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Long after he had bid adieu to Becker, Johnson repaired to Butler Cabin for a private party with his family and friends. When he walked through the door, Kim squealed, "Don't you just look so handsome in green!"
Zach met his father in the middle of the room, and they embraced for at least 20 seconds. Dave was the best kind of Little League dad, a positive booster known for rarely missing one of his three kids' practices, let alone games. On Sunday night he was walking around with a dazed look. "I am in complete, utter shock," he said.
Taking it all in was Larry Gladson, the head pro at Elmcrest who had flown in that morning. In his mind's eye Johnson was still a 10-year-old range rat. Gladson's scouting report on the young Zach: "Great kid, squeaky clean." And the course that nurtured him? "Short, tight, tree-lined, with sloping greens. It demands a great short game and accurate driving. Sounds familiar, right?"
Eventually Payne came by to collect the new Masters champ for the traditional dinner with the Augusta National membership. In front of some of the richest and most powerful men in the country, Payne would welcome Johnson into the "heart and soul of our club." But before he headed out for the most momentous dinner of his life, Cedar Rapids' hometown hero had a final request for the folks he was leaving behind in Butler Cabin.
Alluding to his RV parked across Washington Road — the Johnsons' preferred mode of transport when traveling on the Tour — the man in the spiffy green jacket pleaded, "Can someone please go and let the dog out? I'm sure he's really got to go pee by now. I'd do it myself, but I have somewhere else to be."
