Zach Johnson Odds to Win the Masters

Written by Jason Lowry

It wasn’t that long ago it was the big names of golf winning the Masters, as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson combined to win 5 times from 2001-06, and that should be no surprise considering how well so many of golf’s greats have played at Augusta over their careers. That trend could be coming to an end, as Zach Johnson in 2007 and Trevor Immelman of last year came out of no where to win this event. While Johnson’s career defining win came at the Masters a couple years ago, Johnson is doing a pretty good job of showing his win at Augusta was no fluke.

After a rough 2008 that took Johnson all the way into October to win a tournament, the start of 2009 couldn’t be any better. Johnson already notched a win this year back at the Sony Open, and has two other top 10 finishes this season, including a 3rd place finish in his last start at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Johnson might not have the power off the tee, but his accuracy is about as good as it gets. Heading into the Masters Johnson is ranked 13th in driving accuracy and a solid 31st in total driving. Johnson’s accuracy continues out of the fairways, as he is 10th in greens in regulation. He is also putting the ball pretty well this season, as he is a modest 60th over all in putting average. If Johnson has one weakness besides the limited length off the tee, it’s his sand game, as he is not good at all out of the bunkers, ranking 133rd at just 44.4%. The key there is Johnson doesn’t find the sand to often, but when he does it tends to cost him. His excellent play this season has him currently ranked 6th on the money list and 5th on the FedEx Cup Points standings.

Before Johnson can fully erase the fluke mark off his Masters win back in 2007, is he needs to win another major, whether it’s here at Augusta or any other of the 3 major championships. Focusing strictly on his play at the Masters, Johnson hasn’t really done much at all other than his win, as his tie for 20th last season was his second best showing at the first major of the season. Johnson’s game fits Augusta well, as he is so good at keeping the ball in play, and making sure he has a number of chances to make birdies and score low. The key for Johnson will be his putting, as you can pretty much count on the accuracy off the tee and fairways. If the putter is working and Johnson is making putts, he can win this thing again, and his play of late really has to make you think he is ready for another big showing at a major event. Another reason to like Johnson is he showed he has the focus needed to compete with Tiger, as Woods actually took the lead from Johnson in the final round, before Johnson birdied three of his final six holes to give him a 2 shot win. If Johnson can put 4 solid rounds together and be right there in contention come the final round on Sunday, you have to like his chances of being right there when the final few holes are played.

Other Golfers odds to Win the Masters in 2009:

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