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TARGET WORLD CHALLENGE

December 15, 2007

Zach Johnson

THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA

JOE CHEMYCZ: We welcome Zach Johnson in, Zach with a 3-under par 69 today. You were saying as you walked in, golfers are never content. No bogeys today, but maybe talk about what could have been.
ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah, I mean, all in all, really good things. I drove it very good and I hit some good iron shots. If I had a four-footer for par I didn't have any issues, but if I had a ten-footer for birdie I just couldn't make it, which was fine. I made one putt really, and that on 10, about a 15-footer. Other than that my birdies were a foot and three feet.
Like I said, a lot of positives. I had opportunities. A couple poor wedge shots that maybe could have turned out differently, but all in all good stuff.

Q. How far behind is too far behind?
ZACH JOHNSON: On this golf course? I don't know, that's a good question. I don't know how far behind -- what is Tiger at? 18-under? What am I, 10, 11? That's too far (laughter). Is that a good answer?
Part of it is who's in front of you. It shouldn't be part of it, but when it comes to one individual, that's part of it. If this was a major, I don't think there's -- ten shots or less is probably makable if you play well and things go the right way. On a golf course like this, seven shots is probably too much. But that's okay.

Q. They were saying something on TV that you may have wanted to make that last putt to get into the last pairing. Would you have wanted to?
ZACH JOHNSON: Well, I didn't realize it until after I hit it, but yeah. That means I'm in second, not in third. Absolutely.

Q. Have you viewed this week, last week's Skins Game sorts as the start of next year? Did you get enough break after the TOUR Championship to separate them?
ZACH JOHNSON: Did I get enough break? That's hard to say. I feel like I could always use more time off. I think any player would probably say they could always use more time off.
But I had a purpose in my off-season, just like my on-season. I took the bulk of -- latter part of October off and the bulk of November off to practice a little bit here and there and prepare for these events, but more so to kind of give me some momentum going into '08, and I'm very, very pleased with where my game is at right now. I'm scoring okay, I'm not scoring fantastic. But I'm certainly doing the right things. It's just a matter of polishing it.
I've got two weeks off after this, a week and a half, two weeks -- two weeks off after this, so I think we're going the right direction for '08.

Q. When you were talking a minute ago about seven shots behind and it matters who's leading, is it okay to say that, or do you still think guys will be in denial because they don't want to sound like any player is different than someone else?
ZACH JOHNSON: No, my purpose in saying that is just due to one person. I mean, seven shots is too much behind Tiger Woods, just because of what he's done. Freakish things can happen. Anything is possible. But the guy, if he's in the lead, the gap seems to go the other way. That's just the way it's been. Is it a fact? Is that the way it always is? No, but it's awfully close. It's just difficult.
You know, anybody else, seven shots, it's very, very difficult because they're all very, very good. I would be very comfortable with seven shots myself. However, if I was Tiger Woods I'd be more comfortable (laughter).

Q. Has anything changed over the last couple years because there was a thought when he had a pretty sizable lead on Chris and had to get into a playoff in '05 --
ZACH JOHNSON: Here?

Q. No, Augusta, when he had a three- or four-shot lead going into the last round, and then the two majors this year were early on and there was this expectation where he's tied or he may have been one shot in front at The Masters and it didn't happen. Did any of that mystique taper at all?
ZACH JOHNSON: No, I mean, I don't think so. I'm just saying if you look at his career as a whole, the chances of coming back from those deficits with Tiger Woods in the lead is just difficult. I'm sure it's the same way with Jack Nicklaus. I don't know specifically, but I'd be willing to bet a lot of money it was the same way.
Everybody is very good. You get some momentum -- I'm sure Tiger feels pressure. He is human, I think, personally anyway (laughter). You know, that's one example. There's a couple other examples. But majors are majors. There's more pressure involved, there certainly is more at stake.
Maybe it does get to him a little bit. I don't have any idea. You know, I just feel very fortunate to have won a major in his era.

Q. You see a guy 17-under. You were saying obviously everybody out here is a tremendous golfer, but do you look up there and say "wow," or anything like that?
ZACH JOHNSON: No, not anymore. Once again, the name. I mean, he never ceases to amaze me. That's the way I put it. It doesn't surprise me. Yeah, your mouth goes ajar, but that's just the way it is. That's just what happens with him.
You know, there's six shots right there -- seven shots, right? I mean, I could think of seven putts I could have made, but I can also think of seven putts I could have missed. He's very, very good.

Q. Having such a great year this year, is there any part of you that is reluctant to say goodbye to this season and have it part of the past?
ZACH JOHNSON: That's a great question. I haven't had that one yet. Yeah, I'm very excited about '08, especially considering -- the last two weeks I've been away from my family and that's been difficult. Flying from Orlando to the West Coast, I wasn't ecstatic about coming here. My game was not very good leaving the Shark Shootout. However, getting out here this week I've become more comfortable and certainly more excited about my game as a whole, thus excited about '08.
I think as golfers we're pretty resilient and we have to take the good with the bad. When the good is good like it was at Augusta, you have to put it behind you. I mean, you have to, because there's a lot of things left to go, a lot of goals that I have to go on to accomplish. I hope I haven't hit my prime yet. I hope '08 will be better. It seems like Tiger is getting back on that -- I don't know what, that momentum train that he certainly derails very little. You know, that's good. That just makes us work harder.

End of FastScripts

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