Jimmy Walker (golfer)
| Jimmy Walker | |
|---|---|
| — Golfer — | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | James William Walker |
| Born |
January 16, 1979 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 13 st) |
| Nationality |
 United States |
| Residence | Boerne, Texas |
| Spouse | Erin (née Stiegemeier) |
| Children | Mclain, Beckett |
| Career | |
| College | Baylor University |
| Turned professional | 2001 |
| Current tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Former tour(s) | Nationwide Tour |
| Professional wins | 8 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 5 |
| Web.com Tour | 3 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T8: 2014 |
| U.S. Open | T9: 2014 |
| The Open Championship | T26: 2014 |
| PGA Championship | T7: 2014 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| Nationwide Tour leading money winner | 2004 |
| Nationwide Tour Player of the Year | 2004 |
James William Walker (born January 16, 1979) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. After playing in 187 events without a win on the PGA Tour, Walker won three times in the first eight events of the 2014 PGA Tour season.
Early life
Walker was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. After moving to San Antonio, Texas and attending New Braunfels Canyon High School, he attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he played on the varsity golf team, the Baylor Bears. Walker turned professional in 2001, at age 22.
Professional career
Nationwide Tour
Walker played on the Nationwide Tour full-time in 2003 and 2004. In 2004 he won the first two professional events of his career at the BellSouth Panama Championship and the Chitimacha Louisiana Open. Walker ended the 2004 season as the Nationwide Tour's leading money winner and won Player of the Year honors, while in the process earning his PGA Tour card for the first time.
PGA Tour
Walker only played in nine PGA Tour events in 2005 due to injury, making only three cuts and a best finish of 17th at the MCI Heritage. He played his first full season on the PGA Tour in 2006, where he played in 21 events. He did not enjoy a very successful season, making nine cuts and recording only one top-25 finish. He ended the season 202nd on the money list, which was not enough to retain his playing rights. Walker went back to the Nationwide Tour in 2007, where he added a third title to his name at the National Mining Association Pete Dye Classic and finished in 25th place on the Nationwide Tour's money list, which qualified him for a PGA Tour card for the 2008 season. Again, Walker endured a difficult season, making 13 cuts in 24 events, but with only three top-25 finishes. He ended the year 192nd on the FedEx Cup Standings and entered the year end Q-school to try and regain his card. He finished in a tie for 11th, which was enough to regain his card for the 2009 PGA Tour season.
Walker fared better in 2009, where he recorded his first two top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour, including a T5 at the Turning Stone Resort Championship. Walker finished the 2009 PGA Tour season ranked 125th on the money list, securing the last available tour card for the 2010 season. In 2010, Walker made less than half of the cuts he played in, but had a T3 and T4 finish to boost his season's placing. He finished 2010 ranked 103rd on the money list. In 2011, Walker enjoyed his best PGA Tour season so far, helped by three 4th/T4 finishes throughout the season. He finished 68th in the FedEx Cup standings and qualified for the third FedEx Cup playoff event, the BMW Championship, for the first time. Walker followed up a solid 2011 season with another good year in 2012. He finished the year 43rd in the FedEx Cup standings, with six top-10 finishes. Walker started to develop a consistent game on the PGA Tour, evidenced when he made 25 consecutive cuts from the 2012 John Deere Classic to the 2013 Memorial Tournament. During this run, Walker had finishes of T2, T3 and T4 as he finished the 2013 season with over $2 million in prize money for the first time.
2014: Maiden PGA Tour victory and subsequent success
The 2014 PGA Tour season was the first time that the season began with six events in the fall of 2013. In the first of these, Walker won his maiden PGA Tour event at the 2013 Frys.com Open, after nine years and 188 PGA Tour starts. He won by two strokes over Vijay Singh after shooting 62-66 over the weekend. The win gave him an exemption into the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, and earned him his first trip to The Masters and a PGA Tour card until the end of 2016. Walker also entered the world's top 50 for the first time.[1]
Walker opened up 2014 finishing T21 at his first visit to the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. The following week in January 2014, he earned his second PGA Tour win at the Sony Open in Hawaii. He birdied four of the final six holes and shot a final round 63 to win by one stroke over Chris Kirk.[2]
Five weeks later, in early February 2014, Walker won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am by one stroke over Dustin Johnson and Jim Renner. He had a six-stroke advantage going into the final round, but shot a two-over-par 74 on Sunday and needed to hole a five-foot par putt on the 18th for the victory.[3] This was his third victory of the 2014 season in just eight starts, after previously going 187 events without a victory. With his win, Walker became the leader on the 2014 money list, FedExCup standings, and Ryder Cup points standings. He also raised his Official World Golf Ranking to 24th.[4][5] A T8 finish at the 2014 Masters Tournament raised his ranking to 19th, and ensured him an invitation into the 2015 tournament. He went on to post top-ten finishes at two other majors, a T9 at the 2014 U.S. Open, and a T7 the 2014 PGA Championship.[6] His highly successful season earned him a spot on the 2014 Ryder Cup, another personal first.[7] Walker went as high as 17th in the OWGR during the 2014 season.
