Rain. Lots of it. That is basically what most people remember when they think back to the 2016 PGA Championship. It wasn't just a golf tournament; it was a grueling test of patience and stamina at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey.
Jimmy Walker won.
He didn't just win, though. He wire-to-wire'd the thing, which is incredibly hard to do in a modern major. But the way it happened was weird. Because of the torrential downpours on Saturday, the schedule got completely trashed. Walker had to play 36 holes on Sunday. Imagine walking miles in high humidity, hitting high-pressure shots for nearly ten hours, all while Jason Day—the defending champ and world number one at the time—is breathing down your neck. It was intense.
Honestly, the 2016 PGA Championship felt like a throwback. Baltusrol is this old-school, "Big Boy" golf course. No gimmicks. Just long par 4s and a finish that requires you to actually hit the ball straight.
Why the 2016 PGA Championship was a Scheduling Nightmare
The weather was the primary antagonist. Friday was fine, but Saturday was a washout. Most of the leaders didn't even tee off for their third round before the clouds opened up. This created a massive logjam. The PGA of America had a choice: finish on Monday or cram it all into Sunday. They chose the latter.
This meant the leaders were playing the third and fourth rounds back-to-back.
You’ve probably seen highlights of guys playing through the mud, but it’s the mental fatigue that really gets you. Jimmy Walker started the day with a narrow lead. He shot a 68 in the morning (the third round) and then had to turn right back around and do it again. Most golfers have a routine. They eat a specific meal, they hit the range for 45 minutes, they meditate. That all went out the window. It was just survival.
Interestingly, they didn't even re-pair the golfers between the third and fourth rounds. That's almost unheard of in a major. Usually, the leaders go out last so the drama builds. But to save time, the PGA kept the same groups from the morning. It felt a bit disjointed, but it worked.
Jimmy Walker’s Career-Defining Performance
Before the 2016 PGA Championship, Jimmy Walker was known as a very good player who maybe hadn't quite reached that elite "Major Winner" status. He had a beautiful, flowing swing. Very classic. But he was 37 years old. In golf years, that’s getting toward the back half of your prime.
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He opened with a 65. People thought he’d fade. He didn’t.
What really stood out was his putter. Baltusrol’s greens are notoriously tricky, but Walker was seeing lines that nobody else was. On Sunday afternoon—technically his second round of the day—he held steady while everyone else was charging.
Then came the 18th hole.
Jason Day, playing in the group ahead, hit one of the best shots in the history of the tournament. He went for the par-5 18th in two and stuck a 2-iron to about 15 feet. He made the eagle putt. The crowd went absolutely ballistic. Suddenly, Walker, who had a three-shot lead just a few minutes prior, was only one shot up. He was standing in the fairway hearing the loudest roar of the weekend.
He needed a par to win.
Most guys would have crumbled. The pressure of a closing eagle from the world’s best player is enough to make anyone thin a wedge into the water. But Walker played it smart. He took a par. He tapped in, looked up at the grey New Jersey sky, and realized he was a major champion. It was a 67 in the final round. Clean. Professional. Brutal.
The Baltusrol Factor
You can't talk about the 2016 PGA Championship without talking about the Lower Course at Baltusrol. It’s a Tillinghast design. That means it’s meant to be "man-sized."
There are no weak holes.
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What made 2016 unique was how soft the course played. Usually, Baltusrol is firm and fast. Because of the rain, the fairways were "velcro." The ball would land and just stop. This actually helped the long hitters like Jason Day and Brooks Koepka, but it also meant the course played much longer than its yardage.
- Total Yardage: Over 7,400 yards.
- The Signature Finish: Consecutive par 5s at 17 and 18.
- The Rough: Thick, wet, and punishing.
A lot of the "analytics" guys will tell you that the 2016 event was won in the dirt. You had to hit it long enough to have short irons into those soft greens. If you were hitting long irons all day, you were dead. Walker averaged over 300 yards off the tee that week, which was the secret sauce to his victory.
The Guys Who Almost Had It
Jason Day was the story for most of the week. He was trying to become the first player to defend the PGA title since Tiger Woods. He came so close. That eagle on 18 is still one of the most clutch moments in golf history, even if it ended up being for second place.
Then there was Branden Grace and Hideki Matsuyama. They were both lurking. Matsuyama, specifically, was starting to show the form that would eventually win him a Masters a few years later. He finished T4.
Daniel Summerhays also had the week of his life, finishing third. It’s funny how majors work; you get these guys who find a "hot" week and suddenly they are mixing it up with legends. Summerhays was incredibly steady, but he just didn't have that extra gear to catch Walker in the final few holes.
The Stats That Matter
If you’re looking at why Jimmy Walker won the 2016 PGA Championship, it comes down to Strokes Gained: Putting. He gained over 6 shots on the field just on the greens. In a tournament decided by one stroke, that is the entire margin of victory.
He also didn't beat himself. Over 72 holes, he only made eight bogeys. On a course that was playing that long and under those conditions, that is statistical wizardry. He kept the ball in front of him.
It was a masterclass in "boring" golf, which is exactly how you win majors.
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What Happened After 2016?
The aftermath of this tournament is actually kind of sad. Jimmy Walker struggled with Lyme disease shortly after his win. It sapped his energy and derailed what looked like a Hall of Fame trajectory. It makes his win at Baltusrol even more significant in hindsight. It was his peak.
For the PGA Championship itself, 2016 was one of the last times it was played in the sweltering heat of late July. A few years later, the tournament moved to May. Looking back at the sweaty, rain-soaked shirts and the lightning delays of 2016, you can kind of see why they made the move.
The 2016 event proved that the "August slide" (even if it was late July) was real. The humidity in New Jersey that week was oppressive. Moving to May has generally provided better turf conditions and more predictable weather, but we lost a bit of that "grind it out in the heat" soul that defined Walker’s win.
Actionable Insights from the 2016 PGA Championship
If you are a student of the game or just a fan looking to understand what made this event special, here are the takeaways.
Manage the Marathon
Walker won because he didn't let the 36-hole Sunday break him. In your own life or sports, when the schedule breaks, the person who adapts fastest wins. Don't complain about the rain; just play.
The Putter is the Great Equalizer
Jason Day outplayed Walker in almost every "power" category. He hit it further and hit more greens in regulation. But Walker made the 10-footers for par. If you want to win, you have to be clinical from inside 15 feet.
Play to Your Strengths
Walker knew he couldn't out-power Jason Day in a head-to-head distance battle. He focused on his wedge play and his mid-range putting. He played his game, not Day's game.
Understanding Course History
Baltusrol rewards accuracy over everything else. Even though it was soft, the guys who missed the fairway in the thick rough had no chance of holding those greens. If you're betting on or playing a Tillinghast course, look for "Total Driving" stats—a mix of distance and accuracy.
The 2016 PGA Championship stands as a testament to grit. It wasn't the prettiest tournament, and the weather tried its best to ruin the show, but Jimmy Walker's 14-under-par performance remains one of the most underrated major victories of the 21st century. He stood his ground against the best in the world on a day that never seemed to end.