Masters champion Johnson on a Sherwood high

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

THOUSAND OAKS, California (Reuters) - The experience of playing in this week's Target World Challenge has left Masters champion Zach Johnson on an unexpected high.

The 31-year-old American is competing for the first time in the elite 16-man event which is hosted by three-times winner and world number one Tiger Woods.

"They kind of call it the silly season," Johnson told reporters after firing a three-under-par 69 in Thursday's first round to lie one stroke behind leader Jim Furyk.

"If this is a silly tournament, then we've got to recheck our tournament protocol because this is as good as it gets as far as I'm concerned."

The $5.75 million Target World Challenge, first held in 1999, is one of several events in the so-called "silly" season that take place after the PGA Tour winds down.

"This week just feels like another week," Johnson added. "It's just nice being in twosomes with 16 guys.

"The purse is phenomenal and the sponsors here, they've made it into a PGA Tour event. It's almost like a World Golf Championships (event) without a full field. It's awesome."

LAST-DAY CHARGE

Johnson, who held off a last-day charge by Woods to win his first major title by two shots, was delighted with his first competitive round at Sherwood Country Club.

"I'm very pleased with today," he said after recovering from an early bogey with four birdies in his last 10 holes.

"I hit a lot of good shots. I made some putts and missed some putts. It pretty much evened out, I think."

Although happy to maintain a relatively low profile, Johnson said he had been recognized a lot more by the general public following his major breakthrough at Augusta National in April.

"That happens more often than it did prior, without question," he said. "Any time you do something like that, that's sort of a spectacle, things are going to change a little bit as far as notoriety and whatnot.

"But I don't want it to be much more than what it is right now."

(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)