Okay, so I actually spent some time today trying to figure out where Zach Johnson slots in, you know, thinking about his ranking among golfers.
It’s tougher than you think. Right away, you gotta remember the guy won two majors. Two majors! The Masters back in ’07 and The Open at St Andrews in ’15. That’s legit stuff, puts him way up there in my book automatically.
But then the arguments start in your head. How do you weigh that against guys with maybe more tour wins but zero or just one major? Or guys who burned super bright for just a couple of years? It’s not straightforward at all.
That got me thinking…
Funny story, actually. Thinking about ZJ reminded me of this time, must have been right after he won that Masters. Me and some buddies, we were watching highlights or something. We got into this massive debate – not even just about ZJ, but about different types of players.
My buddy Kevin was going on about how the power players, the guys bombing it 330, were just more impressive, even if they didn’t always win the big ones. Said it was just more exciting to watch.
Then Mark jumps in, saying that’s nonsense. He argued that guys like ZJ, the grinders, the strategists who pick courses apart with wedges and putters, deserve way more credit. Especially when they bag multiple majors like ZJ did. It got pretty loud, voices raised, the usual stuff when we start talking sports after a few beers.
We never really decided who was right, obviously. Just kinda agreed to disagree and moved on. But it stuck with me.
So, back to ranking Zach Johnson. It feels like that old argument all over again.
- How much weight do you give those two specific major wins at iconic courses?
- How much does his overall consistency count?
- Where does he fit compared to players before and after him?
I fiddled around with some names, trying to make a list. Put him here, then moved him there. It’s just really hard to pin down an exact spot. He wasn’t flashy like some others, maybe didn’t dominate headlines week after week. But man, he showed up huge when it mattered most, twice.
In the end, I kinda just threw my hands up at putting a hard number on it. He had a fantastic, Hall of Fame-worthy career. Two majors speaks for itself. Trying to rank him precisely feels less important than just acknowledging how good he was, especially under pressure. That’s my takeaway from this little exercise today.
