Walker makes it a sweep of first-time major winners in 2016

“I was there at Wentworth a year ago when they had their Ryder Cup ceremony for having won (in 2014)”, Koepka said. At the same moment on the 17th green, Walker was lining up a tough putt for a birdie of his own.

He carded a 68 to take a one-shot lead over defending champion Day, who had shot a 67, into the afternoon’s final round.

He widened the lead to three with a birdie putt that curled around the lip and in at the 17th.

Day made the eagle putt, and the lead was down to one.

“There was nothing easy about the day, really about the week, for that matter, especially coming down the last hole”. He tied for fourth in the PGA Championship previous year.

Walker calmly made it to capture the PGA Championship, ending a long and wet week at Baltusrol, and still having just enough strength left to hoist the 37-pound Wanamaker Trophy.

“I saw Davis (Love, captain of the USA Ryder Cup team) this week and told him, ‘Man, I’d love to be on your team.’ Haven’t played that well this year, but I feel like there’s still time for me to play good at the end of the year to have a chance to get on the team or get the nod to get picked”, Walker said. “But we got it”. Even with the silver trophy at his side, Walker still had a hard time letting that sink in.

He plays in the Travelers Championship in CT next week before heading to Brazil as one of Ireland’s Olympic competitors and he will be hoping to carry his form over this weekend to Rio.

Masters champion Danny Willett closed with a level-par 70 to finish five over, as did Wales’ Bradley Dredge, while England’s Lee Westwood finished with a double-bogey seven on the last in a round of 75 to finish seven over.

Day recovered from two bogeys in the first three holes of the final round to play the remaining 15 in five under par, culminating with a stunning eagle on the last which piled the pressure on Jimmy Walker. But Walker, who approached the par-5 18th the same as he had all week, made a more-difficult-than-it-looked par to claim his first major championship.

“We both felt great all week”, Walker said.

“It was nice to get the eagle, just to try and make Jimmy think about it”, Day said after a 67. But to watch Koepka blast tee shots and fans yell “Rip City, you smoked that, and you’re a beast”, you’d never know he played through pain to finish T-4 in the PGA Championship. “He’s one of the best guys I know, on or off the course”, Fowler said.

But it ended on a happy note for Walker.

As golf speeds into a post-Tiger era of parity, Walker became the fourth first- time major championship victor in 2016. The team will be comprised of the top eight players in the standings and four captain’s choices.

He finished at 14-under 266, one shot from David Toms’ record score in the 2001 PGA Championship. Finished off the nine holes. Four more wins followed over the next 17 months, and he had a stalwart debut at the 2014 Ryder Cup. And thanks to Day, he needed it.

Day was one of the first to greet Walker with a smile and class. “But he’s handled himself pretty good”.

“I felt confident in myself, in what I was doing”, he said.

“I wanted to give Jimmy something to think about but it wasn’t quite enough”. With only four events remaining, and with a major championship on his side, he is virtually a lock to be at Hazeltine on September 30.

Walker held his nerve to par the 18th and secure his first major title by a single shot, leaving Day to reflect on a fourth second place and 13th top-10 finish in 25 major appearances.