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U.S. Open 2019: Zach Johnson forced to do jumping jacks after a missed putt
Patrick Smith
PEBBLE BEACH—Whatever your side on the "Are golfers athletes?" conversation, there's no debating this video capturing Zach Johnson's poor jumping-jack form doesn't make a strong case for the affirmative.
That's right, jumping jacks. In its practice round coverage of the 2019 U.S. Open, Golf Channel cameras caught the two-time major winner breaking out calisthenics off a Pebble Beach green following a missed putt:
Far be it from us to judge another man's athleticism—glasses houses and what not—but Johnson looks like an 80-year-old at a pre-sunrise Zumba class at the local Y.
And if that's the penalty for a missed putt during a practice round, what's the punishment for what Johnson did at the Masters this year, when he accidentally hit his tee ball during a practice swing at Augusta National's 13th tee? The thought of ZJ breaking out push-ups at Amen Corner just gave Jim Nantz an ulcer.
Whatever Johnson's reasoning, it's clear he needs a change of pace at this tournament: in 15 previous appearances at the U.S. Open, the 43-year-old has just one top-10 finish.