Golf Capsules
SPRINGFIELD, N.J. (AP) - The stars never aligned this magnificently for Jimmy Walker.
In the longest final day at the PGA Championship in 64 years, Walker produced three big birdies on the back nine at Baltusrol and held his nerve Sunday against the No. 1 player in the world to the very end. He closed with a 3-under 67 for a one-shot victory over defending champion Jason Day.
Walker provided a little too much drama at the end.
He built a three-shot lead with an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-5 17th, only to watch Day blast a 2-iron onto the green at the par-5 18th to 15 feet for an eagle, setting off the loudest cheer of the week and closing the margin to one shot.
Needing only a par to win, Walker went for the green and left it in deep rough to the right and well below the green. He safely pitched to 35 feet, and the putt settled 3 feet beyond the hole. He never felt more nerves over such a short putt, but there was never a doubt.
Walker calmly pumped his fist twice and embraced his caddie Andy Sanders, whom he met at Baltusrol in the 2000 U.S. Amateur when they played a practice round.
It was a long road to his first major for the 37-year-old American, and it ended with a marathon.
Day, trying to join Tiger Woods as the only back-to-back winners of the PGA Championship in stroke play, came out to the 18th green with his son to watch the finish and quickly found Walker.
In a most peculiar final day at a major, the PGA Championship allowed for preferred lies - that never happens in a major - because of nearly 4 inches of rain during the week that drenched the Lower Course. Desperate to beat the clock and avoid a second straight Monday finish at Baltusrol, the pairings stayed the same for the final round.
Walkr moved from No. 29 to No. 4 in the Ryder Cup standings, all but assuring him a spot on the team.
Walker is a late bloomer who has received as much attention in recent years for his astrophotography, with some of his work recognized by NASA.
He shot 68-67 on Sunday to finish at 14-under 266, one shot from David Toms' record score in the 2001 PGA Championship. Walker played the final 28 holes without a bogey.
Day shot 67-67.
WOMEN'S BRITISH OPEN
MILTON KEYNES, England (AP) - Ariya Jutanugarn was flirting with another Sunday meltdown, her six-stroke lead down to one after a double bogey on the par-4 13th at tree-lined Woburn.
Her late collapse in the ANA Inspiration nearly as recent as her three straight LPGA Tour victories, the 20-year-old Thai player held on to win the Women's British Open for her first major title.
Jutanugarn played the final five holes in 1 under for an even-par 72 and a three-stroke victory over American Mo Martin and South Korea's Mirim Lee.
The winner finished at 16-under 272 on the Marquess Course, the hilly, forest layout that is a big change from the usual seaside layouts in the tournament rotation.
In April at the ANA in California, Jutanugarn - at the time, best known for blowing a two-stroke lead with a closing triple bogey at age 17 in the 2013 LPGA Thailand - bogeyed the final three holes to hand the major title to Lydia Ko. Jutanugarn rebounded in a breakthrough May, running off the three straight victories to become the LPGA Tour's first Thai champion. Now, she's the first Thai major champion.
Jutanugarn had a six-stroke lead at the turn, but Lee picked up five strokes on the next four holes with three straight birdies and Jutanugarn's double bogey on the 13.
Jutanugarn made a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th to take a two-shot advantage to the final hole. Jutanugarn closed with a par, and Lee made a bogey for a 73.
Lee matched the tournament record Thursday with an opening 62.
Martin, the 2014 winner at Royal Birkdale, shot a 70.
ELLIE MAE CLASSIC
HAYWARD, Calif. (AP) - Stephan Jaeger broke one more Web.com Tour record and tied another in the Ellie Mae Classic, finishing his four-day scoring frenzy at TPC Stonebrae at 30-under 250.
The 27-year-old German player broke Steve Wheatcroft's 72-hole stroke record of 255 set in the 2011 Melwood Prince George's County Open, and tied Daniel Chopra's mark for relation to par set in the 2004 Henrico County Open.
Jaeger started the record spree Thursday with a 12-under 58 that broke the Web.com Tour mark and matched the lowest score on a substantial tour. He followed with rounds of 65, 64 and 63, parring the final three holes Sunday for a seven-stroke victory over Rhein Gibson.
Along the way to his first tour title, Jaeger also broke tour records with his 36- and 54-hole totals. He earned $108,000 to jump from 102nd to 20th on the money list with $139,793, with the top 25 at end of the season earning PGA Tour cards.
Gibson birdied five of the last seven holes for a 62. Former University of California player Brandon Hagy (64) and Xander Schauffele (65) tied for third at 21 under.
KANSAS CITY CHAMPIONSHIP
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Taiwan's Peiyun Chien won the inaugural Kansas City Championship for her first Symetra Tour title after rain washed out the final round.
Play was stopped at 8:40 a.m. at Staley Farms because of heavy storms, and was called for the day at 2 p.m.
Chien beat Jackie Stoelting and Emma Talley by a stroke, opening with a 4-under 68 on Friday and shooting a 67 to reach 9-under 135.
Chien earned $15,000 to jump from eighth to fifth on the money list with $55,385, with the final top 10 earning LPHA Tour cards.
Stoelting had rounds of 65 and 71, and Talley shot 68-68.