San Antonio, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Jimmy Walker cruised to a 4-stroke win at the Texas Open on Sunday.
Walker closed with a 2-under 70 to finish at 11-under-par 277. This was his second win this season on the PGA Tour, and fifth of his tour career. He became the first multiple winner on tour this season.
"It's at home and it's cool. You can feel the support ... and it doesn't happen very often, winning in your hometown," Walker said.
The Texan, who lives 30 minutes from the AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio, stretched his lead to seven shots with seven holes to go. Jordan Spieth made a late rally, but Walker matched Spieth's birdies at 16 and 17 to pick up the win.
Walker snapped a streak of 54-hole leaders failing to win. The last nine 54- hole leaders on the PGA Tour had failed to hang on for the victory.
"It's tough, especially today. I don't know what the scoring average was, but it plays hard and it played hard today. The golf course wasn't giving up much. Sometimes, it was hard to make pars," Walker stated. "I felt like I was leaking a little oil there, I wasn't putting very good and I then made a couple."
Spieth rallied from an up and down opening 10 holes with four straight birdies from the 14th for a closing 70. He ended alone in second place at minus-7.
Reigning FedExCup champion Billy Horschel posted a 1-under 71 to grab third place at 4-under-par 284. Daniel Summerhays (69) and Chesson Hadley (70) shared fourth place at minus-3.
Dustin Johnson closed with his second straight 68 to match the low round of the day. He tied for sixth at 2-under 286 with Ryan Palmer, who also shot 68 on Sunday.
After Spieth inched within three thanks to a birdie at the first, Walker drained an 8-footer for birdie on the second to regain his 4-stroke cushion. Walker missed a 4-foot par effort at the fourth and dropped another stroke at seven.
Walker was still three clear of Spieth. The eighth proved to be the big turning point. Walker blasted from a greenside bunker to four feet and dropped that putt in for birdie.
Spieth made a mess of the hole en route to a bogey, which dropped him five off the pace.
Walker ran home a 16-foot birdie putt at 10, and after Horschel bogeyed the 11th, Walker led by seven shots. He 3-putted for bogey at the 12th and followed that with three pars in a row.
Spieth was even-par for the day through five holes with bogeys at three and four to go with birdies at one and five. He dropped a shot on No. 8 and made the fourth bogey of his round on No. 10.
The Valspar Championship winner was seven back at that point, but started to make a move with a 45-foot birdie putt at the 14th. Spieth made it two in a row as he converted a 10-footer for birdie on No. 15.
Walker rolled in a birdie putt at 16 and Spieth matched him. The same happened at 17. Walker poured in an 18-foot birdie effort to move to minus-11. Spieth tried to keep the pressure on as he made a 7-footer for birdie to remain four back.
Both Walker and Spieth made par at the last to set the final margin.
"It actually looked like I had a chance. I didn't think that would be possible," Spieth admitted. "You're never out of it in this game, but Jimmy shut that down pretty quickly with his made putts."
NOTES: Walker collected $1.116 million for the win ... Bill Haas was the last 54-hole leader to win, and that was in January at the Humana Challenge ... After no wins in his first 187 PGA Tour events, Walker has five wins in his last 37 starts ... Spieth has finished in the top-7 in four of his last five starts ... The PGA Tour shifts to Humble, Texas next week for the Shell Houston Open, where Matt Jones beat Matt Kuchar in a playoff last year.
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