Unheralded American Jimmy Walker captured his first major title in wire-to-wire fashion, outdueling top-ranked defending champion Jason Day down the back nine on Sunday (July 31) at rain-softened Baltusrol to win the PGA Championship.
Advertisement
The American sprayed his approach to 18 into thick rough right of the green before punching his third safely onto the green but 35 feet beyond the hole. However, after making a birdie to briefly tie Walker on 11, Day made six consecutive pars, allowing Walker to make pars on the middle of his back nine and maintain a two-shot lead.
He built a three-shot lead with an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-5 17th, only to watch Day blast a 2-iron onto the green at the par-5 18th to 15 feet for an eagle, setting off the loudest cheer of the week and closing the margin to one shot. Due to storms washing out most of Saturday’s action, Sunday’s tee sheet was packed full, and five groups still had to play 36 holes.
The 37-year-old from Oklahoma took the Wanamaker Trophy and the top prize of US$1.8 million (S$2.4 million euros) from a US$10 million purse. Most any player would kill for that season, but Day knows there’s more to it than that, especially when you’re considered one of golf’s modern “Big Three”. It was a battle all day long. I felt confident in what I was doing. He never felt more nerves over such a short putt, but there was never a doubt. Kind of tried to wrap myself around that; that everything was feeling good, and to go with that and trust what I was doing. “But I just have to be more patient, learn from this experience today, try and move on for next year, and I’m looking forward to Augusta National next year”.
Walker is the first to go wire-to-wire to win the PGA since Phil Mickelson did just that at Baltusrol in 2005. He completed a sweep of first-time winners in the majors this year. The Aussie was right there at the end despite a week of chaos, disorder and madness in which he was sick, he had to rush his wife, Ellie, to the hospital after she suffered an allergic reaction (she’s OK) and he played only one practice round.
“We’re walking down there to the shot and I’m like, ‘Andy, we just send it up by the green, don’t we?'” Walker said of his conversation with caddie Andy Sanders. “The birdie on 17 was key for him”.
“And I know exactly how Jimmy feels, because I did exactly that a year ago”. “It’s a very special moment to be able to celebrate on the 18th green”. He’s a very deserving victor.
What I really admired about him was he played on the front foot, he never took the foot off the gas, he knew he had to win this tournament with the quality of players around him and that’s why he’s the deserved champion. “I’m very, very happy with how I played all week”. “But at the end of the day, it wasn’t good enough”.
“I’m still shaking a little bit”, said Summerhays, who as a result of finishing top-four will play in the Masters for the first time.
Stenson was done in with a double-bogey 6 on the 15th and finished in a tie for seventh. Jordan Spieth, who won two majors and finished in the top-4 in all four a year ago, closed with a 68 to finish in a tie for 13th.
Branden Grace putts on the 16th hole during the Sunday round of the 2016 PGA Championship golf tournament at Baltusrol GC – Lower Course.
First, the grounds crew arrived at 3 a.m.to ready this otherwise pristine Garden State real estate that had turned into a spongy mess. Starting the final round … There was no repairing for the final round. The one-shot victory over Day (67) was worth $1.8 million. Another shot back was Koepka (66) and Stenson (67).
No one caught Walker in the fourth round.
Walker shoots into fourth in U.S. Ryder Cup points, essentially guaranteeing himself a spot on the team.
Pre-tournament favourites Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson both missed the cut. Instead, the man who discovers art in the colors and shapes in the skies far, far away rediscovered his game in the dirt. “He’s like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it. Let’s do it.’ I figure we’re in a bunker, or we’ve got a chip shot”.
Without a win this year, Walker has been working hard with coach Butch Harmon.
Advertisement
Go get the corkscrew.
