Walker wins first major at PGA Championship

Source:Reuters Published: 2016/8/1 22:58:39

Becomes 4th and last Slam winner of year


Jimmy Walker of the US chips in for a birdie from a greenside bunker on the 10th hole during the final round of the 2016 PGA Championship on Saturday. Photo: AFP

American ­Jimmy Walker broke through for his first major title with a one-shot win over ­Jason Day in the PGA Championship after playing 36 grueling holes at water-logged Baltusrol in Springfield, New Jersey on Sunday.

The 37-year-old Texan ­calmly canned a three-foot (0.91-meter) par putt to cap a wire-to-wire win with steely precision, shooting a final-round 67 to finish on 14-under-par 266.

His victory was far from routine, however.

"It was a battle the whole day," said Walker, a five-time winner on the US Tour.

Walker had to return to the classic championship course early Sunday morning to play his entire third round after heavy rain and thunderstorms suspended play on Saturday, and shot two-under 68 for a one-shot lead going into the final 18.

He then had to fend off ­major winners Day and Henrik Stenson breathing down his neck in the final round, but came out shining with a ­one-two punch after the turn to set up victory.

Holding a one-shot lead over both world No.1 and defending champion Day and British Open winner Stenson, ­Walker holed out from a greenside bunker to ­birdie the 10th.

Walker then rolled in a left-to-right ­curling, 30-foot uphill putt for birdie at the 11th to extend his lead to two over ­Australia's Day. He widened the lead to three with a birdie putt that curled around the lip and in at the 17th.

But Day put on the pressure, reaching the par-five 18th in two. He rolled in the eagle putt for 67 to close the gap to one, as Walker, playing in the final pairing, looked on from back in the fairway.

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.

He rolled his first putt three feet past, leaving himself with a testing par putt, which he sank under enormous pressure in the fading light for his first major ­triumph.

Walker's victory completes a year of first-time major champions, joining ­Masters champion ­Danny Willett of England, American US Open winner Dustin Johnson and British Open champion Henrik Stenson.

In third place on 10-under was American Daniel Summerhays, who fired a ­closing 66, with South African Branden Grace (67), Hideki Matsuyama (68) of Japan and American Brooks Koepka (70) another shot back.

With the threat of more bad ­weather, officials set up the marathon Sunday to try to finish the tournament, sending players back out for the final round without re-pairing the groups to save time. The gamble paid off as the storms held up and the championship was settled.

They also ruled that final-round play would be conducted with preferred lies given the saturated state of the Baltusrol course and more rain expected.



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