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VILAMOURA, Portugal — Pardon Zach Johnson if he's basking in the glow of his rookie PGA Tour Champions season, but the regenerative powers of the sport's premier senior circuit certainly have him loving life these days.
Johnson already has three victories under his belt, including a major at the Kaulig Companies Championship, all since turning 50 back in February. He's found himself settled into a more family-friendly schedule.
And he opened the Champions' first-ever round in Portugal with three straight birdies en route to a scintillating 64 that has him in the lead after 18 holes at the Els Club Vilamoura.
More: Ernie Els' new course in Portugal offers dramatic backdrop for PGA Tour Champions
So it's not a surprise that Johnson was feeling warm and fuzzy at the inaugural Portugal Invitational, insisting that the vibe with the older crowd is more fun than the high-pressured circus that accompanies PGA Tour life.
"Stewart and I were talking about it, I think it's arguably the best tour," Johnson said. "I mean, it's still highly competitive. The golf courses are good, the venues are terrific. And we're playing against obviously a lot of friends, so it's a little more laid back in the evenings. There's charity. There's great sponsors, whether you're talking about the title or the umbrella sponsors. Pro-ams are great, everybody seems to have a great time.
"I would argue it's the best tour in the world. I'm enjoying it. I would love to have my family out more, but I know my wife's enjoying it as well. She likes to watch golf and take a nap, so that works out well."
After making the opening three birdies, Johnson added another on Nos. 5 and 9 to make the turn at 31. The course had five par 5s and Johnson birdied all of them, and he was still lamenting that he didn't do even better."
"I did a lot of good, and when it was OK, I still managed, if that makes sense. Drove it nice for the most part. Really nice. And I putted well. Just did a lot. I mean, I missed very few greens. Those I did, for the most part I managed to get up and down. Hit a couple putts, hit a couple close shots, took advantage of the par 5s," he said. "I'm going to be blunt. I played the par 5s 5 under and I missed about a seven-, eight-footer for eagle. It was eight feet. Taking advantage of the par 5s today, there's five of them, that's key. But we had a nice rhythm in the group there for the most part, I thought. We all played pretty well on the front. Yeah, it was just a solid day. Very minimal stress."
Rory Sabbatini is one stroke off Johnson's pace at 7 under while a quarter came in at 6 under, with Alex Cejka and Padraig Harrington in that group.
This isn't the first time Johnson has been on this property in Portugal's southern Algarve region. Before Ernie Els redesigned the course, re-routing the entire back nine, Johnson paired with Cink at the World Cup of Golf, but the results weren't the same.
"I don't remember the old course at all. Maybe I've tried to forget because I think Stewart and I finished second to last, so it was a purposeful forgetfulness. All that to say I really don't remember. I obviously remember the lay of the land.But Ernie's done a great job. I mean, I told him that I think it was Tuesday or Wednesday night when we had dinner. I am impressed," he said. "I think the beauty of this place is that I played a pro-am and it doesn't matter if you're a pro, ascratch amateur or a beginner, you can still play around it. That's hard to do. That's a really good design. That's a hard design.
"He has provided ample opportunity for those that play it a little bit forward. It's a challenge for everybody.I think the other attribute is it's got everything. It's got left, right, short, up, down, all of it. It's got character."
Tim Schmitt is the managing editor at Golfweek.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Zach Johnson calls the PGA Tour Champions 'the best tour' after shooting a 64
Continue reading...
Johnson already has three victories under his belt, including a major at the Kaulig Companies Championship, all since turning 50 back in February. He's found himself settled into a more family-friendly schedule.
And he opened the Champions' first-ever round in Portugal with three straight birdies en route to a scintillating 64 that has him in the lead after 18 holes at the Els Club Vilamoura.
More: Ernie Els' new course in Portugal offers dramatic backdrop for PGA Tour Champions
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So it's not a surprise that Johnson was feeling warm and fuzzy at the inaugural Portugal Invitational, insisting that the vibe with the older crowd is more fun than the high-pressured circus that accompanies PGA Tour life.
"Stewart and I were talking about it, I think it's arguably the best tour," Johnson said. "I mean, it's still highly competitive. The golf courses are good, the venues are terrific. And we're playing against obviously a lot of friends, so it's a little more laid back in the evenings. There's charity. There's great sponsors, whether you're talking about the title or the umbrella sponsors. Pro-ams are great, everybody seems to have a great time.
"I would argue it's the best tour in the world. I'm enjoying it. I would love to have my family out more, but I know my wife's enjoying it as well. She likes to watch golf and take a nap, so that works out well."
After making the opening three birdies, Johnson added another on Nos. 5 and 9 to make the turn at 31. The course had five par 5s and Johnson birdied all of them, and he was still lamenting that he didn't do even better."
"I did a lot of good, and when it was OK, I still managed, if that makes sense. Drove it nice for the most part. Really nice. And I putted well. Just did a lot. I mean, I missed very few greens. Those I did, for the most part I managed to get up and down. Hit a couple putts, hit a couple close shots, took advantage of the par 5s," he said. "I'm going to be blunt. I played the par 5s 5 under and I missed about a seven-, eight-footer for eagle. It was eight feet. Taking advantage of the par 5s today, there's five of them, that's key. But we had a nice rhythm in the group there for the most part, I thought. We all played pretty well on the front. Yeah, it was just a solid day. Very minimal stress."
Rory Sabbatini is one stroke off Johnson's pace at 7 under while a quarter came in at 6 under, with Alex Cejka and Padraig Harrington in that group.
You must be registered for see images attach
This isn't the first time Johnson has been on this property in Portugal's southern Algarve region. Before Ernie Els redesigned the course, re-routing the entire back nine, Johnson paired with Cink at the World Cup of Golf, but the results weren't the same.
"I don't remember the old course at all. Maybe I've tried to forget because I think Stewart and I finished second to last, so it was a purposeful forgetfulness. All that to say I really don't remember. I obviously remember the lay of the land.But Ernie's done a great job. I mean, I told him that I think it was Tuesday or Wednesday night when we had dinner. I am impressed," he said. "I think the beauty of this place is that I played a pro-am and it doesn't matter if you're a pro, ascratch amateur or a beginner, you can still play around it. That's hard to do. That's a really good design. That's a hard design.
"He has provided ample opportunity for those that play it a little bit forward. It's a challenge for everybody.I think the other attribute is it's got everything. It's got left, right, short, up, down, all of it. It's got character."
Tim Schmitt is the managing editor at Golfweek.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Zach Johnson calls the PGA Tour Champions 'the best tour' after shooting a 64
Continue reading...