In January 2015, Walker lost in a sudden-death playoff at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii to Patrick Reed. After finishing at 21-under-par in regulation play, Walker was beaten by a Reed birdie on the first extra hole. The following week on tour, Walker defended his Sony Open in Hawaii title with a nine-stroke victory after a final round 63. It was Walker's fourth career PGA Tour victory and it moved him 13th in the OWGR. In March 2015, Walker earned his fifth PGA Tour win and second of the season at the Valero Texas Open with a four-stroke victory over Jordan Spieth. Residing in San Antonio, Texas, this meant Walker had claimed victory in his hometown event. The win moved Walker into the world's top 10 for the first time and took him to the top of the FedEx Cup standings.
Personal
Walker is married to the former Erin Stiegemeier, whom he met while she served as a volunteer at a 2004 Nationwide Tour event.[8] They have two sons. Walker is also an avid photographer, while his wife is a nationally ranked show jumper.[9] His home golf course is Cordillera Golf Club in Boerne, Texas.
Professional wins (8)
PGA Tour wins (5)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 13, 2013 | Frys.com Open | −17 (70-69-62-66=267) | 2 strokes |  Vijay Singh |
| 2 | Jan 12, 2014 | Sony Open in Hawaii | −17 (66-67-67-63=263) | 1 stroke | Chris Kirk |
| 3 | Feb 9, 2014 | AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am | −11 (66-69-67-74=276) | 1 stroke | Dustin Johnson, Jim Renner |
| 4 | Jan 18, 2015 | Sony Open in Hawaii (2) | −23 (66-66-62-63=257) | 9 strokes | Scott Piercy |
| 5 | Mar 29, 2015 | Valero Texas Open | −11 (71-67-69-70=277) | 4 strokes | Jordan Spieth |
PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015 | Hyundai Tournament of Champions | Patrick Reed |
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
Nationwide Tour wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 8, 2004 | BellSouth Panama Championship | −7 (65-69-70-69=273) | 5 strokes | Tom Scherrer |
| 2 | Mar 28, 2004 | Chitimacha Louisiana Open | −16 (69-64-74-65=272) | 1 stroke | Rick Price |
| 3 | Aug 26, 2007 | National Mining Association Pete Dye Classic | −15 (68-70-68-67=273) | 1 stroke | Justin Hicks,  Matt Jones |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T8 | T38 | T29 |
| U.S. Open | T52 | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T9 | T58 | |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | T26 | T30 | |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | T21 | CUT | T7 | CUT |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 10 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (2014 Masters – 2015 Open)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (2014 Masters – 2014 U.S. Open)
U.S. national team appearances
Professional
See also
- 2004 Nationwide Tour graduates
- 2007 Nationwide Tour graduates
- 2008 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
- List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins
References
- ↑ "Jimmy Walker takes Frys.com title". ESPN. Associated Press. October 13, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
- ↑ "Jimmy Walker's final-round 63 wins Sony Open". USA Today. Associated Press. January 13, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- ↑ McEwan, Michael (February 10, 2014). "Walker wins third title of the season". Bunkered. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
- ↑ "Jimmy Walker wins at Pebble Beach". ESPN. Associated Press. February 10, 2014.
- ↑ Lavner, Ryan (February 10, 2014). "Walker cracks top 25 after third win of season". Golf Channel.
- ↑ "Jimmy Walker Tournament Results – 2014". ESPN. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
- ↑ "2014 Ryder Cup – Team USA Points Standings". Ryder Cup. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
- ↑ "Jimmy Walker biography". Retrieved April 11, 2014.
- ↑ Van Sickle, Gary (July 3, 2013). "Jimmy Walker, the Tour's cut-making machine, is rocketing up the world rankings". Golf.com.
External links
- Official website
- Jimmy Walker at the PGA Tour official site
- Jimmy Walker at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
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