Zach Johnson did something extraordinary in 2007—something not even Tiger Woods has done. Johnson won the Masters Tournament by 2 strokes, and he did it without going for the par 5s in two. No one can remember another player doing that in the Masters. In devising his par-5 strategy, Johnson took account of the course conditions and the strengths and weakness of his game. And he played the par 5s in a way that provided a golf lesson for anyone trying to chop strokes off a golf handicap.
Johnson's par-5 strategy was straightforward, yet effective. He saw how long and wet the course was playing, and he knew that he didn't hit his long clubs high enough to hold those types of greens. So he backed off on the idea of hitting the par 5s in two. Instead, he worked out his lay up shots before each round and he relied heavily on his wedge game. And he didn't deviate from it. The result: Johnson played the par 5s in 11 under, a remarkable score.
Pin Placements No Help
Johnson isn't a long hitter. He averaged only 265 yards on his drives for the week. He knew he couldn't overpower the course even under optimum conditions. He also knew that he couldn't out slug guys like Phil, Tiger, or VJ. So he decided to play within himself and he prevailed. Saturday's play on the 15th—the hardest par 5 on the course at 530 yards— typified how he played the long holes.
In addition to length, the pin placement on the 15th on Saturday increased his difficulties: front-left, on a slope that runs hard toward the pond in front. As Johnson said afterwards: "You have to hit the ball incredibly high to even think about going for it in two on that hole. There are all sorts of bad places to miss: in the water, in the collection area, or behind the green where you have to chip it downhill toward the pond."
Johnson knew he couldn't hit the ball high enough to hold the 15th green. He laid up instead, which took the big numbers out of play. But he had to be accurate with his wedges to capitalize on this strategy. Controlling trajectory and backspin were critical. He could have easily backed the ball up into the water or hit it to the back of the green, leaving himself a nasty two-putt. Sticking to his strategy on Saturday helped him finish with a birdie.
Strategy Off The Tees
Johnson's tee strategy on the par 5s was simple: hit the fairway. The light rough they added to the course takes just enough backspin off one's shots to make it hard to control an approach, especially with the longer irons. So Johnson didn't try gearing up to hit it long. Instead, he worked on keeping tempo on the takeaway. His goal was to approach each green from the correct side of the fairway, even if he was going to be a little farther away than the other players.
Wedge Strategy
Johnson's wedge strategy was also simple: be accurate. His weapons of choice: 48-degree, 54-degree, and 60-degree wedges. He used both high and low wedge shots when needed, hitting them as often described in golf tips. To hit a low wedge shot, he moved the ball back a little in his stance, pushing his hands ahead at address, and finished lower to match the lower ball flight. To hit a high wedge shot, he positioned the ball more in the center and finished higher to match the higher ball flight.
Johnson's strategy paid off. He finished one over par, two strokes ahead of Rory Sabbatini, Retief Gossen, and Tiger Woods, who all shot 291 for the tournament. Johnson's play sparkled. It also proved instructional. It provided us with not only a golf lesson on playing par 5s, but also a great strategy for tournament play. Those of us looking to chop strokes off our golf handicaps could do worse than copy this strategy.
Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book "How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros." He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.
