Jimmy Walker wins Texas Open to become first two-time PGA Tour winner

Jimmy Walker won his hometown Texas Open on Sunday to become the first two-time winner this season on the PGA Tour, beating fellow Texan Jordan Spieth by four strokes.

Walker closed with a two-under-par 70 to finish at 11-under 277 at TPC San Antonio, a 35-minute drive from his home. The 36-year-old former Baylor player won the Sony Open in Hawaii by nine shots in January and has a tour-best five victories in the past two seasons.

“(Spieth) really made me fight hard,” Walker said. “He kept hitting it close, and I had to keep making putts.”

Walker made birdie putts of 15 feet at No. 16 and 17 feet at the 17th to help clinch the victory.

The 36-year-old former Baylor player won the Sony Open in Hawaii by nine shots in January and has a tour-best five victories in the last two seasons.

“Everybody says it’s hard to win at home,” Walker said, “(but) it’s hard to win any week — home, away, out of the country, it’s hard. So I feel good.”

Spieth also finished with a 70, making four late birdies in a row. The 21-year-old Dallas player was coming off a playoff victory two weeks ago at Innisbrook.

Walker and Spieth will move to career highs in the world ranking, with Spieth going from sixth to fourth and Walker from 13th to 10th.

FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel was third at four under after a 71.

Daniel Summerhays, second last year behind Steven Bowditch, tied for fourth with Chesson Hadley at three under. Summerhays closed with a 69, and Hadley had a 71.

Doral winner Dustin Johnson shot his second straight 68 to match Ryan Palmer at 2 under. Palmer also had a 68.

Phil Mickelson, looking for some momentum heading to the Masters, closed with a 76 to drop into a tie for 30th at four over.

Ten players finished under par, with the Oaks Course playing the toughest on the PGA Tour this season with a 74.581 stroke average — more than two shots over par. The previous high was PGA National’s Champion course at 1.832 over par for the Honda Classic.

Marc Warren and Harris English failed to crack the top 50 in the world ranking, which would have given them spots in the Masters. Warren, 52nd, needed to finish ahead of Brendan Todd to get in, but closed with a 70 to finish 35th. English, 53rd, needed at least a top 10. His final-round 72 only got him to 30th.

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Cristie Kerr closed with a seven-under 65 on Sunday and won the Kia Classic in Carlsbad, Calif., for her first LPGA Tour title in nearly two years.

Kerr made four straight birdies on the back nine at Aviara to pull away from Mirim Lee and 17-year-old Lydia Ko. It was her 17th career win, and her first since May 2013 at the Kingsmill Championship.

Her victory ended a streak of South Korean-born players winning the last seven LPGA events.

Ko didn’t make another birdie after the 14th hole and closed with a 67 to finish third. It was her 28th consecutive round under par on the LPGA Tour, one short of Annika Sorenstam’s record set in 2004.

Kerr finished at 20-under 268 to break the tournament record by six shots.

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David Frost survived a one-stroke penalty on the par-three 17th hole to win the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic in Saucier for his sixth Champions Tour title.

The 55-year-old South African finished with a four-under 68 at Fallen Oak for a one-stroke victory over 2011 winner Tom Lehman and second-round leader Kevin Sutherland.

Frost was penalized after his coin marking his ball on the green moved when he accidentally dropped the ball on it. That left him with a bogey, and he made a five-foot par putt on the par-four 18th for a 10-under 206 total. After playing the front nine in one under with a bogey and two birdies, he birdied Nos. 11-13 to take the lead and made another birdie on No. 15.

Lehman closed with a 70, and Sutherland had a 72. Lehman had a chance to force a playoff, but missed a four-foot birdie putt on the final hole.

Joe Durant was fourth at eight under after a 69.