Walker wins third title of the season

Jimmy Walker claimed his third PGA Tour win of the season after holding on to his lead at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

The American, who started the final round with a six-shot lead, managed to hold off late charges by compatriot Dustin Johnson and Jim Renner to win by a shot.

That gave him his third win in his last eight tournaments and increased his lead at the top of the FedExCup standings. Not bad going for a man who, starting the new season, had no wins to his name in seven previous years on the tour.

“I just go out and play golf,” said Walker, who climbs 11 places to 24th on the Official World Golf Ranking. “This is what I want to do and I’ve worked really hard to do it, to be here, and to be in this position and it’s really cool.”

Walker’s win at Pebble Beach followed earlier victories at the Sony Open and Frys.com Open and has all but sealed his place on the US Ryder Cup team that will take on Europe at Gleneagles this September. That, he admitted, is something he’s rather pleased about.

“It’s going to be a dream come true to do something like that” – Jimmy Walker

“It’s really cool,” said the 35-year-old. “It’s going to be a dream come true to do something like that.  And I look forward to the rest of the year leading up to that and I’ll take a lot from today I think, into that.”

Johnson and Renner ultimately shared second place behind Walker, with two-time former champion Johnson’s 66 catching the eye in tough final round conditions.

“I played really well today,” reflected Johnson. “It was tough out there, I hit a lot of great shots. I made a few bogeys and missed a short one on 14 for birdie, but other than that I played great. I had a lot of opportunities and I’m very pleased with the round.”

Rising star Jordan Spieth finished tied for fourth on eight-under-par, two shots further adrift of Johnson and Renner, whilst Graeme McDowell made a happy return to the scene of his 2010 US Open triumph, finishing in a tie for seventh.

Scotland’s Russell Knox, meanwhile, continued his good start to the season, banking another large cheque for finishing tied for 27th.

Walker: Flash in the pan or major winner material?

What do you make of Jimmy Walker’s start to the 2013/14 PGA Tour season? Can he go on to win a major or is he just enjoying a brief hot streak? Leave your thoughts in our ‘Comments’ section below.

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor