“I like the way he’s walking,” says Dr. Morris Pickens, as he watches 2007 Masters champ Zach Johnson stride up the first fairway this morning. And he has good reason to be paying close attention to Johnson’s gait. For Pickens is a sports psychologist who has been working with the 33-year-old touring pro since 2006. And he can pick up a lot from the simplest things.

“It’s a casual, confident walk, and that is good for Zach,” says Dr. Mo, who is based in Sea Island, Georgia. “He is a jittery, jumpy guy by nature, but he is handling this as he should. Like he is taking a stroll in the park. All he has to do is make sure he focuses when he finds a little white ball along the way. Then, he goes back to enjoying the walk.”

Johnson started his 2009 Masters with a two-under 70, and Pickens admits that it is somewhat easier for him now that he is no longer defending. “That is certainly the case from a time management standpoint,” Pickens says. “Zach is not dealing with the media as much. He could just go to the Champions dinner on Tuesday night and not worry about planning anything, or saying anything.”

Right now, Johnson is trying to let his golf do the talking. And if his walk is any indication, it should speak very well.