Zach Moves Up on Moving Day; In Contention for British Open Title
Zach Johnson put himself in position to win his second major championship when he shot a 4-under par 66 in benign conditions Saturday at the British Open.
The Cedar Rapids, Ia. native and 2007 Masters champion made six birdies and two bogeys in a brilliant round that helped nullify the 4-over 74 he shot Friday after blistering Royal Lytham & St. Annes with a 5-under 65 in the opening round.
Johnson, 36, a member of the John Deere Classic board of directors, now sits at 5-under par 205 for the championship and will have a late tee time for Sunday's final round.
After a bogey 5 at the second hole, Zach birdied five of his next 10 holes, made a bogey on No. 16, but responded with a birdie on 18 that featured the sort of iron shot fans saw him hit last Sunday in sudden death to win the John Deere Classic. It was a laser that landed several inches from the hole.
Fans of Zach got a precious few glimpses of their hero on ESPN even though he shot the low round of the day by the time he finished his round. He was on fire early with a 2-under 32 on the front nine, had two birdies on the first four holes of his back nine, and had climbed into third place by the time he concluded his round. Although they weren't able to see much of Zach, viewers were afforded multiple replays from unlimited angles of shots hit by Tiger Woods and a few other better known players.
Of course, on Sunday, if Zach plays well again, he'll be in the hunt for the championship, at which point the producers will find it difficult to ignore him.
The Cedar Rapids, Ia. native and 2007 Masters champion made six birdies and two bogeys in a brilliant round that helped nullify the 4-over 74 he shot Friday after blistering Royal Lytham & St. Annes with a 5-under 65 in the opening round.Johnson, 36, a member of the John Deere Classic board of directors, now sits at 5-under par 205 for the championship and will have a late tee time for Sunday's final round.
After a bogey 5 at the second hole, Zach birdied five of his next 10 holes, made a bogey on No. 16, but responded with a birdie on 18 that featured the sort of iron shot fans saw him hit last Sunday in sudden death to win the John Deere Classic. It was a laser that landed several inches from the hole.
Fans of Zach got a precious few glimpses of their hero on ESPN even though he shot the low round of the day by the time he finished his round. He was on fire early with a 2-under 32 on the front nine, had two birdies on the first four holes of his back nine, and had climbed into third place by the time he concluded his round. Although they weren't able to see much of Zach, viewers were afforded multiple replays from unlimited angles of shots hit by Tiger Woods and a few other better known players.
Of course, on Sunday, if Zach plays well again, he'll be in the hunt for the championship, at which point the producers will find it difficult to ignore him.