Lexington Herald Leader Logo

Surprise Masters champs back for more | Lexington Herald Leader

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • All News
    • Business
    • Communities
    • Counties
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Lexington
    • Local
    • Most Wanted
    • Nation/World
    • News Photos
    • News Videos
    • Politics
    • Searchable Databases
    • State
    • Watchdog
    • Columns
    • Tom Eblen
    • All Sports
    • UK Sports
    • College Sports
    • Next Cats Recruiting
    • High School
    • Horses
    • Kentucky Speedway
    • Lexington Legends
    • Reds
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • NASCAR
    • NFL
    • Sports Photos
    • Sports Videos
    • Columns
    • John Clay's Columns
    • Mark Story
    • Next Cats Recruiting
    • All UK Sports
    • Next Cats Recruiting
    • Baseball
    • Basketball - Men
    • Basketball - Women
    • Recruiting
    • Ex-Cats
    • Football
    • UK Photos
    • UK Videos
    • More UK Sports
    • Columns
    • John Clay's Blog
    • Mark Story
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • All Entertainment
    • Books
    • Celebrities
    • Comics
    • Puzzles & Games
    • Events Calendar
    • Horoscopes
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Restaurants
    • Stage & Dance
    • TV
    • Visual Arts
    • Entertainment Photos
    • Entertainment Videos
    • News Blogs
    • Kentucky Weather
    • Photo Archive
    • Sports Blogs
    • John Clay's Blog
    • High School
    • UK Football
    • UK Men's Basketball
    • UK Women's Basketball
    • Lexington Legends
    • Entertainment Blogs
    • Walter Tunis on Music
    • All Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Joel Pett
    • Letters to the Editor
    • National Columnists
    • Op-Ed
    • Submit a Letter
    • All Living
    • Celebrations
    • Family
    • Fashion
    • Food & Drink
    • Fru-Gal: Deb Morris
    • Health & Medicine
    • Home & Garden
    • Paul Prather
    • Religion
    • Travel
    • Readers' Choice
    • Kentucky Obituaries
    • Obituaries in the News
    • Submit an Obituary
    • Customer Service
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • E-edition
    • Page Reprints
    • Photo Reprints
    • RSS Feeds
    • Special Sections
    • Site Information
    • Advertise With Us
    • Archives
    • Mobile
    • Mobile Apps & eReaders
    • Newsletters
    • Social
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Google+
    • Today's Circulars
    • Classifieds
    • Jobs
    • Cars
    • Homes
    • Homeseller
    • Legal Notices
  • Place an Ad
  • Mobile & Apps

Golf

Surprise Masters champs back for more

By Greg Stoda - Cox Newspapers

    ORDER REPRINT →

April 08, 2009 12:03 PM

AUGUSTA, GA. — Zach Johnson won the Masters in 2007.

Trevor Immelman won it last year.

They form as improbable a set of back-to-back champions as the tournament has produced in quite some time. You might have to go all the way back to when Gay Brewer, Bob Goalby and George Archer closed out the 1960s as consecutive winners at Augusta National.

Brewer, Goalby and Archer had very nice PGA Tour careers, but hardly do they rank among the greats who have worn the green jacket.

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to the Lexington Herald-Leader

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

It's also true that Johnson, 33, and Immelman, 29, have plenty of room to establish themselves as significant players beyond their current respectable reputations. But their successes at the Masters raise a question this week: Is another surprise coming this year?

"Anything's possible," Immelman said last month at Doral Resort & Spa after a practice during the CA Championship.

He then offered himself as proof.

Immelman had surgery Dec. 18, 2007, to remove a benign tumor behind his rib cage. He had missed four cuts in eight tournaments with nothing better than a tie for 17th when he drove down Magnolia Lane to begin Augusta National prep work. He had missed two cuts in five previous Masters appearances, although he had tied for fifth place in 2005.

"I had missed the cut at Houston (last year), but felt like I was hitting the ball beautifully ... as well as I'd hit it in a long time," Immelman said. "I went to Augusta early and was more focused on getting a grip on the greens than anything else."

