Troy Johnson wins State Open title on long day

Troy Johnson had been far from happy with his golf game lately, telling friends Sunday most of the season he had been playing like ... well, not well at all.

That claim no longer stands.

Saturday's poor weather meant Johnson had to play 29 holes Sunday at Rush Creek in Maple Grove in the Minnesota State Open. He finished the last 11 of the second round in 4 under par, then carded a 5-under 67 in the final round to finish at 10-under 206 and win the tournament by two shots over good friend Sammy Schmitz.

"I felt comfortable out here all week," Johnson said. "I went lower than I thought, but I knew I had a good chance the way I was playing."

The amateur from Maple Grove has now won a state event in each of the past four years after claiming public links, mid-players and mid-amateur titles since 2008.

But this one -- in front of plenty of familiar faces and alongside professional players -- ranks at the top, he said.

Johnson, 39, became a member at Rush Creek within the past few years but doesn't play there all the time. Sunday, he played as though he was the course architect.

He came to the final hole with the lead, but thinking he needed birdie to win. As he did all week, Johnson took a 4-iron off the tee at the 575-yard finishing hole -- "to get over the crap," he said of the swamp-like area to the left of the fairway -- which left him in prime condition to lay up with his second shot and chip onto the green for a chance at birdie.

He drained the 20-footer, which extracted wild applause from the small gallery and a high-five/man-hug moment from his dad, Roy, who was his caddie for the tournament.

"There was a lot of fist-pumping going on," said Schmitz, who was paired with Johnson and shot consecutive 68s over the last 36 holes. "We were kind of cheering for each other. On that last putt, I walked behind him and told him to knock the thing in."