Johnson No. 8 on Sobel's annual rankings

ESPN.com writer Jason Sobel released his annual Masters rankings on Wednesday, and 2007 champion Zach Johnson's position might surprise you.

Sobel, who has Tiger Woods topping his 96-man field chart, has let Johnson slip to No. 8 spot with the following explanation of the Cedar Rapids native's positioning.

"Laying up on all four par-5 holes at Augusta National? From here on in, such strategy should be called the Zach Attack. Traditionalists balk at players plotting -- and plodding -- their way around this course without going for any of these four holes in 2, but really it speaks more to the setup than the competitors themselves.

If a guy can play these holes in a combined 11-under-par by hitting a third-shot wedge into each one -- as Johnson did during his victory two years ago -- it's tough to blame 'em. As for the 2007 champ maneuvering away from the Zach Attack, don't count on it. He'll likely stick with the proven strategy."

It seems that Johnson, who won the Sony Open earlier this season, will forever be a "dark horse" to get a second Green Jacket until he plays really well in another major. I think Sobel and many other writers consider Johnson's win a bit of a "fluke" in 2007 and the majority opinion is that this week's leaderboard will be filled with the "big boys" — Tiger, Phil Mickelson, Geoff Ogilvy, Padraig Harrington.

We'll have to wait and see.

Photo from AP