PGA TOUR Power Rankings: OHL Classic at Mayakoba

Let’s get this part out of the way: Zach Johnson hasn’t qualified for the TOUR Championship for the last two seasons. It’s been a disappointing run for the 2015 Open Championship winner. It’s only made tougher when you remember that this is a guy who won 11 times in a nine-year span from 2007 to 2015, not just some flash in the pan.

Johnson has typically made at least one fall season start each year since 2013, but he’s clearly angling to get a bigger head start on the field this year, or perhaps he’s just taking advantage of the extra work to dial his game in for the new year. Either way, expect it to start paying off sooner than later.

Like many others in this week’s field, Johnson didn’t have a chance to play this tournament for much of its history due to the schedule conflict created by the WGC Match Play in February. This year, Johnson already has a top-15 finish under his belt (T-13 at last month’s Safeway Open) and he’s looking to get some of his winning energy back.

Johnson’s relative lack of power doesn’t typically drag him down, but at the short El Camaleon, the playing field will be as level as it gets. Zach ranked tenth in the field at the Safeway Open in strokes gained: putting, and (not coincidentally) fourth in bogeys. If he keeps that type of play running as he gets back into action, look for him to push his way to the top of the leaderboard.