Zach Johnson celebrates 500th PGA Tour start and in contention at CJ Cup Byron Nelson
McKINNEY, Texas – In a game defined by numbers this benchmark always stands out. Zach Johnson has won a dozen times on the PGA Tour and, for many, his two major triumphs stand above everything else, but there is another number the 48-year-old can now celebrate.
This week’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson is Johnson’s 500th career Tour start, a milestone that seemed unthinkable when he first turned pro and honed his game on countless mini-tours.
“There is no chance I would’ve expected this or dreamt of it. Maybe dream, but I don’t think my dreams got this far, realistically,” Johnson said following a second-round 67 at TPC Craig Ranch that put him five shots off the lead. “It’s a great time to reflect. Awesome time to reflect on what’s transpired. Certainly, I go straight to the people and it’s special. I’m still kind of shocked by it all.”
Earlier this year, Ryan Palmer notched his 500th career Tour start at the Cognizant Classic and said he valued the accomplishment, which requires an impressive amount of consistency on a tour that offers no guarantees, alongside his Tour victories.
“It is an accomplishment, that goes without saying,” Johnson said. “Fortunate not to have any significant injuries. It’s just really hard to compete out here that long. I don’t think it’s getting any easier. It’s like hard to measure your game in eras, decades for that matter. At the same time, I’m still hungry.”