Zach Johnson is one of the great success stories produced by the Nationwide Tour. The 29 year old turned pro in 1998 after graduating from Drake University in Iowa where he proceeded to dominate the mini tours during those first few years.
After cutting his teeth on the Prairie Golf Tour and Hooters Tour, Johnson decided he was ready to take his game to the next level. In 2003 he joined the Nationwide with hopes of placing high enough on the money list to be promoted to the PGA Tour. It turned out to be a stellar year as Johnson not only won the Rheem Classic and the Enviocare Utah Classic, but placed first on the money list, thus ensuring a spot on the 2004 PGA Tour Roster.
Finishing first place on the Nationwide Tour comes with some very lofty expectations to succeed on the PGA Tour. In golf there are no guarantees that if you win on one tour you will do the same on another tour, thus making the transition from one tour to the next difficult for many golfers. Its one thing to get the promotions and another to retain the spot on the PGA Tour. There have been very few names of note that have carved out a spot on Tour in recent years besides Johnson. Chad Campbell, who attained the first place money ranking in 2001 on the Nationwide Tour (formerly Buy.com Tour) is holding steady on the PGA Tour in 17th place.
A win at the 2004 Bell South Classic and five Top-10 finishes this year have earned this Buckeye fan an impressive 38th place on the money list. His earning so far have topped $1,796,441 and he still has the Southern Farm Bureau Classic this week as the PGA Tours regulation play wraps up.
But that isnt the last event of the year Johnson is participating in. He was recently selected to compete in The Tommy Bahama Challenge, a PGA Tour-sanctioned Challenge Season event, for the second time. Johnson will be one of four players from the United States competing against the International team in this match play event for players 30 and under.
Zack Johnson is one to watch in the coming years giving players like Woods, Singh and Mickelson a run for their money. A great pick for your Fantasy Golf Team if ever there was one.
