When defending champion Jason Day put a hard charge on the eventual wire-to-wire victor down the stretch by answering Walker’s dramatic sand shot with a long birdie putt on 11 to creep to within a stroke of the lead, the game was on at last.
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Day was at the 18th green to congratulate Walker after the tension-packed putt.
“He’s got to change something and I think he’s got to go back. try and think about how he putted when he was a kid and don’t always think about the mechanical part of it, think about the feel, think about the touch, have fun putting again because he gets over it and he just doesn’t look comfortable or confident”, said Beem, before sharing the story of bumping into McIlroy last week. “It’s a very special moment to be able to celebrate on the 18th green”.
A par was still good enough for Walker to become the eighth wire-to-wire victor of the US PGA – and the first since Phil Mickelson at the same venue in 2005 – and the 37-year-old held his nerve after pitching to 30 feet from right of the green.
Meanwhile, Walker’s fellow American Daniel Summerhays finished third on ten under, with Branden Grace, Hideki Matsuyama, and Brooks Koepka joint fourth on nine under. Oh yeah, on Friday they put the cup on No. 10 in the wrong place.
What you see above is photo snapped off a video screen amidst an insane crowd recording a little amateur magic from this weekend’s 2016 PGA Championship as a golf lover takes home a new Mercedes-Benz. It was not unexpected since Jimmy Walker is one of the best putters on Tour.
Groups kept their third-round pairings for the last round in another time-saving bid.
British Open champion Henrik Stenson, trying to join Ben Hogan as the only players to win back-to-back majors at age 40, faded with a double bogey on the 15th hole. His only regret was not getting better birdie opportunities Sunday, leaving himself too far from the hole with his approach shots, and he regretted his two bogeys on the first three holes of the final round. Then Walker responded with a birdie of his own from 30 feet at the 11th to reach 13 under, moving two clear of Day with Stenson three adrift.
“I wouldn’t have called this, but it’s huge”, Walker said. Nothing in golf comes easy. It was Day, the defending champion and world’s No. 1 player, down to his last chance and delivering with a 2-iron that landed in front of the pin and stopped 15 feet away for eagle. Yet Walker chose to go for the green in two shots by hitting his fairway metal club.
That par gave him a 3-under 67 and a one-shot victory and made the 37-year-old from Texas a major champion.
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Day began the week fighting fatigue and illness, having never played the 7,428-yard layout until a practice round on the eve of the event. Day would make his eagle putt, but instead of a tie, Walker still led by one and only needed a par on No. 18 to win. “I can’t be disappointed”. It was fun. Jimmy (Walker) played great. In addition to deciding the last three qualifying spots, four captain’s pick spots are also up for grabs for players who can finish strong this season. He closed with a 71 and finished tied for seventh with Kaymer and Streb at 8 under. A bone-thin Texan with a ginger beard, Walker won the 98th PGA championship by rising before dawn and playing two rounds in one day due to a suspension of play on Saturday.
