Zach Johnson began the final round of the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge paired with and two shots behind the tournament host Tiger Woods.
Johnson’s four-under par 68 versus Woods’ two-under par 70 left both men tied at 13-under par for the tournament.
Johnson brought the excitement factor for the week by hitting some of the best wedge shots witnessed all year on tour. Lacking the length to reach the green on the par-5 No. 16, he was forced to lay up to 88 yards on his second shot. He flew his third 20 feet past the hole into a slight rise in the green and allowed gravity to bring the ball back down the slope, barely missing an eagle.
His tap-in birdie at that hole matched Woods, who made his only birdie on the back nine on Sunday.
Johnson was not done, however. Still trailing by one shot he hit another great iron shot to the par-3 No. 17 and made birdie to draw even with world No. 1.
With both men tied, the tournament came down to the last hole. Johnson striped a beautiful drive down the middle of the fairway setting up a perfect short-iron approach to the green.
Woods pulled his drive into a steep slope in the left rough. He was faced with a difficult downhill-lie second shot around a tree and over both a water hazard and bunker. He did well to put his second into the bunker fronting the green, but now faced a difficult up and down from the sand to save par.
Advantage Zach Johnson.
Uncharacteristically Johnson nearly whiffed his second shot and pushed it badly into the hazard.
The advantage now seemed to switch back to Woods.
Johnson is known as one of the best wedge players of all time and even has a Green Jacket in his closet to validate that fact.
From the drop area Johnson hit a perfect short wedge. It took one hop just short of the hole, turned one-half revolution to the right and fell into the hole for his par.
Woods, sizing up his bunker shot, could only nod with a wry smile at Johnson’s saving par. He was up to the task, executed a magnificent sand shot to three feet, rammed in the putt to match Johnson and force the playoff.
Both players returned to the tee at No. 18 for the first hole of the playoff and both hit perfect tee shots.
Woods hit first from the fairway and found nearly the same spot in the bunker fronting the hole. Johnson, not wanting to repeat his earlier miss into the water, over corrected and pulled his short iron 25 feet left of the flag, but still on the green.
Graeme McDowell had made putts from nearly the same spot that Johnson’s ball came to rest, to first force a playoff and then to beat Woods in the 2010 World Challenge.
Woods playing first from the bunker hit a very similar shot to his earlier attempt, but the ball ran an extra foot away from the hole.
Johnson’s putt failed to take enough break, but left him with a tap in for his par. Woods missed his short putt for par and gave Johnson the win.
This was the last time the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge will be played at Sherwood Country Club just outside of Los Angeles. It was announced earlier in the week that the event would be moving to Isleworth Golf and Country Club in 2014.
Matt Kuchar fired a five-under par 67 for the low round of the day on Sunday. He started fast with five birdies on the front nine, but a double bogey at No. 10 and a bogey at the last left him at nine-under par and tied with Bubba Watson for third place.
Webb Simpson rounded out the Top-5 two more shots back at seven-under par.