Johnson flirts with 59 but comes up short

2007-09-15

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By Andrew Both PA SportsTicker Golf Writer

ATLANTA, Georgia (Ticker) Masters champion Zach Johnsonflirted with history before shooting a career low 10-under-par60 in the third round at the Tour Championship on Saturday.

Johnson had to birdie the par-3 18th to become just the fourthplayer to card 59 on the PGA Tour, but he leaked his 2-iron teeinto a greenside bunker and had to settle for par aftersplashing out to a couple of feet.

"I wasn''t that nervous at Augusta, not even close," he said ofhis near tap-in at the last. "I was shaking. I don''t know how Itook the putter back."

Johnson became the 20th player to card 60 on tour, setting acourse record in ideal conditions at East Lake. Moreimportantly, he vaulted into contention to win the tournament,posting a 13-under 197 total with one round left.

"Hopefully I''ve got a 59 in me in the future. That''s not anopportunity you get very often," said Johnson, who startedthinking about it when he eagled the par-5 15th. "It''s amagical number but you can''t really focus on it. You''ve got toget a lot of breaks go your way, make some long putts. You can''thit it to four feet every hole."

Johnson certainly made his share of putts on slow greens thatallowed players to putt aggressively.

"I drove the ball a little better than I had, but I felt goodthe whole week," he said. "Today, the card showed I started tomake some more putts, and that''s really what it boiled down to."

Johnson''s front nine, solid though it was with four birdies,offered little clue of what was to come on the back nine, wherehe picked up the pace to go 6-under in a seven hole stretch.

His 15-foot eagle at No. 15 left him needing two more birdies inthe final three holes for 59, but he could only par the 16th.

He then made a stunning birdie at the difficult par-4 17th,crafting an exquisite 200-yard shot from a fairway bunker andsinking a six-foot putt.

But he "panned" his tee shot at the last and needed to hole hissand shot, measured at 50 feet, nine inches, to shoot 59.

He gave it a good try, but his ball trickled past the hole abouta foot to the right.