At 39, Zach Johnson thinks best may be yet to come

Nine of the top 20 players in the men's World Golf Rankings are in their 20s. Six are 25 or under, including No. 1 Rory McIlroy.

Zach Johnson is 39. Many pro golfers have accomplished big things at that age and older. But since 1960, the average age of the winners of the four men's golf major tournaments is 32. Only 20 of the last 220 majors in that time were won by players 40 and over.

The wear and tear of competing for decades is a factor. And time waits for no one. But Cedar Rapids native Johnson has had good health, and calling him a workout devotee is an understatement.

That leaves something that can't be quantified. How do those who have been high achievers - and Johnson's career has been an unqualified success - keep the same kind of competitive hunger at 39 as they had when they were beginning to build their bodies of work?

'There really isn't anything in the game that I dreamed about as a kid that I frankly haven't accomplished, or at least experienced,” Johnson said this week.

'Win on the PGA Tour, win a major, make my livelihood on the PGA Tour, you throw in the (Ryder and Presidents) Cups and multiple wins, that's a lot of things checked off the list. So motivation is something that's made me really look in the mirror at times.

'Teeing it up on Thursday and competing, that's not very difficult. But I need motivation to want to try to get better.”

That's self-awareness, not a statement indicating he has any less ambition than ever. In fact, the longer you listen to Johnson the more you're convinced his desire to reach new personal heights in golf is great.

'Truthfully, I've got to be honest with myself and my team with me,” Johnson said. 'It comes down to motivation at this point. It's a game of maintenance, and motivation really is the key component right now. As a competitor, I've never lost that. Having that edge has never been an issue. I feel fortunate. It may be something innate.”

It may be. Johnson said he attended a high school soccer game recently where 'I didn't have a dog in the fight and I was still getting fired up.”

'I feel as if I'm as motivated as I ever have been,” he said. 'I truly believe because of what we've done very recently and in the last month, the best golf of my career is potentially in front of me.

'I'm not guaranteeing anything, but I truly feel everything is right there if I continue to work in a quality manner.”

A nutshell look at Johnson's career: Eleven PGA Tour wins, the 2007 Masters title, 29 career Top 3 finishes, 60 Top Tens, six finishes in the Top 20 of the Tour's FedExCup standings, four Ryder Cup and three Presidents Cup appearances. He is 25th in the world rankings.

He has three Top Tens in his nine 2015 Tour starts. He was in contention or at the cusp of it in his last two events, a tie for ninth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a tie for 20th at the Texas Open.

For Johnson to say his best golf could be ahead of him is bold if for no other reason than the stretch he had from mid-July to late September of 2013 when he had a win and seven Top Tens in an eight-tourney period.

'The things that were very difficult to monitor when I first got on Tour (in 2004) are not difficult anymore,” he said. 'I really, truly understand my tendencies and the ebbs and flows of this game. I'm able to process expectations better, and I understand myself and the game better.

'That stretch in 2013 from midyear to the end of the year, I was extremely consistent week in and week out. Basically, I was in contention every time I teed it up. I feel like a lot of parts of my game are still in that place. To get back to those finishes, I think it's just a matter of time. Things are going to happen because I know I'm doing the right stuff with what we've put in place for a template.”

The lone aspect of Johnson's game that has needed improvement this year is one in which he established a reputation for greatness: Putting. So-so putting won't keep you on leader boards, especially at Augusta National this week at the Masters. But, Johnson said, 'We've addressed it. It will come.”

And, 'My ball-striking is as good as it's ever been.”

He gave a similarly positive self-assessment in June 2013. The next few months more than bore out his claims.

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