Discovery Church serves a nondenominational Christian congregation in the heart of Orlando, Fla.

Zach and Kim Johnson have been regular parishioners for four years. So when they sat in front of their peers to speak a few weeks after his Masters Tournament victory, there was an extra high turnout.

Pastor David Loveless was preaching the theme of "doing the impossible." He wanted to know what went through Johnson's mind on Easter Sunday when the roars sparked by Tiger Woods' eagle putt two holes behind the leader echoed through the Georgia pines and signaled a possible charge from the world's most imposing golfer.

"At that point, were you more aware of God's presence or Tiger's presence?" the pastor asked.

"If this were somewhere else," Johnson said, "some people would say, 'What's the difference?' "

You can't tell Zach Johnson's story without mentioning his faith.

When Johnson made a career statement on the course at Augusta National Golf Club, he followed with a statement of faith to a worldwide audience in the Butler Cabin.

"More importantly, I give my Lord and Jesus all the credit," Johnson said.

His belief in something beyond the golf course helps keep what happens on the golf course in perspective.

"God doesn't care if I win a golf tournament or finish 20th, but I'm there because of him," Johnson said. "I don't think it's a coincidence I won the Masters on Easter. At the same time I don't think God said I should win the Masters. I was led to play this game. I played it to the best of my ability that week. It was Easter Sunday. And I had an opportunity to give thanks to where I personally felt the need to give thanks. Looking back on it, I know that a lot of prayers were answered."

Along with Christian peers on tour such as Stewart Cink, Tom Lehman, Jonathan Byrd and Aaron Baddeley, Johnson hopes his authenticity shows through his actions as well as his words.

"When Zach shared his faith, it was genuine," said Ralph Howe Jr., a family friend and former golf pro and Nationwide Tour chaplain. "That's who he is. There didn't seem to be anything evangelical about it."

Johnson understands the fine line between preaching and expressing faith -- and that some people don't see the difference.

"It should really be something that you live and not something that you talk about," Kim said. "But his priority is to play golf and be a Christian in whatever he does. To be a golfer who has strong faith and not become something else. Not to be confused with a Christian golfer -- which becomes sort of a freaky thing to some people rather than just a normal person who goes about his job very seriously but has a strong faith as well."

Said Johnson: "If I become the freaky Christian guy -- the perception could be that -- then I'm really limiting who I can touch and the impact that we can have. That's the exact opposite of what we're called to do."

Johnson felt the call to Christianity shortly before his golf career took off. He grew up in a strong Catholic household, and admittedly veered "off the path" during college and his early years on the pro tours. When he met Kim -- a devout believer -- she challenged his faith with questions that "frustrated me to the Nth degree" until he found Christ on his own merits.

"I realized something was missing, and my commitment changed in 2002," Johnson said.

There is no denying that Johnson's faith has an impact on his performance.

For instance, the three years between his first PGA Tour victory, in Atlanta, and his second at the Masters were buoyed by his and his wife's parameters of what classifies success and failure.

"One of the things that gets you through that time is defining success," Kim said. "Our definition of success was, 'Have we had an opportunity to glorify God?' And if we'd been able to do that, then we had been successful regardless of how he played on the golf course. It's a double thing. No. 1, it allows you to feel successful in your life. No. 2, it frees him up because he's not defining himself by his accomplishments on the golf course. It allows us to have peace with whatever happens."

Golf is as much of a mental challenge as it is a physical one. Golfers reach for whatever internal support they need to get them through the competitive trials -- confidence, psychology, family. For Johnson it's faith.

"I would absolutely give his faith a credit, but I would never say he won because God allowed him to win that day" the Rev. Howe said. "Faith is a part of what makes him a good golfer, but in reality he's a good golfer because he's a good golfer. And he's extremely confident because he's been successful at every level up to the Masters. I saw a professional athlete who was in the zone and knew how to get there and stay here. His faith freed him up to be in that position."

So it was natural for Johnson to give credit where he believes it's due just as he has after every victory on the Nationwide and PGA tours.

"I've been given a gift, which we call a talent, to hit a golf ball," he said. "It's my responsibility to get better. When the opportunity arises to glorify God, I'm going to give it to him. That's why I'm standing here."