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Double bogeys sink Zack Johnson hopes at Masters
Zach Johnson had to find a way to persevere.
During a three-hole stretch Friday, Johnson had two double bogeys that took him from 3-under to 1-over.
He said he misjudged the wind and the club to use on No. 9, where he went with a 6-iron instead of a 5-iron and ended up with his first double bogey.
Then, on 11, he found the water.
“That was frustrating,” he said. “This course will do it to you.”
Though he appeared to right himself with consecutive birdies on 16 and 17, he missed a par putt on No. 18.
“I just didn’t make the putt,” said Johnson, who enters today’s third round five shots back at even par. “I misread it. I hit it right where I was looking.”
It’s been five years since Johnson’s Masters title in 2007.
That year, Masters Sunday shared a day with Easter Sunday, which is the same story this year.
But Mother Nature also cooperated in creating similar situations to that year.
Friday, Johnson’s round started at 8:45 a.m., leaving him playing in conditions that reminded him of those from five years ago.
“It seemed like it got colder from the range through the first nine or 10 holes,” Johnson said. “There were certainly some reminders. That year, though, was so firm and fast and the greens were rock hard. So, totally different conditions on the surface. But the temperatures were ... it was probably in the 50s when we were playing the front nine.”
If Johnson is to repeat his finish from 2007, he has to make up five shots in two days.