Sony Open Recap: Walker Delivers Hawaiian Punch

If you weren't a believer in Jimmy Walker after last year, or maybe if you were waning on Jimmy Walker after last week's nosedive, where do you stand now?

Walker won for the fourth time in 15 months Sunday, blowing away world No. 11 Matt Kuchar and everyone else for a record nine-stroke runaway in successfully defending his title at the Sony Open. That's what happens when you shoot 62-63 on the weekend. With only 20 putts. In 18 holes.

Walker was closing in on that fourth title last week, when he kicked away the Hyundai Tournament of Champions by letting Patrick Reed into a playoff. Many golfers would not have been able to bounce back so quickly.

"But I got over it," he told reporters in Honolulu. "It's golf and you've got to get over it because you've got to go play the next day."

Certainly the mindset of a veteran. Walker has been on tour for almost a decade and turned 36 on Friday. The Texan didn't do all that much before last season, when he won his first PGA tournament. And second and third. Walker played the Tour Championship for the first time, made the Ryder Cup for the first time.

And all of a sudden he's in the conversation "Who's the best American golfer?" Walker will move to No. 13 in the latest OWGR, still behind Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Kuchar. But ahead of, ahem, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.

One of the knocks on Walker is that he hasn't done it in the majors. Before last year, he had played in only six majors in his entire career. He had three top-10s out of four in 2014.

If Walker is on your team and you're absolutely giddy, or if you're kicking yourself for not being a believer and not drafting him, there may be one thing that should give you pause: Walker's success has been incredibly front-loaded:

• In 2011, he had four top-10s, three by mid-February in his first five events.
• In 2012, he had six top-10s, three by mid-February in his first six events.
• In 2013, he had five top-10s, three by late March in his first eight events.
• And last season, he had three wins, all by early February in his first eight events.

To be sure, Walker continued to play at a high level after winning for the third time at Pebble Beach; he just didn't play as well as he had earlier in the season. So there is that.

MONDAY TAKEAWAY

Scott Piercy

How would you like to shoot 67-67-66-66 and lose by nine? For Piercy, limited to 14 tournaments last year, he'll gladly take it. He met the conditions of his medical extension (right arm surgery) at the OHL Classic in October, but the solo second in Honolulu got him into the Players Championship, not to mention securing his card for next season. Piercy is a two-time winner on tour, but this was his first runner-up.

Harris English

English tied Kuchar and Gary Woodland for third for his best finish since his solo fourth at last year's Sony. So it's hard to determine whether the previously slumping Georgia Bulldog is done slumping or just found comfort at Waialae. Tune in to the Humana Challenge, where English was T33 last year.

Shawn Stefani

Stefani, who finished 2014 with a solo second at the OHL Classic, christened 2015 with a share of sixth in Honolulu. Sidelined at the beginning of last year with a neck injury, Stefani fulfilled the terms of his medical extension and had a few quality outings, none better than losing to Justin Rose at the Quicken Loans playoff. He's 13th in the point standings and seems primed for a number of top-10s this season, if not his maiden win.

Zac Blair

The PGA Tour rookie is making quite a splash. Blair tied for sixth for his second top-25 of the young season, leaving him 51st in the point standings. Only 23 and out of Brigham Young, Blair has made four of five cuts and should get plenty of starts all year, as he's sixth in the Web.com Tour reshuffle.

Webb Simpson

Entering the final year of the anchored putter, Simpson surprised by breaking out a conventional putter for the first round of the Sony -- and then really surprised with a 62 while standing first in strokes gained-putting at 4.660. After the second round, a 66, he was third in SG-P at 2.585. But after sharing the lead the first two days, Simpson tumbled to 72-69 and tied for 13th. And his SG-P slumped to -.119. Were the first two days an aberration? Were they a good start? Will Simpson continue to use a conventional putter? Watch the Humana to learn more.

Robert Streb

Streb's stay atop the FedEx standings was brief -- he's now second to Walker. But there's no shame. The winner of the McGladrey Classic in October tied for 17th at Waialae, making him 7-for-7 in cuts with five top-25s. He looks like a keeper, and a comer.

Luke Donald

The former world No. 1 tumbled to 39th in the fall. But Donald has reunited with his former swing coach, Pat Goss, and tied for 26th in the European Tour's season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai before finishing solo third in the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa to close 2014. To open 2015, Donald shot a Sunday 1-over 71 to tie for 51st at the Sony. He was trending upward until this event, so perhaps it's just a blip on the road back (though not all the way back).

Martin Kaymer

Ten-shot lead with 13 holes to play? Check. A bogey at No. 6 started Kaymer's descent, a double at No. 9 accelerated it and backbreaking triple at No. 13 sent him into a freefall and a stunning third-place finish in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. One of the sport's great closers -- Kaymer won the U.S. Open last year by eight strokes -- simply lost it, allowing little-known Gary Stal of France to emerge in the Euro Tour's 2015 lid-lifter.

Rory McIlroy

Kaymer's collapse allowed McIlroy to finish runner-up at Abu Dhabi for the fourth time, one shot behind Stal. The tournament also featured McIlroy's first professional hole-in-one, which came Friday. So the ongoing legal battle with his former management company at this point does not appear to be hindering the world's No. 1 golfer.