Former Mustang rallies for first pro golf win

Four strokes off the lead with one round to play.

Danny Walker found himself in that situation Sept. 16 during the Mackenzie Tour’s Freedom 55 Financial Championship at Highland Golf Club in London, Ontario.

The 2014 Lakewood Ranch High graduate, who won the 2010-2011 Florida High School Athletic Association 2A State Championship
(-3) at Juliette Falls Golf Club in Dunnellon, is a rookie on the Mackenzie Tour (the PGA's Canadian tour) after graduating from the University of Virginia in May. He sat at 13 under par before the final round and tournament leader Jonathan Garrick was at 17 under par.

Walker, third at the time, also understood he needed to finish at least second to crack the top-25 on the tour’s 2018 earnings list which would qualify him for the Web.com Tour Qualifying School's Second Stage, an important step in earning status on the higher tour.

He did better than finishing second. He shot a six-under 64 to finish 19 under par for the victory.

“My irons were the best thing working for me,” Walker said. “I made some good putts as well. For the tournament, I was second in greens in regulation and first in scrambling.

“I couldn’t look at the leaderboard (during his final round). I was trying to focus on my own game.”

Garrick shot an even-par 70, and Carter Jenkins, who started the day in second place at 15 under par, shot a one-under 69. Walker raced past them and won by two strokes.

As he lifted up the championship trophy, his mind was less on his first professional win and more on what that win meant. He would be able to skip the first two stages of the Web.com Qualifying School and advance directly to the Final Stage, a four-round tournament to be held Dec. 6-9 at Whirlwind Golf Club in Chandler, Az.

At the least, by getting to the Final Stage, Walker will be given conditional status on the Web.com tour in 2019, but if he finishes in the top-40 in the Final Stage, he will be granted full membership for a designated period of time, depending on where exactly he finishes.

“No matter how good you are, you can have an off week in golf,” Walker said. “This (skipping to the final stage) gets rid of some variables. It’s huge.”

In the days following the win, Walker did find time to reflect. Not many golfers manage to win a professional golf tournament, no matter the tour.

Walker started golfing when he was 3, with a cut-down club given to him by his grandfather, Robert Walker. He would pester his father, Jim Walker, to take him mini-golfing nearly every weekend, he said. It was Danny’s favorite bonding time.

Then he discovered Tiger Woods. Walker would watch Woods’ events enthralled at his ability, he said. It was Woods, plus Walker’s family’s acceptance of his mini-golf obsession, that led to Walker dreaming of playing professionally someday.

He’s accomplished that goal, and his loftier ones are getting within reach.

Walker said he doesn’t yet know which tournaments he will play between now and the final qualifying stage, but would like to play three to four events to stay sharp. He’s also plans on flying to Arizona in November to play the Whirlwind course.

Depending on Walker’s finish in the Final Stage, area golf fans may get a chance to see the rising star next year. The fifth Web.com Tour event of the 2019 season will be the Suncoast Classic, a new event held at Lakewood National Golf Club from Feb. 7-10 and featuring a $550,000 purse.