Your Kneejerk Reactions: Jimmy Walker Wins The PGA
Our second major in a row ends in triumphant, positive fashion with Baltusrol's closing par-5s helping to wash away the stains or a forgettable week for the PGA of America. 
I'd like to hear your immediate reactions to the 2016 PGA Championship at Baltusrol won by the likeable 37-year-old astroimager Jimmy Walker, the maiden winner streak, the struggles of the Big Whatever, and the ways you would help the PGA of America find a stronger identity for this championship that too often felt like a regular tour event, only not as well run or telecast.
The win caps off a sensational major season if you look past Jordan Spieth's 12th hole at Augusta and the USGA shenanigans at Oakmont, because Willett, Johnson, Stenson and Walker all played clutch, and at times, historic golf down the stretch to win.
Sunday, July 31, 2016 at 04:28 PM
Reader Comments (101)
Walker has paid his dues...well done.
Baltusrol? Great course, not too photogenic...sorry NJ.
Take this tournament west....more often.
PGA officials love their TV time!
As a complete aside, incredible props to Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, and Rickie Fowler for hanging around to congratulate the winner as he came off #18....wow, gives me a whole new perspective on all 3...incredibly well done.
Away from that, what a great Championship the PGA ran. Best field in the history of golf, battled the elements, incredible course and facility -- delivered a class champion -- not a big fan of the organization but good onya here PGA!!
One more props....what an incredible iron Jason Day hit into 18 green! Wonder where that was in proximity to the Nicklaus 1-iron plaque?
Yes to more West Coast. How about Riviera once again?
Good for him, hope it's good for the Ryder Cup.
Lift clean and place has no business in a major, IMO. But that's ok, because CBS made this feel more like the Colonial than a major, so I guess it fits.
In the end, the best player for the week won, so I guess none of the teeth gnashing matters. PGA, R and A and USGA all did an excellent job identifying the best player this year.
John
Well done by Jimmy Walker, and also by Day for making the ending special.
It's only funny if it's the same people from yesterday.
At least it had a really good field, and Baltusrol is a fine course. Better, IMHO, than Valhalla and some of the other lesser PGA courses.
A really fine player won. I am happy for him. Sort of hope he has a better future than Danny Willett, but I have nothing against Danny Willett.
I wish he would lose the beard.
https://twitter.com/CallawayGolf/status/759905087648993280
The PGA this year more than any other due to the schedule felt like just another tournament and the parties involved did nothing to help. The weather situation forced the PGA to make calls about pairings, tee times, and lift clean place - all stuff that made the tournament feel less than Major. Throw in the broadcast, CBS going to commercials with the same music used every weekend, just minimized any excitement. Wonder if ratings will reflect as much because I can't imagine too many casual viewers saw it was on and realized it was a Major.
Playing the PGA on the West Coast would be unique, as would showcasing new venues. The USGA goes back to many historic courses and I'd like to see the PGA go to new spots.
Looking ahead to the Olympics Phil, Walker should have had the opportunity to go.
I want Justin Thomas on the RC team - made cuts in all 4 majors. Will be interesting to see if he, Fowler and Reed all get on. Walker and Koepka secured spots this week. I have a bad feeling one of the JT/Fowler/Reed trio is getting left off. Honestly it should be Fowler.
Could also consider a later date to space it out more from the British Open.
One plus: I like the club pro element. It's the PGA's field quirk like the lifetime exemptions for past champions at the Masters and British and qualifiers at the U.S. Open. Makes them stand out some from the PGA Tour drudgery.
You want the PGA of America to hold a tourney in Australia?
Good event, good course. I would love to see the PGA try to get back to some of the classics in the west, not Sahalee, not Torey Pines but their are other options.
The course doesn't provide much drama, Jason Day looked fine when it was over but he's going feel he let a major slip by by failing to really apply any pressure until the 18th.
Yes, this tournament is the one that should be embracing the west coast as August is the perfect weather month (much more so than June). Remember Riviera once and Sahalee also but not much other than that.
And even if you don't or can't DVR it you can still hit mute when the commercials come on so you won't be enraged by that watch commercial or whatever it is that is always being complained about here.
The other thing that would work is a return to match play. I understand that there is the contractual problem that the WGC event has a monopoly on match play, but they could work around that. For all the complaining about how match play is bad for TV, someone needs to explain how the Open this year was so entertaining, considering all we heard was "this is essentially match play between Phil and Stenson." If you get two players who are playing well and there are huge stakes on the line (a major), then there is nothing better for TV than match play.
And obviously, all of the above comments are well taken. When the new TV contract comes up in the near future, they need to consider other networks. CBS doesn't do it justice because it has to play second-fiddle to the Masters on their lineup, but it's also more important than a WGC event, or the Memorial (which they treat as more important, IMO). The last couple years, they even did away with the old PGA Champ. music they used to have. And what can you say about TNT? Amateur from the start. Golf Channel and NBC did a tremendous job with the Open: They had coverage with remarkable breadth and depth; not to mention they hold TV rights for all of the other PGA events (senior,, women's, Club Pro champ, and Ryder Cup). It's a natural fit.
Baltusrol is fine. It's kind of annoying that Walker's -14 isn't -22 because they played 1 and 7 as Par 4's when they're members Par 5's. I've had it up to here with that.
Echo the other sentiments that the space from The Open and the weather took the rhythm away from it's status as a major.
Now watching it on TV today I would agree with many that it seems like a regular Tour event. CBS did OK but nothing special. Way too many commercials as well.
No doubt Walker deserved to win, but this will be a major that is not remember much in the future.
http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=122105
Q. Interesting there at the 18th, what was that all about?
JIMMY WALKER: Said just send it up there as far as we can. I'm a great bunker player and good pitcher of the ball. The ball just came out a little more right than I wanted to and made it a little more exciting. You figure 19 out of 20 times, I'll make a five going for the green there.
@ DTF - Day was around 20 yards further back from where Jack was. Jacks shot was from 237 or 238 yards depending on what article one reads and Days was from 258 or so.
A complete guess, but possibly JW was thinking just blow it down there to where he couldn't reasonably miss the green with his third? He didn't have to get up and down to win.
That saying, where the 2nd shot ended up left him a 3rd shot where he couldn't be 100% sure exactly how that wedge would come out of there, but he still only had to hit the green.
Thanks for the link. Makes some sense, no?
1. The Twitter feed never worked properly, 2. the choice of "Feature Groups" was the same all day Sunday 3. Live Scoreboard: Clicking on a player's name gave you only his scorecard for the present round ONLY (this was even more frustrating today obviously as 3rd/4th Rd overlapped). All the other majors let you a player's performance on each hole from EVERY round. 4. The app always defaulted to opening to the Featured Pairings instead of the Real Time Scoreboard (stupid). Finally, I could never find a course tour or hole layout feature on PGA app which is essential anytime but esp at a course many of us were unfamiliar with. PGA overall is way behind the times in using technology in the broadcast and on 2nd screens!
I would also advocate a move to outside of the U.S and U.K. especially to Royal Melbourne. A more reverent tone, less commercials and better venues would all aid in adding gravitas to the event. I believe not having Day in the final pairing really helped Walker.
Great for Jimmy Walker, Good playing from Day, nice to see the handshakes behind the 18th green(JD, RF, JS)
This did not feel very Major like. CBS looks like they are ready to dump golf.