‘Mudder’ Zach Johnson ready to defend Claret Jug

American Zach Johnson reveals all about his Open-winning year, returning to the scene of his first Open in 2004, the Olympics…..and his total admiration for Tiger Woods.

Q.I know this morning you returned the Claret Jug, and I guess a little bit sad to let it go. Can you talk us through your thoughts on coming back here this week as a defending champion.

ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah, I appreciate that. Yeah, I mean, my thoughts are 100% positive in the sense that, I guess, technically I’m still Champion Golfer of the Year. And then second, since I played in this golf tournament, which was actually here was my first, my love for it was immense and immediate, and it’s my favourite to play. I mean, I just I appreciate it, I love it. I think I’ve embraced it. You have to. I mean, the conditions are what they are.

So, you know, I mean, as my sports psychologist and I, Dr. Mo, have been talking about, it’s not like I’ve got a one- or two-shot lead when I tee it up on Thursday. I’ve got to get the Claret Jug back, which I did. It was not pleasant, but there’s still an opportunity to go out there and play. That’s what it is.

Last year was last year, and now we’re moving on and shifting on mentally and certainly excited for the week.

Q. Could you tell us what was the last drink you had out of the Claret Jug, and just how much fun you’ve had with it? What kind of outlandish places you’ve found yourself with that trophy over the last 12 months?
ZACH JOHNSON: To answer the first part of your question, I’m staying in a house with some buddies and we had a glass of wine out of it — well, we didn’t have a glass of wine; we had wine out of it. It is a Claret decanter, so it serves its purpose in that regard, too.

Q. You must have taken it various places. What is the strangest situation you’ve found?
ZACH JOHNSON: Strangest, I’m not sure. I mean, it was on — it’s been on the football field of Kinnick Stadium in my home state. That’s on the 50-yard line. That’s probably not normal. My guess is, unless I’m lucky enough to do it again, it probably won’t ever happen certainly in my lifetime. Hopefully that happens again, but that’s a rare viewing, if you will.

It was at my alma mater. It’s been in my hometown a bunch with my foundation, at the club I grew up at. Certainly my entire team has had it, meaning my coaches at their clinics, their academies. When I say they’ve had it, it wasn’t for a day. It was like they had it for two weeks to four weeks.It’s just so much fun having the ability to have that Claret Jug for a portion of your life.

Q. You mentioned your first Open was in 2004. Just memories of that week and back to your return here, please.
ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah, well, the memories were brief because I only played two days. But what I do remember — I don’t remember every hole, I certainly remember the postage-stamp hole on No. 8, and I remember 17 and 18 coming in, and a couple of other shots I remember. But my main memory was it was immediate, certainly my love for it, but more than that, it was immediate — two things: What it kind of required out of me. You know, I think this tournament, especially when I leave it, it magnifies my weaknesses more than any other tournament, but it also magnifies your strengths. And I say that because you have to have every shot. I mean, yeah, clearly you’ve got to hit it low in the Open Championship or links golf, but you’ve got to hit high, too. I mean, you’ve got to get that ball in the air. You’ve got to use the wind. You’ve got to fight the wind depending on the situation. So you’ve got to use sort of every shot in your arsenal, and that was immediate. I could tell right off the bat. Part of it is just the lies you have. They’re so tight, so you have to be crisp and precise. And I think that’s perfect.

Then the second thing, I remember the fans, too. Man, I hadn’t played much over here prior to that at all, really. And just the knowledge and the wisdom they have for this game, you can tell. Yeah, take the postage-stamp hole. You hit it to 15 feet there, 20 feet with a sand wedge, that’s a good shot, or 8-iron depending upon the wind. And there is still a pretty stout round of applause. Maybe not the best example, but my point is, they just get it. They get this game. We’re also in Scotland where it was designed and formed, so maybe there are a lot of parallels as to why.

Those two things stand out. And the fact that it’s right here on the coast and it’s Royal Troon. I remember Todd Hamilton winning, obviously. We were rookies the same year on the PGA TOUR. I think he maybe played a couple Opens prior to that, but I remember using a hybrid from 220 and a hybrid from about 20. So those are the kind of memories I have, yeah.

