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HYUNDAI TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONSJanuary 4, 2014Zach JohnsonKAPALUA, HAWAII KELLY BARNES: We welcome Zach Johnson to the interview room, 7‑under par, take us through your scorecard for today. ZACH JOHNSON: Sure. I played solid. Got off to an okay start, hit every green. First three greens, didn't just have a good birdie look. Hit it close on 4 to about six, seven feet. Probably five or six feet, actually. Hit two great shots on 5, 5‑iron into five. I don't think I've ever hit 5‑iron into 5. I should have hit six. And 3‑putted from essentially the back‑‑ towards the back of the green. Lipped‑out there from par from ten feet. My goal this week was to not 3‑putt. I 3‑putted three times. God, it sucks. Next hole, I hit a good drive, dead into the wind. I think I had like 145, playing 128 downhill and everything. IT was one of those, do you hit a 9‑iron; do you hit a 7‑iron. I chipped an 8‑iron trying to keep it left of the hole so it can feed down and stay in that top portion. With that pin it's a good thing it's into the wind because if had been downwind, I don't know if you can hold it on top of that ledge. I hit it to about two feet. But that was a nice one. Hit two great shots, the next hole was playing difficult. Hit 6‑iron, probably 20 to 23 feet probably. Damon had it charted in his book and that helped, didn't break as much as it looked, a right‑edge putt and made that. I was going back on forth on 8 with clubs, 4‑iron or 5‑iron. Saw guys hitting it short, into the wind, kind of subdued, hit a five, great shot, spun back and rolled down the hill to once again 20 feet, and a putt that was downhill, downgrain. Just trying to get it in a two‑foot circle and read it properly and it snuck in the edge there. Didn't get up‑and‑down on 9. Hit a good drive on 10. Dufner hit a wedge, we were essentially the same spot and he was a little bit behind me and looked like it landed nearly pin‑high and spun back to 15, 20 feet and I chipped a 9 from like 108 yards. Those kind of shots, I wouldn't saythey are essential here, but certainly helps to take the spin off it because it's landing into the green and it ended up about 2 1/2, three feet there, as well, which was a nice bonus. Good save the next. 12, I hit a good drive and played pretty safe on my second shot. I was kind of in‑between clubs, and once again, made about a 20‑footer. I thought I missed it. The grain was right‑to‑left, slope was left‑to‑right and I hit it inside left and it stayed‑‑ actually went left, broke up the hill at the end. So that was a nice little gift. Lipped‑out on 13. 14, hit a nice pitch to 2 1/2, three feet and made that. Driver off the tee for me, 35 yards second shot. 15, I hit a great drive, one of the best drives I hit all day and I almost whiffed a 5‑wood. I'm in between a 3‑iron and a 5‑wood, to get there in two and hit it poorly. Hit a poor pitch. Hit a poor putt and made a five. Good save on 16. I thought I hit a good second shot but we miss‑judged it. Two good shots on 17. Three good shots on 18. Misread 18, the putt. Just solid. I never really was staring bogey in the face. A couple decent saves, you know, but chips that I felt like I could be aggressive with, so nothing‑‑ just pretty solid, relative to yesterday, which was kind of up‑and‑down. Q. Dustin, if I remember correctly, said this is a course that he could reach all the fives, a couple of short fours that he could get up‑and‑down and he should be able to shoot a good score today. You just shot a 66 with no birdies on the par5; is that right? ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah. Q. Comments, please. ZACH JOHNSON: I would say I'm up by three gross and up by eight or nine net, based on that rationale. I don't know, I mean, if I drive it decent here, I know it sounds‑‑ driver probably isn't the most important club here just because of the reading of the grain and the putts. Clearly the putter is the most important. But getting the ball in the fairway for me so I can have spin on it is a premium here. Hitting fairways is a premium here for me. I have a lot of wedges. I mean, 1 today, I couldn't quite get it down there. I didn't hit a very good drive, so that was a long putt. A couple par 3s, you're getting long irons, but 3,4,5 is a par 5‑‑ I hit 5‑iron there and should have hit six. Even 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, those are all wedges. Outside from maybe 17, if that's downwind I could be hitting a 7‑iron in there. Aside from maybe 17, every hole there, I feel like I can be‑‑ I mean, I'm hitting 8‑irons to wedges. So that's certainly where myinstance has got to be; I'm getting the ball in the fairway. Q. It's so strange to hear the importance of getting the ball in a fairway that's 75 yards wide. ZACH JOHNSON: I know. It's true. That's exactly right. Even like 18, that's essentially the widest fairway out here, maybe 7, I hit