Walker takes early lead at PGA Championship
SPRINGFIELD, N.J. - The first round of the 98th PGA Championship gave hope to the underdogs of the golf world that someone could break through to make it a sweep of first-time winners in the four majors of 2016.
SPRINGFIELD, N.J. -- The first round of the 98th PGA Championship gave hope to the underdogs of the golf world that someone could break through to make it a sweep of first-time winners in the four majors of 2016.
It's not that many people would consider Jimmy Walker an underdog, given that he has won five times on the PGA Tour in the last two years and showed similar form Thursday at steamy Baltusrol Golf Club with a 5-under-par 65. But the 37-year-old from Texas, in his 10th year on tour, is winless in the majors and a recent slump has seen him slip to No. 48 in the world rankings.
In the same vein, Martin Kaymer, who is part of a three-way tie for second at 66, knows how to win a major, having done so in this event in 2010 at Whistling Straits and also the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. But he hasn't won since Pinehurst, and he is ranked No. 51.
The 35 players who broke par on opening day have to be encouraged. Of that total, there are more ranked below 50th in the world (20) than there are in the top 50 (15). Only six of them have won majors, including Henrik Stenson, winner of the most recent major, the British Open at Royal Troon, and defending champion Jason Day. Stenson opened with a 67 and Day a 68.
Stenson joined Danny Willett (Masters) and Dustin Johnson (U.S. Open) as first-time major winners, and Walker could very well be the fourth this weekend, although he appeared too focused to recognize a trend.
"I had not really thought about that," Walker said. "All the guys that have done it this year are great players. It seems like anybody that's out here playing in this championship or any other major has a right to be here. I don't think it's a coincidence or anything. They are all good players, and it was just a matter of time."
Walker, 37, who has missed the cut in four of his last eight tournaments, including the U.S. Open and British Open, had to be encouraged with his opening 18. Starting on the back nine, he birdied five of his first 10 holes to get to 5-under and, after a bogey, got the stroke back with a birdie at the seventh.
Walker tied for 21st at last week's RBC Canadian Open and said he's starting to see some improvement.
"I feel like my game has been real stale and stagnant," said Walker, playing in his seventh PGA. "I just haven't been scoring, haven't been making the 10-, 15-, 18-footers you need to start running up the leader board and have high finishes. But it's definitely been different the last couple of weeks."
Kaymer, 31, who played in the afternoon when the breeze increased and light rain fell late, also started on the back nine and birdied three straight holes from No. 17 through No. 1 to go 4-under. After a bogey and a birdie on his next two holes, he parred in, one-putting the last two holes.
"I rarely put myself out of play where I needed to scramble a lot," he said. "The last three or four holes I needed to do a little bit of that. But in general I kept it together and created chances, and I think that's the key on the golf course."
England's Ross Fisher, ranked 101, birdied 17 and 18, the only par-5s at Baltusrol, to climb into a tie at 66 with Kaymer and Emiliano Grillo of Argentina.
Stenson, who closed out the British Open with an epic 63 to defeat Phil Mickelson by three strokes, was even par at the turn of his first round but notched three birdies on the back nine.
"I feel I can carry that momentum I had at the Open championship, and I guess the start shows that we're not too far away when we teed it up again," he said. "So I'm happy with the day's work."
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