Walker Clear About Own Talent After Lyme Disease Battle

Everything seemed to be going well for Jimmy Walker when he won the 2016 PGA Championship.

- Kimberly Kwek

The American had been on an upward trajectory since claiming a breakthrough victory at the 2013 Frys.com Open, his 188th start on the PGA Tour.

He captured five other titles, including the Major triumph, on the Tour in the next three years and was also part of the United States team who won the Ryder Cup in 2016.

But things quickly went south as Walker revealed in 2017 that he had been diagnosed with Lyme disease, an illness transmitted by tick bites. Symptoms include headaches, brain fog, insomnia, nausea, joint pain, and weight gain or loss.

He told The Straits Times: "I was playing very well, the best I'd been playing. I'd just won a Major and was playing in Ryder Cups, and Presidents Cups, winning a lot and playing well.

"In the beginning, it wasn't that big of a deal but as it progressed, I was so fatigued, I just couldn't practise any more. All I could do was get up and go play and it really took a toll on my game and then the mental part of it kicked in and it just got really tough."