Who is Jimmy Walker? All you need to know about the PGA Tour veteran

Jimmy Walker, once plagued by illness, made his return to the tour after almost seven years of struggle with health issues. The one-time PGA Championship winner battled many health scares and made a return to the greens in 2023 at the RBC Heritage.

With six PGA Tour victories, most notably the 2016 PGA Championship, Jimmy Walker has been a prominent figure on the course. However, in 2016, he was diagnosed with Lyme disease, worsened by mononucleosis, West Nile virus, and pneumonia. The illnesses sapped his strength and consistency, forcing him to almost consider quitting the sport.

He returned to competitive golf in April 2023, participating in the RBC Heritage. In the event, he showed strong performance despite having health challenges

By 2022, after a missed cut at the Valero Texas Open, Walker had quietly stepped away from the tour. He was putting in relentless efforts, but the uncertainty of his condition took over him and he was battling to regain his past form. However, fate had a different plan for him.

As it turned out, the wave of golfers leaving for the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour opened a door for Jimmy Walker, causing him to climb to the top 50 on the PGA Tour. Because of that, he secured a one-year exemption for the 2022-23 season. Talking about the opportunity during the 2023 RBC Heritage, Walker said (via IrishGolfer):

"I didn’t know if I was going to play again; it’s been such a struggle," Walker was quoted as saying by Irishgolfer in 2023. "But with everything going on, I knew I had to take advantage of this exemption. Have I made the most of it yet? Not really, but maybe this is the week everything falls into place."

Reflecting on his journey, Walker added,

"Since getting sick, mentally and physically feel different damn near every day, and that’s been the hardest part. The things that I work on one day, I can’t feel it the next day. Some days I’ll get two days out of it. So that’s been the hardest part," he added.

The last tournament he participated in was the Puerto Rico Open in March this year, where he failed to make the cut after carding rounds of 71 and 69.

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Taking a look at Jimmy Walker's career achievements

After getting his PGA Tour card in 2004, Jimmy Walker’s crowning achievement came in 2016 when he won his first major title at the PGA Championship, where he had a share of the lead after each round.

Walker's first breakout season came in 2013 onwards, when he clinched three PGA Tour wins — the Frys.com Open (2013), Sony Open in Hawaii (2014), and AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (2014). He added to his trophy collection by clinching the Valero Texas Open the following year.

Walker also proved his worth in team events, representing the U.S. at the Ryder Cup in 2014 & 2016, & at the Presidents Cup in 2015.

Prior to his dominance on the PGA Tour, Walker also won the Player of the Year award in 2004 on the Nationwide Tour (now known as Korn Ferry Tour).