ST. LOUIS – There’s only two places you’ll find the name Zachary J. Johnson – on the man’s birth certificate and on the leaderboard at the PGA Championship.
The problem for the 35-year-old PGA professional from Utah is that there’s another Zach Johnson in the field this week, and he just so happens to be a two-time major winner.
Since Bellerive isn’t big enough for more than one Zach Johnson, the “J” has made a one-week comeback. But the two of them apparently have gotten along quite well.
Zach Johnson meets Zach Johnson.
There are two Zach Johnsons in the field this week: https://t.co/GKFvqjztws pic.twitter.com/d8W4wyWU2g
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) August 10, 2018
He’s been great every time we ran into each other,” ZJJ said, referring to ZJ. “That [picture] was yesterday in the locker room after he shot 66, I shot 76. Yeah, 66, 76. I said, ‘Tomorrow give me five a side and we’ll have a game.’ He was just so awesome. It’s very cool.”
All this brings us to the question of what exactly the “J” stands for anyway. Prepare to be thoroughly underwhelmed.
“The J doesn’t stand for anything,” he said. “That’s just my middle initial. When my parents had to turn in the birth certificate, they were going to give me a J. It was a middle name that started with J. They didn’t know what it was going to be, but after they turned in the birth certificate, it just stuck. They never replaced it. It’s Zachary J. Johnson.
“The reason I’m going by that this week is because there are two of us here, and he rightfully so, has earned the right to go by Zach Johnson. The PGA called me a couple weeks before and let me know that I would be going by Zach J. Johnson for pairings.”
Zach J. Johnson joins a long list of cartoon characters in the same boat, including Rocket J. Squirrel, Bullwinkle J. Moose, Elmer J. Fudd, and Homer J. Simpson.
After missing the cut following rounds of 76-69, Zach J. is now free to go back to being Zach again.
“I like the sound of Zach Johnson a little better,” he said. “Maybe I can keep people on their toes and maybe confuse them a little more. Probably won’t go by Zach J. anymore.”
