Can we give Zach Johnson some credit please? And not just for overcoming Iowa handicap

Whenever Zach Johnson wins a tournament, the guy who loses it becomes a bigger story. This is understandable when it’s Tiger Woods at the Masters. But Ryuji Imada at the second-thought, secondary-field AT&T Classic?

Please. Who cares what Imada did or didn’t do? (Even if our own waffle wizard Tim McDonald is at it again, having mocked Tiger Woods for laying up (and winning) at Doral and now derided Imada for not laying up, calling it “a dumb play.” McDonald is of two cloudy minds on most subjects though - he’s older than The Queen what do you expect?)

The rest of you have no excuse though. And Johnson deserves the credit here.

Did you see the shot he hit when he was going for eagle on the first (and last) playoff hole? The man left himself with a tap in for birdie, this after posting a closing round 67 - three shots better than Imada’s Sunday and the second lowest score of the entire day. All this while playing near the lead.

Then, Johnson morphed back into the Aw Shucks Iowan he is. He kissed his baby son Will on the head - a real family celebration as opposed to the scripted running of the Mickelson kids -, no doubt thanked God and then delivered one of those quotes that’s more boring than a 90-game series between the Washington Nationals and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In other words, one of those pure Iowa quotes.

“I know that it gets redundant … (but) any of the guys who teed it up this week could have won this golf tournament,” Johnson told the Associated Press.

Yes, even Johnson can forget he’s good. He’s a corn hick from Iowa. The interesting handicap is real.

But there is no playing one. Zach Johnson’s for real too.