{
  "id": 7177522,
  "title": "Zach Johnson fends off former middle school math teacher for PGA Tour Champions win",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/zach-johnson-fends-off-former-middle-school-math-teacher-for-pga-tour",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-13T21:24:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/zach-johnson-fends-off-former-212457924.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A two-time major champion, Zach Johnson, faced off against a former middle school math teacher, Jay Jurecic, in a PGA Tour Champions event. Johnson, a rookie at the 2026 PGA Tour Champions circuit, claimed victory with a score of 11 under, surpassing Ben Crane, who also shot 66. Jurecic, 56, made his PGA Tour Champions debut after 21 years of teaching math for 10th grade at West Iron County Public Schools in Iron County, Michigan. In his fourth senior start, Jurecic shot 65 in the opening two rounds at Minnehaha Country Club in South Dakota, sharing the 36-hole lead with Johnson. Despite Jurecic's strong final round, bogeys at the 8th and 9th holes, along with six consecutive pars, left him tied for eighth at 6 under, $63,067 behind Johnson. Johnson's win was a significant payday, totaling $330,000, pushing his career earnings to $2.6 million, placing him second in circuit wins leader Stewart Cink.",
  "summary": "It almost didn't seem like a fair fight: a two-time major champion squaring off against a former middle school teacher.",
  "key_points": [
    "Former middle school math teacher Jay Jurecic wins PGA Tour Champions event",
    "Zach Johnson, two-time major champion, claims victory with 11 under score",
    "Jurecic's $63,067 loss makes Johnson's career earnings $2.6 million"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Zach Johnson wins in South Dakota for 5th PGA Tour Champions victory of the season",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/zach-johnson-wins-in-south-dakota-for-5th-pga-tour-champions-victory",
        "published": "2026-09-13T23:11:08.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}