Johnson continues great run at Sugarloaf
IN: News | US PGA | AT&T Classic (2007) | Wrap | by Bruce Young | 21 May 2007
Zach Johnson has defeated Ryuji Imada to win the AT&T Classic at the TPC at Sugarloaf in Duluth, Georgia, and in doing so continued his love affair with the Greg Norman designed golf course.
Johnson won this event in 2004 and finished runner up to Phil Mickelson last year when the event was known as the BellSouth Classic.
Johnson birdied the first extra hole of the playoff to edge out 30-year-old Imada who was looking to win for the first time on the PGA Tour. Imada had taken a two shot lead during the course of the final round before Johnson produced five birdies in his last eleven holes to post a 72 hole total of 15 under, which Imada matched when he birdied the final hole.
When they returned to the par five Imada pulled his second into the water left of the green and with Johnson finding the green with his second it was all but over. Johnson’s lengthy putt for eagle nestled close to the hole and he was the champion.
For Johnson it continues a brilliant year where he has become the winner of a major, the US Masters, and where he has continued to play well despite the distractions the demands of being the newly crowned Masters champion can bring.
For Imada, who graduated to the PGA Tour in 2005, this was just his fourth top ten in the time he has been on the PGA Tour and by far his best result and provided a great chance to win for the first time. He will be disappointed that he let a great opportunity pass him by. However, his birdie on the 72nd hole when he needed it, will be a memory he can draw on in the future.
Imada moved to the USA from Japan in his early teens to play junior tournament golf and had considerable success as an amateur golfer while playing for the University of Georgia. He was a finalist at the US Public Links Championship but turned professional in 1999 and played the Nationwide Tour from that point on.
Camilo Villegas continued what has been a rollercoaster second year on the PGA Tour to finish in a share of third with third round leader, Troy Matteson, and Matt Kuchar. There was a very good finish at the Honda earlier in the year but Villegas has tended to mix good and bad weeks with that. Even today his round was full of drama with four birdies, four bogeys, an eagle a double bogey. The highly talented Colombian appears to be back to where he left off in 2006 when he finished as the second leading rookie behind Trevor Immelman.
Gavin Coles was the best of the Australians when he finished 14th while Steve Elkington continued improved play of late when 16th. Mark Hensby, the only other Australian to make the cut and who finished runner up to Johnson in this event three years ago, finished 62nd while New Zealander, Grant Waite, finished 65th.
The PGA Tour now moves west to Fort Worth for this week’s Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.
