Remembering Zach Johnson's Improbable 2007 Masters Win

As The Master's golf tournament gets underway this week in Augusta, Georgia, you'll hear plenty about who is favored to win the green jacket this year. Will it be Dustin Johnson or Jordan Spieth? Or can Tiger Wood muster up some springtime magic and make a run? Or will it be a name that no one expects? That was the story back in 2007. That was the year that Zach Johnson from Cedar Rapids, Iowa won The Master's.

The 2007 Master's was memorable for a variety of reasons. It was a perfect storm that led to Johnson's surprise victory. The weather that weekend was cool and windy. That kept scores relatively high. It also allowed golfers who weren't big hitters to stay in the tournament. That's just what Zach did. He hung around until Sunday.

Zach shot a first round score of -1. He was just 2 shots off the lead and in a great position. He followed that up with a second round of +1, putting him at even par heading into the weekend, still just two shots off the pace. That's when the weather turned. The third round saw some of the highest scores in Masters history. With winds gusting up to 35 miles per hour, golfers struggled and scores soared. No golfer broke 70. Zach shot a 76 and found himself +4 for the tournament. But he was still only 2 shots off the lead. It was time for a magical Sunday.

The little golfer from Cedar Rapids, Iowa tied the low score of the day at 69. He birdied three of his final six holes. He held off a late day charge from Tiger Woods in his prime. Zach Johnson won The Masters. His overall score of +1 was just the third time in Masters history that the winner was above par. He was given his green jacket by the 2006 champion Phil Mickelson. Iowa had another sports legend.

While the 2007 Masters is the highlight of Zach's career, it isn't the only one. He won his second major in 2015 at the Open Championship. He has 12 PGA Tour victories and 10-second-place finishes. He holds an event each year in Cedar Rapids that raises money for his foundation. Watch for Zach during this weekend's Masters. He's proven before that you can never rule him out.

[via Wikipedia]