Hlas: Zach happy his mom got to see victory

By Mike Hlas
The Gazette

Zach Johnson Zach Johnson watches his drive off the first tee on Sunday / AP photo.

After seeing each of her son’s previous five PGA Tour wins on television, Julie Johnson of Cedar Rapids was present for Zach Johnson’s Texas Open win Sunday in San Antonio.

She and her husband, Dave Johnson, originally planned to head back home Sunday afternoon because Dave, a chiropractor, had a lot of patients with appointments to see him this morning.

Dave left La Cantera Golf Club after nine holes to catch his connecting flight to Dallas, but Julie stayed behind and will come home today.

“I’m very happy I stayed,” she said last night. “What a wonderful experience.”

She and Zach’s wife, Kim, followed Zach for the first nine holes, then returned for the final two holes of regulation and the sudden-death playoff hole in which Zach defeated James Driscoll.

“It was nerve-racking,” Julie said, “but when (Paul) Goydos bogeyed on 18, I knew Zach would be first or second, and that gave me a sense of calm.”

After Zach won, he was accompanied on the green by his wife, son, Will, and Julie.

“The people who ran the tournament were so gracious,” Julie said. “It was a really positive experience.”

“Unbelievable,” Dave Johnson described Zach’s win as he sat in a plane in Dallas that hadn’t yet left for its trip to Cedar Rapids.

“I told a lot of people that I thought his win here last year (in October) would do as much for his future as anything, including his Masters win in ’07.”

Johnson has won twice and had five more top-10 finishes since that October victory, making Dad look pretty smart.

Zach Johnson spoke of his parents at his press conference after his victory.

“My dad’s seen me win I think three times,” he said. “… My mom has not. She has a little bit of an anxiety streak, if you will. That’s just being a mom. She just worries.

“It took a little convincing just to keep her here, and quite honestly, they’ve seen me play golf a lot,” Johnson continued. “They watched me a little this week. My dad watched every hole with the exception of flying back today.’’

Johnson said he wasn’t the main attraction for his parents this weekend.

“They didn’t come down here to see me. They came to see my son,” he said. “I was chopped liver relative to that.”