How Zach Johnson and some fellow mini tour pros once dominated the court at an Augusta YCMA

A group of five, then-no-name professional golfers walks into the gym at the Augusta, Georgia YCMA.

Sounds like the start of a bad joke you’d hear at your club’s 19th hole.

But according to former pro Josh Broadway, this story involving himself and four other young pros — including Ryder Cup Captain Zach Johnson — when they were on the mini tours, didn’t end up as the butt of many jokes.

“We got done practicing that morning,” Broadway told GOLF’s Subpar co-hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stolz. “Let’s go to this ‘Y’ and play basketball. So we go in there and people everywhere and they’re like, ‘Hey, who wants to play next?’”

Sounds like a normal off day for any male in their teens and 20s, even an aspiring Tour pro. And back when Johnson and Broadway were making their way up to the big stage in the early 200s, physical fitness wasn’t the focus it is today.

“At the time, we’re all, even then, we’re out of shape,” Broadway said. “Obviously, we didn’t work out, you know, back then, working out was forbidden. You might hurt yourself, right?”

So what happened when the group of probably out-of-place 20-somethings played their first game?

They won. Then again. And again. And again, Broadway says.

“We ran the place for like two hours,” he said. “We played seven games. We won every game. Nobody could beat us.”

None of them had seen each other play before too.

“We’re just like, are you any good? ‘Yeah, I’m pretty good.’ Are you any good? ‘Yeah, I can shoot,’” Broadway said. “Next thing you know, we made three trips down the floor and we’re like, ‘Yeah, we’re good. We’re probably not losing today.’”

Finally, a group of seemingly the best players there at the Y that day got together and finally knocked the golfers off the court.

Blake Adams wasn’t happy about it.

“Blake, he’s like a little quiet. Don’t say much, but he got pissed off,” Broadway remembered. “He said, ‘We’re gonna sit again then we’re gonna play y’all again.’ They’re like, yeah, that’s fine. We sat out a game and we beat them 15 to nothing the next game. And we’re like, Alright, we’re out. golfers are leaving.”

If Johnson decides to bring the Ryder Cup team back to the team this fall in Rome, Broadway says someone better guard him with a hand in his face.

“He can absolutely fill it up,” Broadway said.

Jack Hirsh

Golf.com Editor

Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.