun to listen to. Some of them I'm sure we'll take advantage of or whatever and meet. Also we had a three-day vacation. That was a lot of fun. Much needed.

Q. What was the most outlandish request?
ZACH JOHNSON: It's hard to say. Well, there's been a lot, a lot of requests, can you please come talk to my men's group or something like that, all very worthy things. But whatever the case may be, I've had requests from please come to this camp in Pennsylvania in July, whatever, but they're just trying. It's obviously probably for a good cause and everything. It's just overwhelming.
I mean, I'm getting some of it, my agent is getting the bulk of it, and I can't imagine what his email and what his mail system is like right now.

Q. Have you found it maybe difficult even going out to dinner? Do you find that you get recognized in public now?
ZACH JOHNSON: Well, I did before, but they always called me Joaquin (laughter). Yeah, it's probably a little bit more, a little bit more frequent. But it's just -- it's very congratulatory and very nice, so I appreciate all that. It's a little different. I'm getting used to it. A good thing to get used to.

Q. You went to Hilton Head the next week and you actually played very well. You were in the hunt.
ZACH JOHNSON: Thank you.

Q. At least on the leaderboard. Is this like some momentum you could ride here for a while coming off this win?
ZACH JOHNSON: Well, I hope so. Yeah, I hope so. You know, my instructor kind of put it best, I think. I practiced the most I've ever practiced in the off-season, this past off season, partly due to we had a baby and I couldn't leave home, fortunately. So he put it best when he said a lot of things we've been working on, it's going to probably take a month, two months before it surfaces. With my game, for whatever reason, I tend to hit my stride kind of early mid-spring, and I'm hoping that stride is going to be here for a while.
I mean, I think so. I feel like we're really doing the right stuff and I feel like if I ever have any issues or problems with mechanics or whatever, I feel like I can fix those, remedy those, pretty quick.
But, you know, like you said, I played well those two weeks and then even the week prior to that I played, and that confidence right there hopefully will bring momentum, and in this game momentum is huge, especially on this TOUR. The thing is you can play really good out here and miss the cut, you can play really good out here and not even come close to winning. I've done that a million times. There's just too many good players.
You know, I think those two weeks in particular will certainly help me throughout the year.

Q. Can you talk about this tournament in particular? It's one that's been tough for you the last few years and maybe what's been -- what about this course makes it so tough?
ZACH JOHNSON: I don't know. Well, the course is tough. It's like a U.S. Open out there right now almost. The fairways are very firm and the rough is pretty penalizing for the most part. Greens are firm and fast.
Why I haven't played well here, I have absolutely no idea. I love it. It's one of my favorites on TOUR. I have yet to make the cut out here. I think I missed the cut by a shot maybe once or twice.
I don't know why that is. I think I've taken the week off prior most of the time, and I think, you know, for me it usually takes me until the second week I play to get kind of back in my rhythm. Hopefully I can do it this week and then I can lead into TPC. I just love this place. I mean, this course, you hit a bad shot, you're going to get penalized. That's the way it should be.

Q. Looking back at Augusta, now you've had some breathing room, what are you proudest of that your game held up on that last day, what specifics?
ZACH JOHNSON: I was actually talking to our TOUR chaplain a little bit about that today. I think the biggest thing for me, what's most encouraging, is I felt like I played good. There's a lot of instances where I didn't play very -- I played okay at times or even poorly at times. I played good, I didn't play great. Knowing that I can play that way and still win is very encouraging.
Alongside of that, what's encouraging is there's a lot of room for improvement in my game. There's no reason to quit now and there's -- I'm going to continue to work hard because I know that I can improve. Does that answer your question?

Q. I think this is the fifth year of this tournament that got, even with the WD, the top 28 of 30 here in the world. It's a loaded field, in other words. It's pretty well stacked, maybe even stronger than next week, I don't know. What are they doing here that separates it from the other regular TOUR events?
ZACH JOHNSON: Well, I think for the most part, I think obviously having next week, you're getting a lot of the foreign players come over and play. That's a given. But any given week, the golf course tends to draw us. This one speaks for itself. It's one of the best we play all year. Alongside of that, this tournament makes it extremely easy for players, everything from the way transportation is set up to the locker room -- everything is just really easy, classy. It's not over the top, it's just they seem to meet our needs very well and attract players.
I don't know, Kym Hougham and his staff and obviously Mr. Harris, they just do a great job. Like I haven't made the cut here but I continue to come back. They must be doing something right (laughter).

Q. Back to Augusta just a minute --
ZACH JOHNSON: Plus the food is good.

Q. You talk about Augusta you have to be creative and have a great imagination there. Are you an imaginative player, and does that give you confidence that --
ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah. You know, I don't know if I'm -- compared to some of the guys, probably not. I mean, obviously Tiger is very imaginative. His short-making and short game is ridiculous, in a good way. But I don't hit it that far, so I'm also kind of limited on what my approach is.
I think Augusta that week, if you're going to compare it, it almost played like a U.S. Open where it's simple and straightforward in the fact that I've got to get the ball in the fairway and get it on the green, period, that's it.
You know, sometimes that place is a place you can just get up there and swing at it, and when the conditions are more saturated, it's a little bit easier for the longer hitters. So it kind to played to my favor that way.
There wasn't as much imagination on my shot-making. Now, my putts out there, absolutely. Putting out there is all lagging. It's all speed. So you have to be very imaginative in that respect.

Q. You talked about how difficult it is to win on this TOUR. Do you think the average golf fan has any idea how hard it is to make a living out here when you've got -- for example, yesterday Lee Janzen, two-time U.S. Open winner, is playing in a Monday qualifier trying to get in this thing. Can you explain how difficult it is?
ZACH JOHNSON: They don't have any idea, no. I think the bottom line stems from the fact that there's so much parity in this game, so much talent, top to bottom. The Nationwide Tour, the Tours overseas, there's a number of guys that can play out here for a lifetime if they just had the opportunity or made the best of their opportunity.
It's just the talent is very deep. I know Lee very well, Janzen, and seeing a two-time U.S. Open champion Monday qualify puts that into reality pretty darn quick.
The frustrating part is that can happen. On the flipside it just makes you want to work harder and maintain good workout -- good practice regimen, if you will. I mean, it's just hard. There's a lot of good players, period.

Q. You've had a couple weeks now to think about it. Is there one moment that stood out to you on the golf course Sunday at Augusta in your round that said -- that made the loudest statement to you as a player?
ZACH JOHNSON: That what now?

Q. Is there one particular moment in that Sunday round at Augusta that sticks out in your mind now that you've had three weeks to kind of think about it and walk through it over and over again?
ZACH JOHNSON: Is there one moment that sticks out in my round?

Q. Yeah, during your round, a particular shot, a particular comment?
ZACH JOHNSON: Well, there was a lot of shots. On Sunday a couple of my shots, I would say my second shot into 11 was pretty crucial, I thought. I hit a pretty poor drive but it still managed to kick left in the fairway and I had forever to the hole, but I had to hit a cut shot around a tree into the wind, something I usually don't do very well or very often, and I hit it to about 30 feet. So that shot right there I feel kind of kept me at ease.
Once you get down to 11 and you're on the green in two, that's a sigh -- you can breathe a little bit. I did hit the green on 12. I felt like, well, I got those two out of the way, and now it's just a matter of seeing if I can make some birdies on the par 5s and some of the other holes.
But as far as putts go, it's certainly the putt on 16.
JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thanks, Zach.

End of FastScripts

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