Zach Johnson Wins PURE Insurance Championship for Sixth Title of 2026

Zach Johnson Wins PURE Insurance Championship for Sixth Title of 2026

A closing 65 at Pebble Beach carried Johnson past a three-way chasing group and made him the PGA Tour Champions season’s outright wins leader.

American Express Golf. Pictured: Zach Johnson
  • Zach Johnson closed with a 7-under 65 to win the PURE Insurance Championship by two strokes.
  • Johnson has collected six victories and 14 top-10 finishes from 15 starts in his rookie season.
  • Stewart Cink remains first in the Charles Schwab Cup standings, with Johnson second.

Zach Johnson won the PURE Insurance Championship at a foggy Pebble Beach on Sunday, securing his second consecutive PGA Tour Champions title and sixth victory of 2026.

The 50-year-old entered the final round one stroke off the pace set by the three 36hole leaders, then produced a 7-under 65 to finish at 14-under 202. Henrik Stenson, Steven Alker and Rory Sabbatini shared second place, two shots behind.

Victory moved Johnson ahead of Charles Schwab Cup leader Stewart Cink for the most wins on the circuit this season. Johnson has reached six titles in only 15 starts since turning 50 on February 24, while finishing outside the top-10 just once.

His six victories equal Gil Morgan’s 1997 total for the fourth-most by a rookie in a single PGA Tour Champions season. Johnson also passed $3 million in official earnings for the year, reaching $3,295,614.

Most Single-Season Wins by a Rookie on PGA Tour Champions

Player Rookie Season Wins
Bruce Fleisher 1999 7
Lee Trevino 1990 7
Bruce Crampton 1986 7
Gil Morgan 1997 6
Zach Johnson 2026 6

Johnson Pulls Clear on Pebble Beach Back Nine

Johnson eagled the par-5 2nd and reached the turn in 32. A birdie at the 11th moved him alongside Sabbatini at 12-under before another at the par-4 13th gave him the outright lead.

At the par-5 18th, Johnson chose an aggressive line from the tee and reached the green in two. He two-putted from 35 feet, converting a three-foot birdie putt to complete a round containing no bogeys.

The victory followed his one-stroke win at the Sanford International, where he birdied the final two holes. His other 2026 titles came at the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational, Principal Charity Classic, Kaulig Companies Championship and Portugal Invitational.

Sabbatini Matches Tournament Record

Sabbatini set the clubhouse target with a bogey-free 9-under 63, matching the tournament’s 18-hole scoring record. He parred his final two holes and waited at 12-under while the final groups began Pebble Beach’s back nine.

Stenson closed with a 68 in Johnson’s group to record his best PGA Tour Champions finish on his tournament debut. Alker returned a bogey-free 67 and has now finished first or second in each of his past three starts on the circuit.

Cink shot 67 to tie for ninth and retain the Charles Schwab Cup lead he has held throughout the season. Johnson remains second despite taking the outright lead in victories.

In the First Tee junior competition, Charlie Haney of First Tee – Manhattan won the boys’ division at 22-under. Naomi Raymundo of First Tee – Monterey County claimed the girls’ title at 18-under after a tiebreaker.

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Pos.PlayerTo ParR1R2R3Total
1Zach Johnson(PB)-14696865202
T2Rory Sabbatini(PB)-12707163204
T2Steven Alker(PB)-12696867204
T2Henrik Stenson(PB)-12696768204
5Ryan Armour(PB)-10676970206
6Y.E. Yang(PB)-9647271207
T7Robert Karlsson(PB)-8707068208
T7Paul Goydos(PB)-8716770208
T9Stewart Cink(PB)-7717167209
T9Vaughn Taylor(PB)-7736769209
T9Michael Wright(PB)-7706871209
12K.J. Choi(PB)-6707367210
T13Chad Campbell(PB)-5746968211
T13Scott Hend(PB)-5717070211
T13Tommy Gainey(PB)-5716971211
T13Ernie Els(PB)-5687271211
T17Paul Stankowski(PB)-4747167212
T17Thongchai Jaidee(PB)-4737069212
T17Alex Cejka(PB)-4736970212
T17David Bransdon(PB)-4736871212
T17Greg Chalmers(PB)-4727070212
T17Søren Kjeldsen(PB)-4717071212
T17Tim O'Neal(PB)-4687272212
T24John Rollins(PB)-3757068213
T24Ben Crane(PB)-3747168213
T24Justin Leonard(PB)-3746970213
T24Brandt Jobe(PB)-3737070213
T24Jerry Kelly(PB)-3707172213
T24Jason Caron(PB)-3707172213
T24Vijay Singh(PB)-3716973213
T31Stuart Appleby(PB)-2717568214
T31Freddie Jacobson(PB)-2717370214
T31Mario Tiziani(PB)-2747070214
T31J.J. Henry(PB)-2747070214
T31Tag Ridings(PB)-2736873214
T31Kevin Sutherland(PB)-2716974214
T31Ken Tanigawa(PB)-2716974214
T31Kirk Triplett(PB)-2716776214
T39Ken Duke(PB)-1767069215
T39Rod Pampling(PB)-1727172215
T39Charlie Wi(PB)-1706976215
T42Fred Couples(PB)Par756972216
T42Gordon Burns(PB)Par697374216
44Chris Devlin(PB)+1727273217
T45Tim Petrovic(PB)+3727473219
T45Harrison Frazar(PB)+3697377219
T47Scott McCarron(PB)+4727474220
T47Jason Bohn(PB)+4767074220
T47Mark Wilson(PB)+4747076220
T50Dicky Pride(PB)+6757176222
T50Shane Bertsch(PB)+6757077222
MDFSteve Flesch+37572-147
MDFJoe Durant+37374-147
MDFBrian Gay+37275-147
MDFGlen Day+37572-147
MDFRocco Mediate+37473-147
MDFStephen Ames+37176-147
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MDFChris DiMarco+158475-159

Simon Bale

Simon Bale is the publisher of Golf Today. A low single-figure handicap golfer, he was previously a major shareholder and course reviewer for Top100GolfCourses.com for over a decade, starting in 2010. Through this role, he developed extensive knowledge of golf course design and architecture while playing more than 300 courses worldwide.

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Updated: September 21, 2026