The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am wrapped up yesterday after a weekend of great golf. Jimmy Walker emerged as the overall winner, almost losing his lead shooting 2+ on the day. Coming in to the final round, Walker had a comfortable lead of six strokes but almost blew the whole thing. An impressive gap considering the weather on Saturday caused a delay, not because of rain but the unrelenting wind. The wind was so intense at one point, an official was seen stepping on a ball laying on the green to stop it from rolling off. Officials attempted to solve the issue by pumping water onto the greens to slow the conditions but ultimately suspended play.
Walker now has three wins under his belt in this young season in only eight starts. In the last 20 years, this has only been accomplished by Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and David Duval. Walker walked off with a one stroke lead over Dustin Johnson and Jim Renner smiling from ear to ear. If he had missed that five foot putt he would have been forced into a playoff with Johnson and Renner. Three wins in eight starts is impressive, but it’s even more of a milestone for Walker who came into the season with no career wins ever since turning pro in 2001.
Jim Renner and Consolidated Restaurant Operations CEO John Harkey Jr took the trophies home for the pro-am side of the competition and finished with a strong round of 61 on Sunday surpassing Rory Sabbatini and Blake Mycoskie (founder of Toms Shoes). Notable Amateurs playing the in tournament included: Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Alex Smith, Bill Belichick, Andy Garcia, Ray Romano, Kurt Russell, Kenny G, Kid Rock, Andy Roddick, Aaron Rodgers, Kelly Slater and many more. Bill Murray, star of cult classic “Caddyshack”, was not a player this year; missing out on his 6th consecutive appearance due to scheduling conflicts. Ultimately these celebrities bring in the crowds to an event with good intentions, giving its proceeds to charity.
Walker leads the FedEx cup rankings at number one for the season so far in addition to his top earnings of $3,605,833.00 this year. Walker has played 30 rounds of golf so far this year, and when you divide it down he has made roughly $6678.00 per hole of golf; not a bad career choice if you can swing it.