that one really good there, got it down in the low tier. So now I'm putting myself in a position that if I hit a decent 3‑wood where I've got 20 to 40 yards in front of the green but I've got a wedge that I can be aggressive with, rather than, can I get it over that edge there. And like yesterday, I hit a poor drive and I just tried to run a 3‑iron down there just to keep it in the fairway. And I still didn't keep it in the fairway. So it's still an important club. I mean, whether you hit it in the fairway or hit it over ledges. Dustin, obviously it's a little bit different. It's just different because he doesn't have to hit it that solid. He's just got to hit it straight. I'm sure there's some holes here he's hitting 3‑woods, maybe even 2‑irons or whatever he's got in his bag. There's a couple times where I'm questioning 3‑wood or 5‑wood even. But just depends, it's all wind. Kona to trade, the course is vastly different. Q. Wondering if you have ever felt more comfortable with your game overall, and if so, when? ZACH JOHNSON: No, I haven't. I mean, it's one of those things, I try to, even though he's not here, I try to talk to a couple of my coaches, specifically Dr. Mo, for a week, and I feel good about my game, but I've still got to go play. There's been so many weeks where it's like, oh my gosh, this is awesome, and I played terrible. It's one of those things, I'm trying to stay right now‑‑ all the clichés, trying to do that and focusing on that, because I know what this game can do. I'm waiting‑‑ I'm just waiting. Waiting for good stretches. And then the other thing that Dr. Mo through at me, just use this as preparation for next week and use next week as preparation for the following week, etc., etc., so never really getting too caught up in scores. Never really getting too caught up in, you know, where I'm at, numbers and places and that sort of thing. I'm not saying it's going to work every week but that's kind of my mind‑set right now. I'm comfortable, comfortable with the makeup of my bag and comfortable how Damon and I are attacking and comfortable how for the most part I'm hitting putts, so just trying to be patient. Q. When you play Augusta, will it be pretty weird‑‑ ZACH JOHNSON: Just a prep week for Hilton Head, is that what you're saying? Yeah, but why shouldn't it be, it's just another week, you know. I don't mean to dumb it down but whatever‑‑ however you can simplify this game, however you can simplify it, however you can take outcome‑oriented thoughts out of the game, I think you've got to stick to it and you've got to put it in your pocket. I don't know how other guys do it. I can ramble off three or four or five names that seem like they do it great and that's why they don't play that much and when they do, they play well, and they are fresh. Q. Based on that little bit, obviously there are courses on TOUR that really suit your game, but do you feel like you're at a point now where every course suits your game? ZACH JOHNSON: No. No, I'm not. And we've kind of studied that a little bit, my whole entourage of a team, if you will. We haven't gotten too in‑depth on it, I don't want to overdo it. Because like you said, if you're playing well, does it really matter where you play? Probably not. You know, to win golf tournaments out here, you've got to get good bounces. You've got to get putts that lip in‑‑ that lip out, lip in. Saying that, there's a couple of tracks, a couple of venues, a couple of surfaces that I'm not overly comfortable with and I don't know if I'm completely eliminating them but I've kind of got an idea as to when to play and when not to play. I mean, I'm playing the first three weeks. Playing here because it's here and next week is a great golf course for me and I'm not saying anything‑‑ that's not a secret and I think Humana is great, those venues are great for me, because it's ryegrass greens, they are pretty true, and the courses aren't monstrous. But I'm not playing San Diego, I'm not playing Phoenix, I'm not playing Pebble, I'm not playing L.A. so I'm taking four weeks off. Tucson is definitely not a course for me but I'm using that as a prep week for Honda (laughter). Q. Is this a course for you? ZACH JOHNSON: Is this one? It's becoming. I'm just getting more and more comfortable here. I feel like I know how to prepare before I get here more than I am in the past. I take a lot of time off; I'm not afraid to do that, and I know when to get back it and I know what to do when I get here. And I can get into more detail if you wanted it. But there's just things here that my tendencies come out and I've got to be careful, especially on the driving range, and I would say even especially on the driving range and hitting certain shots. I'm really trying to double‑check, with Damon, and I know my tendencies. When the wind blows, I get in my left side, my ball position goes back. Just little things I have to be conscious on, I'm not dwelling on, but I have to be conscious on. I'm more and more comfortable here as time goes on. Once again, this is a wind‑based golf course. If it's four days of Kona, I've never seen four days of Kona, so I don't know what it would be like for me but I like the tradewinds. Q. A lot of first‑timers did really well yesterday and they are hanging in there today, as well. How valuable is course knowledge here? ZACH JOHNSON: I think it's very valuable. I don't really think it matters what venue you play at.  