Zach Johnson didn’t wait long to make himself at home on PGA Tour Champions.
Just two weeks after turning 50, the two-time major winner closed with a 3-under 69 on Sunday to win the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational in Boca Raton, Fla., by four shots in his debut on the 50-and-older circuit.
Johnson finished at 11-under 205 on The Old Course at Broken Sound, becoming the 22nd player to win his first start on the tour.
“It’s humbling, it’s humbling just to get to this point,” Johnson said after the win. “… I mean if you would have told me I’d be here at 50 years old, you know, the hypothetical part of that is so incredible that I would have said you’re crazy.
“Staying in modest shape to play with these guys because it’s still really good golf, highly competitive on a phenomenal track, I am humbled. I am extremely excited, and I have been excited.”
Johnson’s final round had an early hiccup — a bogey on the par-3 third hole — but then he maintained steady pressure. He recorded four birdies as he created separation from a leaderboard that stayed bunched most of the week.
Stewart Cink, one of the early-season pace-setters on the Champions Tour, finished four back after a closing 70 that tied him with George McNeill (72) for second place at 7-under 209. McNeill briefly grabbed a share of the lead with a birdie on the opening hole, but couldn’t keep pace once Johnson began stacking birdies through the middle of the round.
“Made too many bogeys throughout the week. Just, you can’t do that,” McNeil said. “And today was, I just didn’t make any putts. I hit the ball fine, just nothing. And it wasn’t that I was hitting bad putts, I just couldn’t read ‘em all that well. But overall it was great.”
Ireland’s Padraig Harrington capped a sharp rebound from an opening-round 79 by finishing tied for fourth at 6 under thanks to weekend rounds of 66 and 65. Jamie Donaldson of Wales, Germany’s Alex Cejka, Australia’s Steve Allan and Steve Flesch tied Harrington for fourth.
