Tom Lehman qualified for the PGA Tour and played from 1983-85 before
losing his card, which forced him to spend 6 seasons traveling across Asia,
South Africa, and the Hogan Tour. In 1991, he topped the Hogan Tour's
money list, earned his PGA Tour card for 1992 and never lost his PGA
playing privileges again as he captured his only major championship, the
1996 Open Championship. Lehman went on to captain the 2006 Ryder
Cup Team and has had continued success on the Champions Tour.
Zach Johnson grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and attended Drake University
in Des Moines. During his collegiate career Zach led the Bulldogs to two
Missouri Valley Championships and three NCAA Regional appearances. He
turned professional in 1996, played on the now defunct Prairie Golf Tour and
in a few Web.com Tour events. In 2004, while interning at the Golf Channel,
this author got a chance to meet Zach and his coach Mike Bender at Bender's
teaching facility outside Orlando. Zach had won the 2003 Web.com Tour's
Money List, which earned him a spot on the PGA Tour and he wasted no
time locking up his two year tour card with a win at the 2004 Bellsouth
Classic outside Atlanta. Currently, Zach has 12 PGA Tour wins, and two Major
Championships, the 2007 Masters, and last year's Open Championship as
he defeated Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman in a four-hole playoff.
Zach Johnson
What do Jim Furyk,
Tom Lehman, and
Zach Johnson all have
in common? ey are
all Major Champions
who paid their dues,
cut their teeth, and
learned how to play
professional golf on
the Web.com Tour
first, before becoming
PGA Tour superstars.
GOLF NOW! Chicago 15
