GOLF INSIDER
Sea Island resident Zach Johnson may have put himself in a position to be considered for the World Golf Hall of Fame by virtue of winning his second major championship.
Monday’s British Open win, along with his 2007 Masters championship, are among his 12 career victories. Since joining the Tour in 2004 (and winning the first of two Bell South Classics at TPC Sugarloaf) Johnson has been among the most consistent pros.
“I think it will ultimately be the event that gets Zach Johnson into the Hall of Fame,” Golf Channel announcer Brandel Chamblee said. “I don’t know that people would have called him a superstar, and he’s a lot closer to being called a superstar now and a heck of a lot closer to being in the Hall of Fame.”
Johnson’s success compares favorably with Sea Island resident Davis Love III, who has 20 victories and one major, and veteran Jim Furyk, who has 17 wins and one major. Each is considered a shoo-in for inclusion in the Hall of Fame.
Johnson is the classic overachiever. The son of a chiropractor, Johnson grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and played at Drake. He turned pro in 1998 and struggled on a number of mini-tours. He finally earned a spot on the Nationwide Tour, set a record for earnings in 2003 and earned a promotion to the PGA Tour.
Tardy wins Women's Am qualifier: Bailey Tardy of Norcross was medalist at the U.S. Women's Amateur qualifier at Laurel Springs. Tardy, who will be a freshman this fall at Georgia, shot a 5-under 66 and earned a spot in the championship, Aug. 10-16 at Portland (Ore.) Country Club.
Other Georgians who qualified were Rinko Mitsunaga of Roswell, Katy Harris of St. Simons, Rachel Dai of Milton, Amanda Doherty of Atlanta and Emilie Meason of Atlanta.
Two Owls make U.S. Amateur field: Two Kennesaw State golfers have qualified for the U.S. Amateur. Junior Christopher Guglielmo and freshman Jake Fendt earned their spot in the qualifier at Capital City Club in Crabapple. The other two places were grabbed by Valdosta State sophomore Jake Harpe and Georgia Tech junior Vincent Whaley. The U.S. Amateur will be conducted Aug. 17-23 at Olympia Fields Country Club near Chicago.
Etc.: Lee McCoy, a rising senior at Georgia, finished fourth at the Pan Am Games in Toronto. McCoy shot a 10-under 278 and finished three shots out of the lead and two shots away from second. The event was won by professional Marcelo Rozo of Colombia. … The East Section won the Georgia State Golf Association's Challenge Match at Southern Hills. The East team was led by Andrew Duffie, who won the boys 16-18 division. … Peachtree City native Johan Kok, now a club pro in Arrington, Tenn., earned a spot in the PGA Championship by tying for 10th at the Professional National Championshp.
