22nd Jan 2013 | Farmers Insurance Open
Farmers Insurance Open Tips: Jimmy Walker
Keeps improving as the seasons pass and finished T8 here last year.
Jimmy Walker is yet to win on tour in 165 starts, but as with the tortoise versus the hare, he is making slow but steady progress to the winning line.
End of year FedEx Cup standing:
2008: 192
2009: 148
2010: 72
2011: 68
2012: 43
Last year the 34-year-old from Oklahoma enjoyed his most consistent year on tour with six top-10s contributing to his best ever finish in the FedEx Cup.
Ranked seventh on tour for driving distance, Walker has the power to compete on long courses like Torrey Pines South but he’s lacked the ability to string four good rounds together. Last season he didn’t shoot four consecutive rounds in the 60s until the Canadian Open at the end of July.
The early signs in 2013 are encouraging though. At the Sony Open he shot four rounds in the 60s to finish T26 and followed that up with rounds of 66-70-66-67 at the Humana Challenge. The big improvement is his iron play, his approach shots are getting closer to the pin and he ranks 30th for GIRs, compared to 116th last year.
If Jimmy Walker continues this upward trend then he could improve on last year’s T8 at the Farmers, making him an attractive each-way bet at 66/1 (Sportingbet) with ¼ odds for a top-5 finish.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 13:49 22nd Jan, 2013 but subject to change
