It’s not often that someone has the opportunity to trade in their nine-to-five job to compete against the future of the PGA Tour. When they do, it means a lot more time on the range and course than normally.
“I’ve definitely been hitting balls more than I was prior,” said Springfield native and Price Cutter Charity Championship’s sponsor exemption Joey Johnson.
Johnson says he has already seen firsthand just how good his competition will be.
“I played with a guy yesterday and he hit it a lot farther than I did,” Johnson said. “He was 19 and [I] come to find out he’s the leader in driving distance in the Korn Ferry Tour, so I felt better after I found that out.”
Johnson is used to a fairly high level of competition on the green after golfing in college. He is also used to overcoming the odds, going from a home-schooled golfer to playing for Missouri State.
“In the summer is when high school junior golf is the most competitive,” Johnson said. “Coach [Neal] Stafford browsing junior tournament scores and stuff like that. And seeing where everybody is at, then coming out and watching and meeting me.”
Now there will be thousands in the crowd watching him, including the former bears’ family and friends. But Johnson’s brother will be by his side the whole way through as his caddy.
“We bounce things off each other and he knows my game better than anyone probably,” Johnson said. “So, he will definitely be a calming presence out there.”
All nerves and excitement aside, Johnson emphasized how grateful he is to be given this opportunity. One that starts on hole one at 9:07 a.m. Thursday morning.
