Hlas: Zach Johnson has his best U.S. Open day ever

TOWN OF ERIN, Wis. — On Saturday, Zach Johnson played his 45th round in a U.S. Open golf tournament.

His score, a 4-under-par 68 at Erin Hills Golf Course, states it was his best round in this event, covering 14 years. He says he wouldn't know.

'I try to forget about this tournament when I get done with it,' Johnson said. 'Because the more you dissect it, the worse you're going to feel about yourself. Like yesterday (after a second-round 74), I was bent out of shape.

'I know if I get caught up in that it's not going to do any good. It's the hardest tournament of the year, right?'

How hard is it? It's so hard that a two-time majors-winner, a 12-time PGA Tour winner and a 9-time member of U.S. Ryder/Presidents Cup teams had never finished an Open with a 72-hole total of better than 2-over. Nor had Johnson had a relative-to-par round of better than 2-under 69, in 2011 at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.

This was a 4-under 68, and it propelled Johnson to 3-under through 54 holes. Which led to a feel-good chat with media members afterward.

'I played great,' the Cedar Rapids native said. 'Got off to a good start, finished strong. I birdied three of the last four.'

The capper was the birdie on the 667-yard No. 18, the longest hole on the longest Open course ever. It played at 7,818 yards Saturday. It was Johnson's sixth birdie of the day.

'Probably the best my game's been all year,' he said. 'It's certainly the most situated. As far as from a contentment standpoint, this is the best I've felt with my golf bag, and all the way through. I've done some changes to my putter, I've done some changes to my irons, my driver.'

In January 2016, Johnson switched from Titleist clubs to those made by then-new company Parsons Xtreme Golf (PXG). It was a move questioned by some. Why leave what was working? Was it for a big endorsement payoff to help kick-start a new brand?

'It wasn't a financial decision,' Johnson said. 'A 40-year-old — I'm just being factual here — with what I've done, I'm not making decisions based on dollars. That's foolish.

'There's two reasons (for the switch). One, what I had already seen with the equipment. The second certainly without question is the people. (PXG founder) Bob Parsons and his people, and the unlimited resources he's given those individuals, is not normal. It just bleeds passion.'

Johnson said he would have been naive to believe there wasn't a better possible equipment option for him, but hadn't fully embraced the change once he made it.

'PXG has really, really helped me a lot,' Johnson said. 'I probably didn't listen to them enough in the beginning. I think my stubbornness, and you could even say my arrogance, got in the way.

'It was one of those things as a veteran, 'OK, I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing.' You'd be foolish not to think 'Hey, there's something that could be better,' and they've put me in that position.

'I'm excited about the future. I hope it's a long, continuous relationship. I'm hitting the ball farther than I ever had.'

Two examples were displayed Saturday. Johnson landed his tee shot onto the green of the par-4 No. 15, which was playing at 288 yards.

'I didn't think I'd ever go for that hole-in-one shot,' he said. He two-putted from 46 feet for birdie, beginning his birdie-birdie-bogey-birdie finish that closed with him needing just a 4-footer on that monstrously long finishing hole.

It's been a birdiefest so far, more so than in any U.S. Open. Johnson ascended from a tie for 55th place after the second round to a tie for 23rd as of 3:45 p.m. Saturday, but would need to be beyond sensational Sunday to get in contention for the title.

Still, he called it the hardest tournament of the year with good reason.

'Any time you shoot under par in it, let alone 4-under,' Johnson said, 'yeah, I'm going to eat well tonight.'