There are horses for courses and Zach Johnson has won twice at Colonial Country Club and earned more there than his PGA Tour fellows.
The 2015 Open Champion has battled to contend in his last four starts, due largely to a cold putter. He’s had some big blowouts, including three 80s in his last 30 tournament rounds, but has the chance to turn the corner this week at the Dean & DeLuca Invitational.
Johnson is a two-time major champion and currently ranks 19th in the world, so there is no doubt about his game. His form, on the other hand, is lacking.
On the PGA Tour this season he ranks 161st in driving distance and 84th in strokes gained: putting. He is outside the top 125 in putting from four, six, and seven feet.
A player of Johnson’s calibre should be near the top of the stats tables and a return to Colonial Country Club may spark his resurgence.
The 40-year-old won at the Texan course in 2010, shooting a tournament record of 21-under-par 259 for his seventh PGA Tour title. He triumphed there for a second time in 2012 after edging Jason Dufner by one stroke.
This week Jordan Spieth and Matt Kuchar are the favourites. Both players are notoriously good with the flat stick and that pays at Colonial Country Club.
Johnson can measure himself against those strong rivals in order to find the magic that earned him 28 professional victories worldwide. Time is running out for him to get back into form before the US Open, which begins June 13th.
