A drab year for Jimmy Walker took a turn for the worse two weeks ago at The Open Championship, when he stayed in what was dubbed the “frat house” at Royal Troon with Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson.
Walker was the only one to miss the cut.
He still stayed the weekend. He just stayed away from the golf course, and his clubs.
Photo: AFP
How does one kill time in such a small Scottish town?
“When the first guy comes back and he’s ready for a cocktail, you have one,” Walker said.
On Thursday at the PGA Championship, the drinks were on Walker.
In the final major of the year, Walker finally saw enough putts to fall at Baltusrol that he matched his low score in a major with a five-under 65 and wound up leading a major for the first time in his career.
Just like that, a stale year came to life.
Walker had a one-shot lead over two-time major champion Martin Kaymer, Emiliano Grillo and Ross Fisher.
For Henrik Stenson, a great year might get even better. Coming off his record performance at The Open, the Swede had three birdies on the back nine as the sweltering heat gave way to dark clouds and gusty wind. That gave him a 67, leaving him two shots behind. Stenson is trying to join Ben Hogan in 1953 as the only players to win back-to-back majors at age 40.
It wasn’t the best of times for Dustin Johnson or Rory McIlroy.
Johnson, the US Open champion with a chance to go to No. 1 in the world, was in the trees, in the water and could not get out of a bunker. He managed only one birdie in a round of 77 that was not enough to beat 15 of the club pros at Baltusrol.
He was not alone in his misery. McIlroy took 35 putts and did not make a single birdie in his round of 74 that left him so frustrated that he returned to Baltusrol late in the day with only his putter.
Walker’s year has been so mediocre that he has finished within five shots of the winner only once this year, at Torrey Pines. He is on the verge of falling out of the top 50 in the world ranking.
“I feel like all year it’s just been real stale and stagnant,” Walker said. “It’s just ebbs and flows of golf. Just haven’t been scoring.”
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