Zach Johnson embraces annual stroll 'home' to John Deere Classic

When home calls, Zach Johnson always answers, which is why he will be at the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill., this week.

There was no real decision for Johnson, now on the Champions Tour, when it came time to commit to the JDC or participate in the Senior Open this week.

"It's pretty simple. If JDC wants me back, I'm going to come back," Johnson said of making his 24th start in the tournament this week. "I know I got in on my number. I get that. At the same time, I still feel like I can -- I'm not going to enter a tournament just to, you know, show up. I mean, I feel like I can do well this week. That's kind of what my team has said.

"I know I'm missing the Senior Open, but there will be more of those. God willing, there will be more of those," Johnson said Tuesday.

Johnson, who turned 50 in February, said he had a brief conversation with tournament officials about using a cart this week at the PGA Tour event, but he was told to plan on getting around the revamped TPC Deere Run without wheels.

Whether Johnson, who won the JDC in 2012, can continue participating in the event is not a given.

He said the two-tier PGA Tour schedule could shift the event to the Challenger Series. Johnson said he could ask for a sponsor's exemption into the field for the third time in his career if the Tour allows. Either way, he plans to be around the course and tournament.

"I am an ambassador of this company and of this tournament regardless of if I play or don't play," Johnson said. "So going forward, I'll let things fall where they fall. I mean, I love to compete here, and I've cherished every second of that with family, with friends and with the people in this community. At the same time, I'm also, I think, old enough to understand that it's bigger than -- certainly bigger than me, but it's bigger than any one person, and I'm OK with that."

--Field Level Media