Zach Johnson

Masters champion Zach Johnson hoped to jump into contention Friday at the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill. Instead, he missed the cut. Johnson shot an even-par 71 for a 36-hole total of 141, 11 behind leader Nathan Green and one off the cut, leaving the event without its main attraction. "Obviously disappointing," Johnson said. "This is one of those jobs, if you will, that you've got to get over pretty quick. I'm accustomed to that. I never like missing cuts, especially by a shot."

Zach Johnson kept his head up and waited for things to get better, as he knew they would. Even though he missed four short birdie putts and bogeyed one of the five holes he had to play at dawn Saturday to complete his rain-delayed second round, Johnson had an inkling this was going to be his day at the International. Sure enough, he birdied five holes and eagled another for a 15-point third round and the 54-hole lead at Castle Rock, Colo.

Fred Funk and tour rookie Zach Johnson had near perfect outings Friday to share a one-stroke lead in the Buick Championship after two rounds at Cromwell, Conn. Johnson shot a five-under-par 65 and Funk had a 66 to move to eight-under 132, one stroke better than Hank Kuehne (65). First-round leader Corey Pavin and Jose Coceres are two strokes back. Johnson, the Nationwide Tour player of the year in 2003, won the BellSouth Classic in March for his first PGA Tour title.

Zach Johnson coasted through 10 holes before the trouble started. After getting five birdies earlier, simply making par was difficult. Four bogeys in five holes, and suddenly, his five-shot lead was down to two. "I was just trying to make pars," he said. "There is a danger in that, but on this golf course, par is a good score." The PGA Tour rookie righted himself in time and held on to win the BellSouth Classic on Sunday despite that rough stretch on the back nine.

Ian Poulter is still looking for his first victory on the PGA Tour, but in the meantime he'll gladly settle for winning the Chevron World Challenge and its $1.35-million prize. First, though, he'll have to master the 18th hole at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, where the Englishman gave away sole possession of the tournament's first-round lead Thursday. Poulter double-bogeyed the hole after a wayward tee shot into the right-side trees, forcing him to settle for a four-under-par 68 and a share of the lead with Zach Johnson.

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. - For the first time in memory, nobody played their way onto the U.S. Ryder Cup roster with a strong PGA Championship performance. Steve Stricker came the closest to bumping Phil Mickelson from the eighth and final automatic berth. His closing 71, though, left him two strokes short of earning enough points to make the jump from No.10. Bo Van Pelt also had a chance, but needed a second-place finish and had those chances fade with three late bogeys. Mickelson instead nailed down a record ninth consecutive U.S. appearance.

Zach Johnson found his putting touch in time for a season-salvaging victory at the Texas Open in San Antonio. "I've been working on my putting over the last six weeks with my teachers, and it really paid off this week," Johnson said. "I had a tough year, but the putts started to fall in today and that's why I'm at the top of the leaderboard."