Profile / Editor / 15 May 2007 / Leave a Comment

Zach Johnson arrived at this year's US Masters ranked 56th in the world with few expecting much from the 31-year-old from Iowa.

By the end of the week, he had cemented his place in golfing history and the signs are that he is not prepared to rest on his laurels.

Johnson had already served notice of his ability on the course, both mental and physical, in the three years leading up to last month.

In 2003, he finished top of America's Nationwide Tour and followed that by coming in the top 40 of the PGA Tour in his first three years on America's main circuit.

Johnson arrived at last year's Ryder Cup as an unknown rookie, having finished ninth on the US Money List, but he left Ireland's shores as one of the few American players to enhance their reputations, claiming one and a half points out of a possible four and he has continued that form in 2007.

Three birdies in four holes on the back nine enabled him to claim a two-stroke victory at the Masters as he showed himself to be more than a match for the combined might of more established stars Tiger Woods, Retief Goosen and Rory Sabbatini.

His victory at Augusta moved him up to 15th place in the world rankings and he has followed up his display with solid performances over the last month.

Johnson has already managed three top-ten finishes in 2007 and coming joint 16th at last week's Players' Championship will have put him in good heart ahead of this week's AT & T Championship, where he is trading at 17.5 to win and 4.6 to come in the first five.

Like many players in the past, and European stars David Howell and Henrik Stenson most recently, Johnson appears to hitting his prime having turned 30.

The devout churchgoer might not be one of the longest hitters but he can be relied on to be one of the straightest, ranking fifth in fairways hit so far in 2007 which should put him on anyone's shortlist where courses are tight.

Despite his unusual putting grip, he is also very accomplished on the greens and, while he stands 19th in putts per round this season (28.35), he has the happy knack of being to reel off a string of single putts - as he did at the Ryder Cup and the Masters.

Prior to last month, Johnson had struggled to make an impact at the majors - making the cut only three out of 11 attempts and never at The Open Championship - but his victory at Augusta will give him added cause for optimism and he will be desperate to reverse the trend.