He promptly shared the lead or led alone after every round. He drove more accurately than anyone in the field (hitting 48 of 56 fairways), was fourth in average driving distance (287.5 yards), tied for second in greens in regulation (51) and tied for fourth in fewest putts (112).

He won at 8-under-280 for a three-shot margin ahead of Tiger Woods, and Immelman's closing 3-over 75 — tied for the worst finish by a champion in tournament history — was inconsequential.

"You wouldn't be human if you weren't nervous," Immelman said, "but I do think the fact that I wasn't someone who was expected to win helped me out in a way. It can sometimes work to your advantage to be disregarded a little bit because you're feeling enough pressure on your own out there."

The under-the-radar approach also served Johnson well. Asked whether he had any pre-Masters inkling that something special might happen, Johnson, happily and abruptly, said, "No. None."

Expectations?

"I don't do expectations," Johnson said at Doral. "I didn't even expect to be (on the PGA Tour)."

Immelman, a South African, at least had six international wins to go with his single PGA Tour triumph before his Masters victory. Johnson had two Nationwide Tour wins to go with one PGA Tour victory before grabbing his.

Johnson, dealing with windy and cold conditions, tied the highest winning score in Masters history with his one-over-par 289. The knee-jerk reaction was that Johnson's win — in the wake of a Phil Mickelson-Tiger Woods-Mickelson string at Augusta — was a fluke.

"I don't care," Johnson said at the time, and he has produced three PGA Tour wins, including one this year, since the Masters victory.

Johnson, who ranked 169th in average driving distance on the PGA the year of his win at Augusta National, opted not to attack the course's par-5 holes with second shots. He nevertheless managed to play those holes in 11-under par for the tournament.

"Everything depends on my short game, and it's better now than it was then," Johnson said.

That ought to suffice as a warning to anyone who thinks Johnson can't again be a factor at the Masters where he tied for 20th last year.

Is it a year for a return to chalk, which would mean Woods winning a fifth Masters?

He hasn't won here since 2005, after all, and another year without a victory at Augusta would make it Woods' longest such streak at the event.

Or might it be a year for this generation's answer to a George Archer?

  Comments  

Videos

Billy Horschel: Grounds crew did great job at rainy Barbasol

Josh Teater says good things ahead after play in Barbasol Championship

View More Video

Trending Stories

Sayre School to honor ‘two remarkable young men’ killed in car crash.

February 18, 2019 12:52 PM

Curse of Saratoga strikes again? Another Chevy Chase restaurant closes in Lexington.

February 19, 2019 12:19 PM

‘Their hearts showed through their smiles.’ Funeral set for Lexington brothers killed in crash.

February 19, 2019 05:50 PM

Festival with ‘A-list music’ coming to Keeneland by producers of Forecastle, Bonnaroo

February 20, 2019 10:59 AM

With Kentucky’s Travis possibly sidelined, Cal challenges other ‘bigs’

February 20, 2019 01:39 AM

Read Next

Golf

David Whitley: Golf should show some leg, just not when it counts

By DAVID WHITLEY Orlando Sentinel

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 20, 2019 03:00 AM

If you were impressed with Phil Mickelson's short game, wait until you see his calves.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to the Lexington Herald-Leader

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE GOLF

Sports

Stricker appointed US captain for Ryder Cup in home state

February 20, 2019 09:50 AM
Column: Spieth keeping patience amid worst slump of career

Sports

Column: Spieth keeping patience amid worst slump of career

February 19, 2019 05:39 PM

Sports

Golf Glance

February 19, 2019 02:38 PM
PGA Tour contemplating cut to top 65 and ties

Sports

PGA Tour contemplating cut to top 65 and ties

February 19, 2019 01:59 PM

Sports

Romo will tee off at home in Nelson for 2nd PGA Tour chance

February 19, 2019 12:47 PM

Golf

Tiger Woods finishes Genesis Open at Riviera tied for 15th

February 17, 2019 03:00 AM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Lexington Herald Leader App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Archives
Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Place a Classified Ad
  • Local Deals
  • Digital Solutions
  • Media Kit
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story