Whatever your side on the “Are golfers athletes?” conversation, there’s no debating this video capturing Zach Johnson’s poor star-jump form doesn’t make a strong case for the affirmative.
That’s right, star jumps. In its practice round coverage of the 2019 US Open, Golf Channel cameras caught the two-time Major winner breaking out calisthenics off a Pebble Beach green after a missed putt:
Zach Johnson’s coach makes him do jumping jacks if he misses!!! Make your difficult to recreate on course pressure #golf #dontmiss #jumpingjacks pic.twitter.com/MNVR8AT5qT
— Diggers Golf (@DiggersGolf) June 11, 2019
Far be it from us to judge another man’s athleticism – glass houses and what not – but Johnson looks like an 80-year-old at a pre-sunrise Zumba class at the local gym.
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 ball during a practice swing on 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 US Open, the 43-year-old has just one top-10 finish.
