Walker makes back-nine surge for Sony Open victory

HONOLULU - Jimmy Walker went seven years and 187 tournaments before he finally won on the PGA Tour. Now he seems to have it figured out.

Walker pulled away from the pack with three consecutive birdies on the back nine of Waialae on Sunday and closed with a 7-under 63 to win the Sony Open for his second tour victory in his last six starts.

“It took me a long time to do it,” Walker said. “I felt very calm and controlled. That’s what you’ve got to feel and do when it’s time to win. It’s easy to say, hard to do. But today was awesome. Really cool golf.”

This wasn’t easy.

The final round was so tight there was a five-way tie for the lead with two hours remaining.

Walker’s big run began with a 12-foot par on the 14th hole. One shot behind Harris English, Walker rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole, and took the outright lead when English - behind him in the final group - failed to save par from a bunker.

Walker made a 7-foot birdie putt on the 16th, and stuck his tee shot into 6 feet for birdie on the par-3 17th. A par on the last hole made him wait just a little bit longer.

Chris Kirk had a 30-foot eagle chip from just short of the green on the par-5 18th that would have forced a playoff. It stayed right of the hole, and Kirk made the birdie putt for a 66 to finish alone in second place.

Jerry Kelly (65) was alone in third. English never recovered from his bogey. He missed birdie putts on the last three holes for a 67.

Walker won the Frys.com Open in October, the first tournament of the new wraparound season. As the first multiple winner on the PGA Tour this season, he went to No. 1 in the Ryder Cup standings and is closing in on cracking the top 30 in the world.

Walker finished at 17-under 263 and earned $1.08 million. He already qualified for his first Masters by winning in October. Now he’s piling up the victories.

With so many players in contention, the key was to keep bogeys off the card. Walker had made at least two bogeys in each of the three previous rounds, and it looked as if he was headed for one at the wrong time on the 14th hole when he chipped from an awkward stance near the bunker to about 12 feet. Kelly missed a 15-foot par putt from the same line, and Walker poured it in.

And then, he was off to the races.

Will Wilcox, a rookie who played with a yellow golf ball, made only one birdie in a round of 71. He was in a large group at 10-under 270 that included Kapalua winner Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Charles Howell III, Retief Goosen and Pat Perez.

John Daly (Dardanelle, Arkansas Razorbacks) was 3 over after 10 holes to begin his final round but birdied three of the five final holes to finish with an even-par 70. Daly’s 7-under was 10 shots behind Walker and earned him a tie for 32nd place and $30,987.

PGA EUROPEAN TOUR Oosthuizen repeats

DURBAN, South Africa - South African Louis Oosthuizen birdied his closing two holes to retain the Volvo Champions title on Sunday after an earlier eagle on the eighth.

The 2010 British Open winner shot a 4-under 68 foran overall 12-under 276 and claimed his seventh victory on the European Tour.

Oosthuizen finished a stroke ahead of fellow South African Branden Grace who also shot a 68 on the Durban Country Club course.

It was Oosthuizen’s first success since winning this elite 36-player event a year ago.

After a slow start, with pars on the opening seven holes, Oosthuizen sank a 12-foot eagle putt at the par five No. 8.

He drew level with Grace with a birdie at the 17th and then claimed the win by holing a 2-foot birdie putt at the last.

“When I eagled the eighth hole I felt I could go on and make a few birdies from there on and, while stopped by a bogey on 10, I just felt really comfortable out there,” Oosthuizen said.

“I noticed when I was about to play my shot at 17 that Branden had finished on 11-under par, so I needed to give myself a good opportunity to tie him and I did and then managed to birdie the last.”

Oosthuizen came into the event with a persistent lower back injury.

“I’ve still got a few [things] that I need to work on withmy back, but it’s been great this week and not causing me much concern,” he said.

Grace recorded his best finish in more than a year after winning four times in 2012, including starting that year with a Volvo Champions success, but then going without a victory in 2013.

The 25-year old Grace capped his round with three birdies in succession at the sixth hole and then birdied two of his closing three holes.

“I thought I played some superb golf today,” Grace said.

England’s Tommy Fleetwood (72) and Dutchman Joost Luiten (71) shared third on 10-under.

Sports, Pages 17 on 01/13/2014

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