Zach Johnson said that in some respects, Jackson and The Country Club of Jackson feel like a second home to him.

Johnson said he feels right at home here, very similar to his life now in St. Simons Island, Georgia. Whether it comes from fans, staying with friends or the community welcoming him every time he plays in the Sanderson Farms Championship.

All of it connects and starts with the people.

“It just feels like it’s a nice community that I could come here anytime,” he said. “I love the people. … Great hospitality, Southern hospitality. I love why they do what they do and how they do it.”

That’s saying a lot about Johnson, who was born in Iowa City, Iowa and attended college at Drake in Des Monies, Iowa.

The 2024 Sanderson Farms Championship marks the first time the two-time major winner (2007 Masters and 2015 U.S. Open) has returned to Jackson since 2021. Johnson missed the past two tournaments due to the Ryder Cup.

“Well, I would be here every year, but the last two years, I was in Rome,” Johnson said. “Two years ago for the Ryder Cup, and then last year, I was still in Rome when the tournament was going on. So, love coming back.”

The 48-year-old Johnson’s last win on the PGA Tour was 2015 when he won the U.S. Open. He has 12 career PGA Tour wins and a victory at Sanderson Farms would have a special feeling.

“It’s amazing, I think, certainly, what Sanderson Farms has done over the years (with) this community in general, specifically this club, Steve Jent, his staff, the Century Club, they do an amazing job,” he said.

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And that includes the maintenance of the golf course at the Country Club of Jackson.

“I think the course is extremely underrated,” Johnson said. “One of the more underrated courses we play on tour. It’s fun. The greens are fantastic, you know, it can have some teeth when there’s when it’s windy when it’s 82 to 85 (degrees), and the wind’s kind of settled down, you know, you feel like you got to make some birdies, but that’s OK, too.”

Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: What Zach Johnson said about return to Sanderson Farms Championship