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Mark Johnson showed up to the 2005 Toshiba Senior Classic unknown, underappreciated and barely making a living as a professional golfer. He returns this year, a touch more famous, a bit more appreciated but much richer, thanks to his victory, which netted him his first professional victory and a $247,500 paycheck. Johnson, a Barstow native and a beer truck driver before turning professional in 1998 at the age of 45, was an accomplished amateur golfer, winning the state high school championship in 1972 and the 1996 California State Amateur. Still, he’d never posted a victory as a professional, even after five years on the Canadian Tour and one on the Nationwide Tour. But after capturing medalist honors at the National Qualifying Tournament in December 2004 gave him exempt status on the Champions Tour in 2005, he made the most of it. He made the cut in his first four events and then shot 13-under to win the Toshiba, including a second-round 63, the lowest round of his professional career and tied for the second lowest round in tournament history. “I’ll tell you, it’s a dream come true for me for something like this to happen,” Johnson said of his four-stroke win, which was capped by an improbable eagle on the final hole. “I’m just your normal guy. I’m a beer truck driver and was fortunate to start this process when I was 45 years old. I played the best golf at the right time at Q-School, then played the best golf at the right time out here.” Johnson, whose former profession earned him the nickname “Beer Man,” posted two more top-10 finishes in the four weeks after his victory in Newport Beach, but his game cooled down and he finished 28th on the tour’s money list, which still earned him a full exemption for 2006. “I didn’t play as well as I would have liked,” Johnson said of the second half of 2005. “I can’t say I got tired, because we don’t play every week. I don’t know, [maybe] I was putting too much pressure on myself.” His struggles at the end of last year, and the amount of time he’s toiled in golf’s minor leagues, give Johnson a different perspective than someone who’s enjoyed professional success for years. Instead of rattling off a string of victories this year, Johnson said he’d be happy to finish in the top 30. “You always want to get in that winner’s circle, because that’s why you’re out there,” said Johnson, who isn’t officially sponsored by Budweiser but proudly wears the company’s logo on his hat and shirt to salute his former employer, H. Olson Distribution, which helped get him out of the beer truck and into professional golf. “To be able to have the opportunity to get there, it’s not that easy to get in the winner’s circle. There’s so many great players out there; you’re playing against the best players in the world and those opportunities just don’t come around weekly. I played a lot of amateur golf to get ready for something like this, but it was something really special and I’ll never forget it.” Johnson has worked and practiced extensively with Dave Stockton Sr., who has taken him “under his wing,” Johnson said, and he’s determined to play a full schedule to put himself in the best position to continue living his lifelong dream. “It’s not going to be easy to stay here, because I have to finish in the top 30 on the money list to be fully exempt,” Johnson said. “But I’m happy to be here and I’m going to keep working hard and go from there.” |
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