Jack Johnson wins championship debut at James Hardy Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational

Zach Johnson didn’t have to wait long to become a PGA Tour champion.

The winner of two majors just two weeks after turning 50, he shot a 3-under 69 on Sunday to win his debut on the 50-and-over circuit by four strokes at the James Hardy Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational in Boca Raton, Florida.

Johnson became the 22nd player to win in his first tour start with an 11-under par 205 at The Old Course in Broken Sound.

“Just getting to this point is humbling,” Johnson said after the win. “… If you had told me I would be here when I was 50, that hypothetical part would have been so unbelievable that I would have said you were crazy.

“It’s still really good golf, and the competition is fierce on these phenomenal tracks, so I’m humbled to be in shape to play with these guys. I’m very excited and excited.”

Johnson’s final round had some early hiccups (bogey on the par-3 third hole), but he kept the pressure steady. He broke away from the leaderboard he had been stuck in all week and recorded four birdies.

Stewart Cink, one of the early pacesetters on the Champions Tour, shot a 70 to tie for second place with George McNeil (72) and finished at 209 at 7 under par. McNeil briefly took the lead with a birdie on the opening hole, but was unable to keep up as Johnson began piling up birdies midway through the round.

“I’ve done too much watching all week, but I just can’t do that,” McNeil said. “And I didn’t putt at all today. I hit the ball well, but nothing. And it wasn’t a bad putt, I just couldn’t read it very well. But overall, it was great.”

Ireland’s Padraig Harrington rebounded sharply from an opening-round 79 to sit tied for fourth at 6-under thanks to rounds of 66 and 65 over the weekend. Wales’ Jamie Donaldson, Germany’s Alex Cejka and Australia’s Steve Allan and Steve Flesch finished Harrington in a tie for fourth.

–Field level media