Q. If you don’t mind me asking about the other Johnson (Dustin).There are different ways to win, as you’ve shown. How does he win? How have you seen the evolution of his game?
ZACH JOHNSON: Well, I mean, there’s not an individual here, I’m assuming my peers and then you guys, that are very surprised by what’s going on. He’s a supreme athlete and it just so happens that his sport for all of us, unfortunately, is golf. Very talented. I mean, we talk about his prowess, which there’s not that many guys that can do what he does. But there are some guys that essentially can hit his shots. I don’t know how many there are. Probably ten on Tour it seems like. That’s probably maybe a bad number.

But what stands out to me is his short game’s way better than people give him credit. He’s won a lot of golf tournaments and put himself in position in a lot of majors, and for him to come through the way he did given all the circumstances surrounding that was beyond impressive. I mean, I think just unfortunately with what’s going on now is that when you think about it, everybody talks about the issues at hand with that tournament rather than the fact that he striped a drive on 18 and hit it whatever he hit, 6-iron, 7-iron to three feet on a hole that you don’t hit a 6-iron or 7-iron three feet. Now granted, he had some shots to give, I get that. But I don’t care, it’s still the 18th hole at a major. That was impressive.

Then to follow it up in Akron is just very, very good. I mean, I don’t know how else to really word it. Maybe he’s starting to figure out how to win more so than he did before. I don’t know. But, again, I’m not shocked or surprised by the situation. He’s just very good at the game of golf, and it sounds like everything outside the ropes has got some stability and he’s got a good family and that kind of thing.

He knows it. I’m one of his biggest fans. I just like watching him play golf. There are only so many guys you can watch. He’s one you can watch.

Q. Some guys like to play the week before a major and some like to rest. How have you prepared for this? And do you have a set pattern for every major that you play?
ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah, well, typically — the Olympics has obviously thrown a wrench in our schedule. That’s not your question, so I’m not going to elaborate on that. So typically before the Open Championship I play in the John Deere Classic. It’s about an hour from where I grew up and it’s one of my favourites. I mean, I’m on the board of the tournament. They’re a sponsor of mine. They help my foundation out, et cetera, so I play that week at home.

The other majors typically, the Bridgestone is the week before the PGA Championship, so I usually play that. The US Open, it’s hit and miss as to whether or not I play. Memphis is typically the FedEx Classic or whatever it’s called is usually the week before, and I’ve played in that probably a handful of times. I usually decide based on the golf course we’re going to play, whether or not I’ve seen it in the US Open or whether or not it fits — Memphis is Bermuda, fast and hard, so if it fits. Like, for example, Pinehurst, I played that when we were at, was that ’14? Yeah, 2014, I played Memphis.

Augusta, I typically do not. I mean, granted, it’s the one major where we play the same venue every year, so I feel like I know how to prepare for that in a way that gets me, well, prepared, ready. That’s always been when I stay at home and kind of get up there a little bit early.

Q. How exciting is it at the moment to be involved in this group of players who are all doing well? We had previously the Tiger era where everyone looked to him, but now you’ve got yourself Dustin, you’ve got Jason, Jordan, Rory, all gunning for it at the same time. Does that make it more exciting?
ZACH JOHNSON: I don’t know if it makes it more exciting. I just think it’s evolved. It’s changed. I think the game has always been — I mean, I’m biassed because I play it, and I’m a member of the PGA TOUR. But I just think it’s ever evolving, and in a positive manner, too. The individuals you just mentioned are kind of carrying that torch right now and doing a very good job of doing that. They’re quality, quality players, but I think they’re probably even — definitely, I know they are, quality people and they get it.

I mean, I’m Tiger’s age so it’s not like I looked up to him when I came out here. They looked up to him before they got on the PGA TOUR. I get that. The role models I had, some of them are still playing, but most of the them are on the Champions Tour now and I played with a lot of those guys, right. Those are the guys I bounced questions off of and looked to for advice.

Selfishly I wish they could all experience kind of what Tiger did, at least for a period, how he truly just dominated, and they may. Who knows? Tiger’s the best player I’ve ever seen. So to say that he can’t do it again, I don’t know. But I know that I’m getting older, and I know it’s been not becoming any easier. I just hope he gets healthy and we’ll see what transpires there.

But going back to just the gist of your question, the game is in a great state. Great, young talents carrying it and pushing it. I don’t know if there’s a ceiling, but if there is, it seems like it’s being nudged a little bit higher month after month, year after year, both in the states and abroad. I mean, Rory, obviously, J Day. Man, there are a lot of guys, shoot, that I’m aware of and you may be, too, that have that potential too. So good, good stuff.

