KAPALUA, Maui >> The first-round leader at the SBS Tournament of Champions hoisted the trophy on Sunday only once over the past five years. Jimmy Walker would like to make that two in six.
The two-time Sony Open in Hawaii champion opened with a blistering 8-under 65 on Thursday to take a two-shot advantage over three other golfers in the opening round of the $6.1 million winners-only event played in good conditions at the expansive Plantation Course.
The Boerne, Texas, resident, who added the Wanamaker trophy to his collection after winning the 2016 PGA Championship, considers himself a top-shelf player these days. He has won six times on the PGA Tour and seems to enjoy playing golf in the 50th State.
Not only does he have two wins at Waialae Country Club, Walker also has a runner-up finish here on Maui after losing to Patrick Reed in a playoff in 2015.
He can’t put his finger on it, but as soon as he stepped off the plane the surroundings suddenly agreed with him.
“I enjoy being here,” Walker tried to explain. “I love the scenery. I’m a very visual person, so I enjoy looking out and watching the whales when I’m walking around. Just a pretty place. The food’s great. Everybody’s in a good mood. I love stepping off the plane and the air is just awesome. There’s just something — something does it for me here.”
Despite Walker’s bogey-free round, he is not alone in the red. Only 10 golfers didn’t manage to break par, with 11 pros within four shots of the lead. Jim Herman, Justin Thomas and Ryan Moore are tied for second with 6-under 67s. Daniel Berger and Jason Dufner are another shot back at 5-under 68.
In this star-studded event where four of the top six golfers in the world are plying their trade, the soon-to-be 38-year-old Walker feels comfortable trading swings with the big boys.
“I feel different,” Walker said. “I feel like I’m, I don’t know, part of the top level of golf now. It’s been a great ride. I think it’s just getting going, too. I’m excited. I don’t know if I’ve quite figured that out yet. It’s still real surreal, man.”
Walker isn’t alone in playing well here. Dustin Johnson won on Maui in 2013 and Jordan Spieth managed a similar feat by winning large last year, shooting 30 under for the tournament to hold off then-defending champion Reed by eight shots.
But among those three, Johnson is closest to the lead after opening with a 4-under 69. Reed shot a 70 and Spieth opened with a ho-hum 72. That’s a long way from 30 below par.
“Putting,” Spieth said when asked where he struggled the most. “The longest putt I made was the one on 18, and then wedge play. Just distance control on my scoring clubs there, when I had anywhere from 120 yards and in. So stuff that normally comes around with enough work. So I think as I started to get a little tentative with them, didn’t want to throw it behind holes. So be a little more aggressive, why not, the next few days.”
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama is also in the mix after shooting a 4-under 69. With other top-tier golfers in the field, Walker knows he’s a long way from getting victory No. 7. But if he plays as well as he did on Thursday, he may be tough to track down come Sunday.
“I don’t know, I think guys will tell you, when you play good, golf feels real easy,” Walker said. “I mean, it just does. God, why can’t I do that all the time? But you don’t and you can’t. Because it’s hard.”
