Lee Janzen heads to Dominion Energy Charity Classic with renewed confidence after win

Lee Janzen had a 2 1/2-hour drive from Cary, North Carolina, to Richmond, Virginia, on Sunday night to let it sink in.

“It” was his second PGA TOUR Champions victory, at the SAS Championship in a playoff over Miguel Angel Jimenez. The win had come six years, eight months and two days after his first and only victory since turning 50. And now Janzen was en route to the Dominion Energy Charity Classic, the first event in the Charles Schwab Cup playoffs, in which Janzen had just moved from 59th to 37th in the standings.

Drought didn’t seem like the right word to explain Janzen’s trials. It implies there will be an ending of said condition. Janzen was 57 now. In this elongated, 2020-21 super season of 39 events before the playoff begins, he had only one top-10 finish. And even that was just a T9 at the Cologuard Classic some 37 events ago.

“I haven’t had a top-10 in I don’t know how long,” Janzen said after shocking Jimenez with a smooth 20-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole. “If you looked at my performance, you’d say ‘I’m not going to pick him this week.’

“But I saw progress lately. Who knew it was going to turn into a win?”

Honestly, no one. But competition is what drives Janzen and so many of his compatriots on PGA TOUR Champions. They were winners on the PGA TOUR, and they love the chase. Collecting checks is nice, but they’re here for the thrill of victory, to be the last one standing.

Janzen won eight times on the regular tour, including a PLAYERS Championship and two U.S. Opens. He figured to win more than once on PGA TOUR Champions, but since the 2015 Chubb Classic it just never materialized.

When he found himself in contention on the back nine on Sunday at the SAS, Janzen was hit by a familiar feeling. He had butterflies, big ones, but also necessary ones.

“When I got to 16 I realized I had a chance to win the tournament,” Janzen said Tuesday from Richmond after a practice round with close friend Rocco Mediate. “I could feel it in my body. First time … it had been a long time that I’d felt it. Just sort of feeling … what was gonna happen next. You try and keep your tempo the same but with your adrenaline going, things can speed up. I did not … it had been forever but I did not forget what it was like.”

The 17th hole was a reachable par 5 and Janzen failed to birdie. He said he then knew he had to birdie 18 just to get into a playoff and that turned out to be correct.

“I did have a fairly short putt on 17, but to make those two putts I made on 18, ridiculous,” Janzen said. “You know, if you're having a putting match for nothing and you're completely calm, it's hard to make those putts, but with the tournament on the line, it's even harder.”

Still, Janzen found the necessary mindset in the most crucial moment he had seen in years.

“I knew 4 wasn’t gonna win, just move on (to another playoff hole),” Janzen said. “So I felt like I had a free run. I had a very similar line in regulation. I wasn’t pressing, wasn’t thinking I had to make it. I was thinking I know the putt. I’m gonna hit it on the same line, same speed and we’ll see what happens. …

“I could see with a couple of feet left it was going dead center. Nice feed, and the feeling was I’m staring at it like it’s gonna go in. Make sure it goes in before anything else. The very last rotation where it’s going down … what a feeling. It’s over right there. To end a tournament that way is very exciting. It would be exciting if it was just a match and no one was there, but then the fans erupt. That’s even better.”

Janzen attributed much of the victory to his putting. He’s 33rd in putting for the 2020-21 season; he was 11th for the week at the SAS including first on Sunday.

He said he ditched his old putter after the U.S. Senior Open and has been using an Odyssey 10 since. He said he simply likes its feel and balance.

Now about that drive. Janzen lit out for Richmond so he’d make it in time for the Folds of Honor event on Monday morning. He didn’t take the time to look at his text messages before heading out. He spoke to his wife and all of his family members. By the time he got to his hotel in Virginia … 255 texts had piled up.

“I didn’t know I had 255 people who knew me,” Janzen said.

And now the player who’ll tee it up on Friday is a different one than he was before the events of Sunday.

“It’s interesting,” Janzen said. “I didn’t have a ton of confidence even down the stretch on Sunday. But I told myself to trust my swing because if you’re trying to guide it or make an adjustment mid-swing it’s not gonna work out well.

“My putting was the difference-maker. Now I have even more confidence in my putting. I had a great practice round with Rocco (on Tuesday). I feel pretty good about my game. I have more confidence going into this week than I’ve had in a long time.”