Nearly three years after his most recent victory, Zach Johnson has a chance to get back into the winner’s circle at the Valero Texas Open.
Johnson started the third round at TPC San Antonio with a share of the lead, and he maintained that position after closing out a 4-under 68 with a birdie on the final hole. At 13 under, he is tied for the lead with Andrew Landry and one shot clear of Trey Mullinax as he looks to win for the first time since The Open in 2015.
“Different wind today. Misjudged some numbers, misjudged some wind, made some bad swings, all of the above,” Johnson told reporters. “But truthfully, I mean my short game was actually pretty good, my putting was great. I missed some putts but I hit some really good ones, hit some lines and I gave myself opportunities, especially on the back side.”
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Johnson started slowly, making the turn in even-par 36, before carding four birdies on the inward half. It was a microcosm of his week at TPC San Antonio, where Johnson is even through three trips across the front nine but has played the back nine in 13 under while picking up more than six strokes on the field in strokes gained: putting.
Johnson won this event in both 2008 and 2009 when it was held at nearby La Cantera, but he has only cracked the top 10 once since it shifted venues in 2010. But facing off in the final group against two players who have yet to win on the PGA Tour, the veteran hopes to capitalize on his back-nine prowess this week in order to deliver career win No. 13.
“I’ve got to do exactly what I did on the back side, and that was give myself opportunities on every hole,” Johnson said. “I’m putting great, I’m seeing the lines well, my caddie’s reading the greens well. So it’s just a matter of committing and executing down the stretch.”