Zach Johnson is having a wonderful 2015 season, and it was made even better when he shocked the world by winning the Open Championship in St. Andrews just last month over the consensus favorite to win the tournament in Spieth.
However, Johnson followed up his groundbreaking performance at the British Open with a lackluster 33rd place finish at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Yet, we’re still high on Johnson’s likelihood of winning his second major title for the year and third of his professional career.
Read on for three of our compelling arguments as for why ZJ has a great shot at winning the final major tournament of the year. And of course, Jordan Spieth will also be in Wisconsin as he goes for his third major title for the season. Head over here to find out why he could also very well win the 2015 PGA Championship.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]
Why Zach Johnson Will Win the 2015 PGA Championship
Master-ful Play
[sc:Golf240banner ]He might not be as dominant or headline-grabbing as the other golfers in the PGA circuit today, but Zach Johnson’s win at the British Open this past month had put him in elite territory that only a few golfers can boast about.
With the win at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Johnson became one of only six players in PGA history to win major titles at the Old Course and Augusta, joining the ranks of Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo, Jack Nicklaus, Sam Snead and Seve Ballesteros. That’s some mighty fine company right there.
Not only that, but Johnson also became just the 14th golfer to win both the Masters and the Open Championship in general. His win at the British Open might have been just his second career major title, but he now has a winning pedigree that the majority of active golfers are still fighting for to this day. Johnson should be able to bring that winner’s swagger come opening tee on August 13 at Whistling Straits.
Whistling Wisconsin’s Tune
Speaking of Whistling Straits, this quaint, links-style golf course in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin had only hosted three PGA majors – and all were PGA Championships.
The first was back in 2004, which happened to be the same year that Johnson was promoted to the PGA Tour level. In that tournament, he finished in 37th place, which was an impressive showing considering that he was just in his inaugural season as a member of the PGA Tour.
The second PGA Championship held in Sheboygan was in 2010, and Johnson was in even better form by placing third overall in that tournament. Apart from his majors victories at the Masters in 2007 and this year’s Open Championship, Johnson’s third-place finish from Whistling Straits half a decade ago remains as his best majors finish to date.
This year’s PGA Championship at Whistling Straits could very well be the year that Johnson earns his third major, especially since he’ll be back at one of his more favorable courses. Not only that, but the 39-year old has been sensational at the last six PGA Championships. He has three top 10 finishes in that span, and made the cut in all six of those appearances after being cut from the tournament three-straight times prior to 2009.
Let’s not forget that Whistling Straits, with a bevy of bunkers laden out throughout the course, has the feel of a links-style golf course – one like St. Andrews’ Old Course, where Johnson just recently won the Claret Jug.
ZJ in the Clutch
As was evident in his four-hole playoff victory in St. Andrews this past month, Johnson is fantastic when it comes to closing out tight games. He has four wins in five career playoffs, none better than his win to edge out Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman at this year’s Open Championship.
Johnson’s driving accuracy of 72.18 percent – good for fourth in the PGA – is what makes him such a tough out in every competition. But make him hang around in tournaments longer, and he’ll be even more of a threat. Johnson ranks sixth when it comes to putts per round in the final round of tournaments this season.
Furthermore, most of ZJ’s damage not only comes in the latest of rounds, but he also performs at his best entering the back nine of golf courses. He’s fourth in the PGA Tour this season with an average score of 34.74 in the last nine holes of the courses he’s played so far.
Another late rally may be in the works for Johnson, but he’ll certainly want to jump ahead early in the upcoming tournament. Rest assured, though, he can be counted on late in the clutch to possibly bag you a sweet return on your bet, as he’s priced at +3,000 to win this year’s Open Championship.
Well, what are you waiting for? Create a betting account now to place your bets on Johnson or any of the other golfing greats at this year’s PGA Championship.