Q. How much, with all the guys that have pulled out, is that going to hurt the return to golf in Rio?

ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah, it’s hard to really say because it is the first year it’s come back in over a century, right? Almost a century. So it’s hard to say. To put it into words where it will fall in the hierarchy, only time will tell. It’s kind of like how we implemented the FedExCup. How’s that going to work? Will it fit in? Is there motivation? Is there going to be any tradition? And it’s still yet to be seen. I mean, the Olympics to me it’s certainly the premier event when it comes to a lot of different sports. I think a lot of fans have passions for certain sports. However, it’s not like you’re setting your DVR to catch the local archery tournament or diving or swimming.

My point in saying that is every four years that’s when I don’t miss it. To me those sports should be at the forefront, wrestling, all those sports that just don’t get the recognition that I’d say the mainstream sports get. Those athletes that train, essentially, for three-plus years for that one opportunity and one week. If anything, I’ve been watching the trials in the States, and it’s sad seeing the ones that don’t make the teams because they’ve put, essentially a lot of them are only like 16 years old, but three years of work into that one week. But that’s also the beauty of it, too. That’s what attracts those stories or attracts viewership and fans.

To me, I don’t know if golf — obviously, it has its place in the Olympics now. I don’t know if personally it needs to be in there, maybe is the right way to say it. We’re relevant 24/7, 365, for the most part, if that’s your barometer and criteria, relevancy. Specifically the athletes that play this game are relevant a lot of the year. My guess is fans are not going to — well, I shouldn’t say that. I think fans really look forward to the majors and certainly the cups, the Ryder Cup in particular. I know as a player, those are my motivations. I didn’t dream of winning a gold medal in golf as a kid. It wasn’t an option. But if it was, I don’t know. There is so much that goes into that. I don’t have any idea.

Yeah, I don’t know. I love the athletes and sports that just don’t get the recognition like the other sports do. Again, you can argue basketball, and shoot, even soccer. Do they really need to be in there? My guess is they want a World Cup before they want a gold medal. They’d want an NBA championship before they want a gold medal. I would assume. Maybe bad assumptions, but a lot of basketball players are not playing. They’re tired right now. That’s a very valid excuse because of what they’ve put in the entire year for their team.

I don’t know if the fields going to be — I mean, we’re seeing a lot of dropouts. We maybe will see some more. I don’t know the criteria or timeline on that. But I get it. It’s unfortunate in that regard, but it’s also where we are right now. Hopefully it doesn’t detract away from anything else at the Olympics.

Q. What about the schedule?
ZACH JOHNSON: Well, I don’t know. That’s the thing, it’s the Summer Olympics, right? So personally, I don’t like it, the fact that it jumbles everything together. There’s not many positives for us. It’s really hard to navigate when you have major after major after major and very little time off. If I was 23 I’d maybe think differently. It may not be that big of a deal, but I’m 40. So that’s just my opinion.

I think we have a pretty awesome incentive at the end of the year and something that’s growing in the FedExCup, too. And then a week later is the Ryder Cup. I mean, no offense to the Olympics but I’d rather be on the Ryder Cup team personally. That’s just as an athlete and as a golfer, as an American golfer, I have that opportunity and that’s what I would rather. I’d rather be on the Ryder Cup team and try to help our nation out there. But that’s just me.

Q. You mentioned your team earlier. I’m curious ahead of a week like this, what kind of conversations do you have with Dr. Mo about gearing yourself up mentally for the tough conditions?

ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah, we haven’t had many discussions yet on the competition. I mean, granted, well, shoot, in the last five days the forecast has changed dramatically, and my guess is it could change again, wind and rain. So once what we kind of get a good picture as to what we’re about ready to navigate, then we’ll start really hashing out kind of a game plan and mental strategies and that kind of thing. If anything, what we’ve discussed is actually parting ways with the Claret Jug and controlling my emotions that way. But as you said, use it as a positive, find motivation there, find it as an opportunity.

I don’t really need inspiration or motivation to play in this golf tournament. This is one of the highlights on my calendar every year and always has been, prior to even winning it, certainly.

Q. Do you consider yourself to be a good mudder?
ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah, mudder. I think that, I’m not saying it defines me, but I think I fall into that category. I grind it out, I mud it out, yeah. That’s all I know. Maybe it’s where I grew up in the sense that the weather’s not always terrific in Iowa. I don’t know why. But maybe it’s something just innately in me. I enjoy and love embracing difficult, challenging conditions. It’s just something that I consider part of my talent, if that makes sense.