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Baltusrol Bits – Sunday Championship Edition

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Good Evening from the 98th PGA Championship at historic Baltusrol Golf Course in my hometown of Springfield, New Jersey.

THE FIRST: With Jimmy Walker’s first major victory, he joins Danny Willett (The Masters, Dustin Johnson (U.S. Open) and Henrik Stenson (Open Championship) as all four players won their first major title this season. The last time that the Masters, U.S. Open, Open Championship and the PGA Championship were all won by first-time major champions in the same season was in 2011 (Charl Schwartzel/Masters, Rory McIlroy/U.S. Open, Darren Clarke/Open Championship, Keegan Bradley/PGA Championship).

TOP FIVE MONEY: 1-$1,800,000, 2-$1,080,000, 3-$680,000, 4-$480,000, 5-$400,000.

TOP FINISHERS: 1-Walker -14 (65-66-68-67–266), 2-Day -13 (68-65-67-67–267), 3-Daniel Summerhays -10 (70-67-67-66—270), T4-Brenden Grace -9 (70-68-66-67—271), T4-Hideki Matsuyama -9 (69-67-67-68—271), T4-Brooks Koepka -9 (68-67-66-70—271).

CONSISTENT DAY: Jason Day’s fourth round 3-under 67 (68-65-67-67–267) marks the 12th time in his last 13 rounds in the PGA Championship where he has posted a score in the 60s, dating back to his final round of the 2013 Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York. Day was looking to become the sixth player to win consecutive PGA Championships. To date, only Tiger Woods (1999-2000, ’06-07), Denny Shute (1936-37), Walter Hagen (1924-27), Gene Sarazen (1922-23) and Jim Barnes (1916 and ’19; no Championship was played in either 1918 or ’19 due to World War I) have captured back-to-back Championships.

COOL OFF: Open Champion Henrik Stenson cooled off in the final round, shooting a 1-over 71, thanks to a double-bogey on 15. Stenson saw his streak of seven straight rounds in the 60s come to an end, dating back to the Open Championship (68-65-68-63-67-67-67-71). Stenson’s bid to become the first player to win consecutive major championships in a single year since Jordan Spieth accomplished the feat at the Masters and U.S. Open in 2015, came to an end.

MICKELSON: Phil Mickelson, the 2005 PGA Champion at Baltusrol made birdies on 17 and 18 to end his final round with his second straight 68 to finish the tournament at 3-under.

“I have not had three weeks off in the summer for over two decades, and I’ll take these three weeks off and be fresh and ready heading into the FedExCup. I’ll take probably the first week off and then really start to get ready,” said Mickelson. “That’s a good stretch of golf of those four playoff events and the Ryder Cup. I’m looking forward to those five events. This is the first time where I’m excited to play all four FedExCup events. Usually I only play three. I’ll be fresh and excited to go out in the Ryder Cup, too.”

STILL TIME TO SHOP: The Championship Shops will be open to the public on Monday from 9:00 a.m.-4 p.m. NO TICKET IS NECESSARY.  ALL remaining 2016 PGA Championship logoed merchandise will be 60% OFF.

BIRDIES, PARS, BOGEYS: Have to be impressed with England’s Tyrrell Hatton. The 24-year-old, who tied for fifth in the Open Championship, opened with a 1-over 71 on Thursday. He followed that with three straight rounds in the 60s (71-68-66-68–273) to finish 7-under for the tournament. His last three tournaments: 2nd, T5th, and T7th and in his last eight, he has finished within the top seven five times. … 16 players in the final round went birdie-birdie on 17 and 18. … Before Thursday’s first two groupings teed off at 7 a.m., the PGA Championship began with 50 players age 29 or younger. Of the 86 who made the 36-hole cut, 26 are age 29 or younger. … Did you know? Jimmy Walker and his caddie, Andy Sanders, met here at Baltusrol 16 years ago at the 2000 U.S. Amateur on the Upper Course. … The new PGA Championship scoreboard wall in media center was tremendous, wireless not so much … Shout out to the grounds crew and volunteers at Baltusrol, who worked tirelessly under extreme weather conditions to keep the grounds perfect for the players and the fans. … Final applause goes to the first responders, all the tournament volunteers, and the residents of Springfield, who came up MAJOR all week. Y’all did our town proud. Let’s get ready for the next one and now I’m cracking out my flashlight to finally find Mickelson’s ball on Shunpike Road.

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