Zach Johnson on PGA Championship (Sponsor Content)

Courtesy of Country Inns & Suites (Sponsor Content)

Zach Johnson talks about the PGA Championship in the second of six Inside Looks with PGA.com.

Q: You've had six top-10 finishes in majors, highlighted by the win at the 2007 Masters. Three of those six top 10’s have come in the PGA Championship. What is it about a PGA Championship set up that suits your game so well?

A: I have always liked the way the PGA of America sets up courses for the PGA Championship. It is always a very demanding, but fair test of golf. Typical course set ups just seem to fit my style of golf where there is a premium on driving it in play and putting well.

Part 1: Zach Johnson on his most memorable shots 

Q: How much do you know about Vahalla? 

A: I know very little about Vahalla. I wasn’t part of the 2008 Ryder Cup team and the prior PGA Championships hosted there were before my time on tour. What I know is from watching the U.S. win the Ryder Cup in ’08 on television.

Q: Will you make a trip to the course before the week of the tournament?

A: No. My schedule is pretty tight so getting to Valhalla is not in the cards for me. I will get there Monday and have three practice rounds to prepare. 

Q: What is it that makes the PGA Championship a little different than the other three majors?

A: Well, the obvious difference is playing alongside the club professionals which I think is great. I know many of them and respect them tremendously for what they do for the game of golf week in and week out at clubs and facilities.

Q: Is it any easier to tee it up at a major championship knowing you're a major champion already? Or, is it more pressure?

A: I don’t think being a past major winner makes much difference as it relates to pressure. I try to prepare for each tournament the same and don’t add pressure because it’s a major. I also don’t see being a major champion being an advantage or disadvantage of any kind.

Q: Very few people can relate to being a major champion. What were your emotions like when you won the Masters? Did your expectations as a player change at all going forward?

A: Well, you work your whole life with dreams of winning something like the Masters and when it happens the best word to describe it is “surreal.” Putting on the Green Jacket and knowing you will forever be a Masters champ is indescribable to say the least. I would have to admit that early on after winning my expectations maybe changed because I thought perhaps more was expected of me and that perhaps I had to change my game, get longer off the tee and what not to compete and contend in all the majors. I quickly realized this was the wrong approach and one that got me slightly off track for a short time. I went back to the things that made me successful and since then things have gone very well.

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Country Inns & Suites is proud to sponsor PGA Tour Pro Zach Johnson. A dedicated Masters Champion, community leader and family man, Zach shares our genuine commitment to always go above and beyond – on and off the course. At Country Inns & Suites that means a stay delivered with touches of home, such as complimentary hot breakfast, free high-speed internet, a great night's rest and genuine hospitality.

Book your next stay with Country today and see why Zach Johnson considers us the next best thing to home when he is on the road. www.countryinns.com.