You know, I don't know, I really haven't stared at the leaderboard much. I know Michael Thompson played good yesterday and he's a first‑time winner, maybe a couple other guys, I can't remember. But I don't know when he got here. Maybe he played seven rounds here before he got here. All that being said, talking about the best players in the world, so they are pros. And everybody's different. I didn't play well here and certainly my first two, three or four years, I think I've had one decent Top‑10 finish maybe, top six finish, Top‑5 finish, I can't recall, but nothing spectacular. First‑time winners that come here and play well, that's pretty impressive. Q. Just following that up, are you a little surprised this week doing as well as you're doing? ZACH JOHNSON: Am I surprised? No. I mean, it's only two days, so it's halfway done for me. I'm not surprised. I mean, I'm very comfortable, if anything, as a competitor, one of my goals every year is those par 5s and I'm a little bitter about that right now (laughter). I'm a little upset about that but I'll get over it. I mean, I played 7‑under on the rest of the holes, so 14 holes. I'll get it back. I just hate 3‑putting. Two yesterday one today. One for par and two for bogey yesterday. Q. What's your mind‑set in terms of not being intimidated by playing against Tiger Woods, or tomorrow's case, playing against Dustin Johnson, a guy who has obviously got you by a couple yards off the tee? ZACH JOHNSON: Well, with the Tiger effect, if you will, I've played with him so many times now, I'm comfortable. I like playing with him. I like watching him. I don't get caught watching him anymore but I like watching him play. I like the rhythm that he has and I think you can feed off that, whether he's playing good or bad, he's always the same kind of rhythm. I played with him when he's played golf where I'm like, I can't do that and I've played with him where I'm like, well, I guess ‑‑ there's just no intimidation there anymore really. I've played at every arena and I've played really good at every arena and I've played really bad at every arena, so I know what's going to happen. It's going to be one or the other and I can accept that. Dustin, I mean, I've played with him a number of times, too. I like watching him hit driver. He's not a whole lot different than a lot of the other guys I play with because they all hit it a lot further than me it seems like. I don't know, maybe I've gotten a little longer. I played with Duf today and I was right next to him, so, I had less to eat for Christmas (laughter), I don't know, Dustin does not intimidate me. Q. After the World Challenge, what was the celebration like at home, even if there was one? ZACH JOHNSON: There was nothing, no. There was nothing. I got home, stuck in Atlanta, got home Monday, I think I went straight to picking my kids up from school that afternoon‑‑ yeah, I did. I went to pick my kids up from school and it was back to reality, which was fine. I don't need to overly dwell or celebrate what happened. I had a great Christmas with my family. That was celebration enough. They all came to me. It wasn't discussed a whole lot more than it needed to be I think. Q. What do you think is the difference in the recognition level of you as the guy that won the Masters or the guy that holed out for par and beat Tiger? ZACH JOHNSON: Well, you'll have to tell me. I mean, this is my first event since then, so it seems to me that, yeah, I've always been referred to as a Masters Champion, and a lot of people think it was two years ago‑‑ essentially seven years ago, 6 1/2 to seven years ago. So I don't know, I don't know what the perspective of me is by others. I don't want to say I don't overly care, but I really don't. It doesn't matter to me on the golf course any. Recognition, I guess, comes with playing well, so if I can continue to play well, then it will take care of itself. I don't know. I haven't really given it a whole lot of thought. Q. It's just strange that if it's an unofficial event, good event, charity event, nice finish‑‑ ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah, I guess the notoriety came there, certainly, I don't know whether it was because I won or whether I beat Tiger. To some people that's, oh, you beat Tiger. I won a golf tournament. There was 16 other guys. Q. Didn't he finish second at Augusta? ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah, I think he tied for second with two or three different guys. So the cover of Sports Illustrated is that year was Tiger lost Augusta‑‑ that week, not that year, but that week, which, okay, and that's not his fault and that's not his problem. Anyway, it is one of those things, when you're talking about a guy that's done what he's done and raised the bar, any time you beat him, especially if you're playing with him and he comes back from four shots with eight holes to go, it's going to happen. It's natural. So I can deal with that. Q. With ten wins, at this point in your career, do you look down the road, do you have‑‑ is there a milestone out there that you're trying to achieve in terms of wins, in terms of other players, from a Stricker, Furyk standpoint that you try to evolve into the course of your career? ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah, I've given that a little bit of thought in the off‑season, whatever, three weeks. I don't‑‑ I'm not big picture. I don't necessarily‑‑ I think you've got to have it. It's got to be there but I'm not a big picture guy. I'm just more of a process, get it done now kind of guy and that's always worked. So I'm never going to deviate away from that. But, you know, I know that I'm kind of in a rare territory with the ten, below 40 I guess, right, age, 40, so I'm proud of that, certainly, but that also fuels me that I know I can do more and I'm at a place where I'm more experienced now than I ever have been and I'm more comfortable than I ever have been and I know what it takes. So, you know, I kind of think about that 20‑win number, that's a big deal. That's a huge deal. I'm not saying that's a goal of mine, but I feel like if I stay healthy, No. 1; if I continue to work and don't get overly complacent or content, which I hate, I despise that; then I think, you know, those kind of scenarios are realistic. All that being said, the guys that are playing on this TOUR, some guys aren't even out here yet, are just so good. So I know that it's going to be a lot of hard work and I like that. That's why I play. I don't mean putting the work in. I don't practice as much as I once did when I haven't did kids, but now my practice is way more focused and regimented. So I know I've got to practice to get better. Q. How many are there under 40 with ten wins? ZACH JOHNSON: I just know there's not many. Obviously Tiger. Q. What about Scotty or Sergio? ZACH JOHNSON: Scotty, I think he's got nine or ten or 11 or whatever. I'm saying they had ten before they were 40, not necessarily currently. Q. Ryder Cup, '06 was your first? ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah, I didn't play in '08. I've played three. Q. Do you think this being the fifth time you're trying to make The Ryder Cup Team in earnest that this is the hardest one to make? What you said a minute ago about depth is what I was getting at. ZACH JOHNSON: Oh, in that regard, certainly. Put it this way, '06 Ryder Cup Team, granted, the system was totally different, points and Top‑10. I didn't win in '06. If anything, it wasn't one of my better years, but I finished like seventh or eighth on the points list. They took the Top‑10. I'm not saying the competition was worse or easier then but it certainly is getting harder now, I definitely think that. That, and I think that the American Team or players are hungry for it, so they are playing and they are working. They are grinding and they want to make that team. Yeah, it's harder to make those teams. Q. Could you look back at last year to see Dustin, Bubba, Rickie, Nick, Jim, as a pretty good team that wasn't on the team? ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah, having discussions with the captains and some of the guys that were on the team, it's like, yeah, yeah, he deserved to be on the team. How do you not take that guy. I mean, the obvious one is Jim. How is he not on the team? It's Jim Furyk. I would assume he's going to be a captain. I hope I can play for his team when he has one because he's basically become our player captain, at least in my, whatever it's been, six Cups I've played in. And he's not saying much, but when he does speak, I mean, I'm going to listen because he's experienced and he's Jim Furyk. Yeah, it's weird. The other guys, it's strange not having them, because I know the talent‑‑ it's kind of like maybe the NFL Playoffs or NCAA March Madness where you've got to go with the hot hand at that time. I think our system is good now because we are able to, the captains are able to take the guy that is playing well at the right time. I like the fact that the system is on the current year with The Ryder Cup, points‑wise, the majors still count, which is good, they are Majors. But having an emphasis for the 2014 Ryder Cup in 2014 is a good thing. I think that's what we saw at the last Ryder Cup for sure and Presidents Cup. KELLY BARNES: Thank you, Zach. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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