Why being content material on the PGA Tour is 'harmful,' in line with Zach Johnson

At this week’s John Deere Classic in Silvis, Unwell., Zach Johnson is a fan favourite.

The 48-year-old PGA Tour veteran is playing the John Deere for the twenty second time, and has seven top-5s within the occasion on his resume, together with a win in 2012 and three runner-ups.

The U.S. Ryder Cup captain is likely one of the sport’s elder statesman, and at his pre-tournament press convention on Wednesday, he was requested a couple of vary of subjects, from what it feels wish to compete towards youngsters to the state of his leap shot.

However Johnson, whose final win was the 2015 Open Championship, was significantly revelatory when he spoke in regards to the significance of sustaining a robust drive for enchancment.

“I feel possibly we’re speaking semantics right here, however content material, at this stage might be type of harmful,” he stated. “Clearly you need to win. That’s why you enter a event. Not something however that, proper?

“However content material goes hand in hand with possibly upkeep, and the increasingly more my thoughts has resolved round these notions I really feel like I am going astray,” he continued. “So what I’m alluding to is I’m at all times attempting to enhance. Doesn’t matter what age I’m, the place I’m at. That is going to sound fairly boring, however that is the way in which I function. This week is a method for me to enhance for the subsequent week, and subsequent week is a method to enhance for the subsequent week.”

That reply was in response to a query about Johnson’s stage of satisfaction with ending within the high 10 or high 25 versus measuring success by wins as he obtained older. For Johnson, the drive to enhance is a serious precedence — maybe much more in order he ages.

“The second I lose sight of that may be a second I’m going to get actually lapped and I’ll most likely not be enjoying a lot,” he stated. “I’m fallen into that, thoughts you, what you’re saying. We’re entering into semantics. Content material isn’t a unfavorable phrase. Yeah, we’re good. You realize, no, I need to get higher. No matter that could be. On and off the golf course there may be room to get higher and be extra environment friendly, efficient with my time, my physique, my thoughts, all that.

“So I’m nonetheless studying at 48,” he continued. “I’ve had friends of mine out right here at 48 and stated the identical factor. A few of these guys had wonderful careers between the age of 40 to 50, 45 to 50 even. Shoot, a few of them had careers between 45 and 50. Like, oh, my gosh. However the sport has modified. It’s positively gotten youthful. I don’t know what the age was then and the place it’s now. That half doesn’t actually matter a lot. However guys are simply extra prepared.”

Johnson has made the reduce on the John Deere is his final 15 appearances. He’ll play alongside Jordan Spieth and J.T. Poston on Thursday and Friday in an try to maintain that streak alive.

Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of feminine varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everybody on the masthead. She will be able to out-hustle them within the workplace, too, the place she’s primarily answerable for producing each print and on-line options, and overseeing main particular initiatives, comparable to GOLF’s inaugural Model Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview collection, “A Spherical With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in each within the journal and in video type on GOLF.com.