Dominant Walker defends Sony Open title

JimmyWalker - Cropped

Jimmy Walker continued his Hawaii love affair on Sunday, shooting a bogey-free seven-under 63 to defend his Sony Open title with a nine-shot victory.

A week after finishing second at the Tournament of Champions on the island of Maui, Walker stormed to victory just to the north-west on Oahu, surging away from the majority of the field throughout the fourth round.

Only South Africa's Rory Sabbatini could match Walker's final round of 63, which saw the 36-year-old American finish at 23 under at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.

Walker missed out on the Tournament of Champions title in a play-off and claimed that disappointment spurred him on to win big at the Sony Open.

"Today was all about keeping the pedal down," Walker told the PGA Tour's website.

"And that's kind of what I talked about at the beginning of the week. If I got back to that position, could we really try to extend the lead instead of just hang on."

Walker could only manage par on his first seven holes on Sunday but once he birdied the eighth, the Oklahoma City-born golfer did not look back.

Another birdie followed on the ninth, before Walker picked up shots on the 10th, 12th, 15th, 16th and 18th holes to complete his win at the PGA Tour event.

Scott Piercy carded a four-under 66 to finish second on 14 under, while Harris English and Gary Woodland (both 67) shared third spot with Matt Kuchar at 13 under.

Kuchar shot a one-over 71 to drop from second overnight. Sabbatini was one of seven players tied on 12 under for sixth position overall.

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