US TOUR:ZACH JOHNSON has played down expectations as he bids to claim a third successive Valero Texas Open title this week in San Antonio.
The 34-year-old won the title in 2008 and 2009, but has a best finish of 12th in 2010 and finished tied for 22nd at The Players Championship at Sawgrass last week for his best result for three months.
The tournament starts today at TPC San Antonio, which is a new venue, and features South Africa’s Ernie Els for the first time.
Els missed the cut at Sawgrass, but leads the FedExCup points standings after wins at the WGC-CA Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational this year.
The Big Easy is the top-ranked player in a field which includes three-time winner Justin Leonard.
Johnson, while insisting his game is in good health, has played down his bid for a third straight win.
“I have no expectations in that,” he said. “I don’t like expectations – good or bad. I expect myself to execute. I expect myself to hit quality shots. But results? I have no expectations.”
The 2007 US Masters champion missed his one opportunity to practise on the Greg Norman layout prior to this week as the course was too wet.
Johnson said: “I’ve driven around it. It’s long. It’s a totally different course from La Cantera. It’s going to be a hard test.”
Only Tiger Woods and Tom Watson have won three straight events in the last 25 years.
Woods triumphed in the Memorial Tournament from 1999 to 2001 and also won three different World Golf Championship events, while Watson won the Byron Nelson Classic from 1978 to 1980.
Johnson says his poor performances so far this year are due to mental factors.
“It’s in the head. (My) game’s good. It’s the head. I want to do now instead of letting it happen. Hitting it well, putting it okay.
“The impatience has come from the putter more than anything else. It’s one of those where I get it going and then something happens.
“I haven’t been able to put four days together. . . I feel like my game’s in a good position overall.”
TEXAS OPEN
Course: TPC San Antonio.
Length: 7,522 yards. Par: 72.
Prizemoney: €4.8 million (€791,099 for the winner)
Layout: This new course only opened in January and has three par fives of over 600 yards. The short 16th is regarded as the signature hole with a bunker in the middle of the green. The greens are large and wide.
Field: 156.
Defending champion: Zach Johnson won after a play-off.
On TV: On Sky Sports all four days (8pm this evening).
Weather forecast: Chance of showers and thunderstorms with temperatures of 29 degrees.
