'Normal guy' fends off Woods for first green jacket

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- It all seemed surreal to Zach Johnson. Three clutch birdies on the back nine at the Masters. His name atop the leaderboard. Toppling Tiger Woods. Slipping on the green jacket.

"I'm from Cedar Rapids, Iowa," he said when asked to describe himself. "That's about it. I'm a normal guy."

Not anymore.

Normal guys don't beat Woods in the final round of a major, especially when Woods is in the lead. Normal guys aren't unfazed by the ground-shaking cheers of Woods making an eagle to mount a charge.

Jack Fleck was a normal guy from Iowa, too, and he took down the great Ben Hogan in the 1955 U.S. Open.

Tiger Woods hits from the fifth rough Sunday during the final round of the 2007 Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. (Chris O'Meara ~ Associated Press)

Maybe everyone should have seen this one coming.

A strange week at Augusta National saved the biggest surprise for the very end -- Johnson as the Masters champion, and beating Woods to get there.

"As they say, a giant has got to fall at some point," he said.

Johnson pulled away from Woods and the rest of the pack with three birdies in a pivotal four-hole stretch, closing with a 3-under 69 for a two-shot victory over Woods, Retief Goosen and Rory Sabbatini. It was only the second victory of his career.

Woods was within two shots after his eagle on the 13th hole, but all he could muster were pars the rest of the way. His last chance ended when his approach to the 18th settled 25 feet to the right of the pin. And for the first time ever in a major, Woods walked the final hole with no trophy waiting for him at the end and no one behind him on the course.

"I was sitting in the locker room, waiting for Tiger to hit his shot on 18, and I thought, 'He's done stranger things,"' Johnson said. "The guy is a phenom. The next person to come along like him, who knows how long that will be? It makes it that much more gratifying knowing I beat Tiger Woods."

Even more gratifying to the 31-year-old Johnson was winning on Easter.

"My faith is very important to me," he said. "I had people looking after me. It was awesome."

Johnson, 31, is the least accomplished Masters champion since Larry Mize, who also had only one PGA Tour victory, chipped in to beat Greg Norman in a playoff 20 years ago.

But this was no fluke.

The thrills and spills finally returned to Augusta National in the final round. Through it all, Johnson kept his cool.

"I felt like I've been blessed and I'm good enough to take home the green jacket," Johnson said. "That's what I was trying to tell myself the entire time and it worked out in my favor."

Johnson finished at 1-over 289, matching a Masters record last set in 1956 for highest winning score. And it ended a streak of the winner coming out of the final group at Augusta National every year since 1991.

"He played beautifully," Woods said. "Look at the round he shot out there, the score. He did what he needed to do."