SPRINGFIELD, N.J. _ Jimmy Walker showed no sign of nerves Sunday in the final round of the PGA Championship, making a clutch par at the 18th hole to finish a 3-under-par 67 at Baltusrol Golf Club and win his first career major.
Walker, 37, who led or shared the lead after each of the first three rounds, held a 3-stroke lead with one hole to play but watched from the fairway as defending champion Jason Day made an eagle at the par-5 18th hole to reduce the deficit to one stroke.
Walker hit his second shot into the right rough and pitched his third shot on the green 30 feet away. He rifled his birdie putt 3 feet past the hole but made the par putt coming back for the win, posting a score of 14-under 266 in soft conditions at the rain-soaked Baltusrol course.
Day, the world's No. 1 ranked player, finished with a 67 and a 267 total.
Walker became the fourth first-time winner of a major championship this season, joining Danny Willett (Masters), Dustin Johnson (U.S. Open) and Henrik Stenson (British Open).
Because of rain that prompted an early end to Saturday's competition, Walker, Day and eight other players had to go 36 holes on Sunday. To expedite play, officials sent off the contestants in the same pairings as in the third round and Walker, playing in the last group, finished just before dark.
Walker played the entire final round without a bogey. After nine straight pars to start, he found a greenside bunker with his second shot at the par-4 10th but holed out the sand shot for his first birdie. He followed that by sinking a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 11 to take a 2-stroke lead.
Walker later extended his lead to three shots by making an 8-footer at the par-5 17th, a putt that just barely sneaked in the right side of the cup. But Day's eagle at No. 18 made it interesting, and Walker wasn't assured of collecting the Wanamaker Trophy until his last putt.
Day, who shot a tournament record 20-under par in winning last year at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, came into the final round trailing Walker by one stroke, and carrying a bogey-free streak of 29 holes. But he made bogeys on the first and third holes to dig himself a hole, and bounced back with birdies at the fifth, ninth and 11th hole to get back to within one of Walker.
He made all pars after No. 11 until he got to the par-5 18th, where he knocked his second shot on the green and drained a 12-foot putt for eagle, finishing at 13-under.
Daniel Summerhays closed with a 66 and took third place at 270. Branden Grace challenged the leaders early and carded a 67 to finish in a three-way tie for fourth at 271 with Hideki Matsuyama and Brooks Koepka. Matsuyama had a 68 and Koepka a 70.
British Open champion Stenson, who began the final round trailing Walker by 2 strokes, carded a 71 in the final round to finish in a three-way tie for seventh with Martin Kaymer and Robert Streb.
