Walker grabs lead as big hitters tamed
McILROY ON BUBBLE
SPRINGFIELD, N.J. • Baltusrol is a big brute of a course and on Thursday it did its best to knock out some golf heavyweights.
Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson entered Thursday at the PGA Championship as the two betting favourites, but they will start Friday nine and 12 shots back of firstround leader Jimmy Walker.
Walker shot a five- under par 65 in the first round and is looking to continue a trend of first- time major winners that dates back to last season when Jason Day won this championship at Whistling Straits.
The 37-year-old Walker entered the week in the midst of a disappointing season, but fresh off an encouraging tie for 14th at the RBC Canadian Open.
“The last round in Canada felt great,” Walker said after his round. “I felt like coming down the stretch on Sunday ... I did a lot of things right.”
Walker was in the morning wave of players and enjoyed perfect scoring conditions, as long as they liked it hot. Teeing off on the 10th hole before 8 a. m. — with temperatures already in the 30s and next to no breeze — Walker birdied five of his first 10 holes and stayed atop the leaderboard all day. He followed his only bogey on the sixth hole with a birdie on seven.
Players have different ways of thinking about majors, and Walker — whose best major finish is a T7 at the 2014 PGA Championship — has always tried to treat it as just another week. “Doesn’t matter if you’re playing Hawaii at the beginning of the year or Tour Championship or you’re playing Augusta,” he said. “It’s still just golf.”
But Walker understands the opportunity this week and what’s at stake.
“I do know that on Sunday with a chance to win, it will feel a little more — it will feel bigger,” he said. “I look forward to having that chance.”
McIlroy and Johnson are just hoping to have a chance to play on Sunday. McIlroy has some work to do to make the cut after shooting a fourover par 74 and Johnson might need a miracle after beating just five players in the field with his seven-over par 77.
McIlroy was driving the ball perfectly during his practice rounds and took that form to the course, only to be let down by his putter. He finished the round third in strokes gained off the tee, but without a birdie.
“It’s fine. Look, it’s one round of golf,” McIlroy said. “I obviously want to play well but I was trying my hardest out there.”
Two time major champion Martin Kaymer, Emiliano Grillo and Ross Fisher are one shot back of Walker after shooting 4-under 66s.
Grillo, from Argentina, also has a Canadian backstory after leading the 2015 RBC Canadian Open through one round despite having to talk his way into the country over a missing visa. He, too, credited Glen Abbey for giving him momentum.
“Last week in Canada we played in very tough conditions and that really helps going into a major,” Grillo said.
There are four golfers two shots back at three- under, including British Open champion Henrik Stenson, who is looking to win back- to- back majors at age 40.
Another shot back is world No. 1 Jason Day, who is in a group of a dozen at twounder. Day and his family have been under the weather this week and the defending PGA Championship winner hadn’t seen the golf course until Wednesday but still managed a bogey-free 68.
“Things aren’t going to be perfect all the time,” he said. “I enjoy having my family on the road. It’s not the first time that the kids and myself and Ellie have been sick, it’s not going to be the last time.”
Playing alongside Day and McIlroy was local favourite Phil Mickelson who can, at times, have trouble finding f airways. Thursday was one of those times. Mickelson’s drive on the 649- yard par- 5 17 th hole ( his eighth) landed on the 15th tee. From there, he hit a wedge shot over the gallery back onto his hole, then ran his approach shot through the green, before getting upand-down for par.
“The people helped to really kind of pick me back up,” he said after his round. “I remember walking off of No. 3 and a guy said, ‘ Hey, you’ve got a lot of golf left, you’re not out of this, let’s get going.’ He’s right.”