Johnson’s Senior Title Is a First for Everyman

Driving a beer truck and playing professional golf may seem to have little in common, but Mark Johnson showed Sunday that a beer man knows how to deliver.

Johnson holed an 89-yard lob wedge shot for eagle on the 18th hole at Newport Beach Country Club, capping a final-round one-under 70, a three-day total of 11-under 200 and a four-shot victory in the Toshiba Senior Classic.

It was the first victory for Johnson, who delivered beer for 18 years before embarking on a professional golf career. He earned $247,500 -- more than he had won in his previous six years as a professional -- and became an instant hero for the working class.

“This win is not just for me,” Johnson said. “Everybody is going to celebrate this, and I’m going to celebrate it with them; $247,000 is an awful lot of money for a beer truck driver.”

Johnson, 50, is in his second year on the Champions Tour. He grew up playing a nine-hole municipal course in Barstow and was a successful amateur player, highlighted by the 1996 California Amateur Championship.

In 1998, he persuaded his employer, H. Olson Distributors, to sponsor his attempt to make it in professional golf.

They agreed to pay his expenses for five years as he gained valuable experience on mini-tours. He turned 50 last year and played the Champions Tour as a conditional member before winning the qualifying tournament in November.

“I think it’s great to see guys like him win,” said Keith Fergus, who played in the final group with Johnson and finished tied for second with Wayne Levi.

“He had a lot of fans out there yelling ‘Beer Man’ all the way around, and that’s great. It’s good for golf.”

Johnson doesn’t drink beer. He quit drinking more than 20 years ago. He remains on the payroll of his former employer and credits the company for his success.

“If they didn’t believe in me, then I’d still be delivering beer,” he said. “I liked doing it, but [golf] was my passion. This was what we’ve been working for, and it has all come true” Sunday.

It appeared early on that first-time jitters might get the better of Johnson. He made a double bogey after hitting into an unplayable lie on the second hole. Fergus birdied and was within a shot, but Johnson birdied the next hole and nobody got within a shot again.

Johnson’s lead was two going to the par-five 15th, but he hit a five-iron second shot to within 13 feet and made the eagle putt.

A birdie by Fergus at No. 16 and a bogey on No. 17 by Johnson cut the lead to two before Johnson made his miracle shot on the 18th.

“Everything absolutely went my way,” said Johnson, who needed only 78 putts in three days. “I holed out shots, I made numerous long putts, I had a couple of chip-ins. Those things just don’t happen.”