IN the car park out the back of Royal County Down, Rory McIlroy poses for pictures and signs autographs while Shane Lowry stews over the final bogey that took the shine off a solid second round.
Around 100 yards away, in between the grandstand at the 18th and the stone paths that lead to the Royal County Down clubhouse, Jimmy Walker is leaving his card into the recorder’s office.
Over here, nobody is clambering for selfies or signatures.
Yet, outside of Lowry and McIlroy, there are few others in Newcastle this week with a résumé to rival the Oklahoma native. Certainly in terms of US representation, following on from Billy Horschel’s withdrawal last week, he is the biggest American name in the field.
Twice selected for the Ryder Cup, Walker’s sole Major – at the PGA Championship in 2016 – came more recently than McIlroy’s last. But the reason he has been drawing second glances on the way around the County Down course is because of the distance fallen from the upper echelons of the game since.
A long and difficult journey began five months after his crowning moment when, at the World Cup in Australia in late 2016, Walker first noticed something had changed. From that point came cycles of extreme, unexplainable, life-inhibiting exhaustion, until eventually he was diagnosed with Lyme disease.
A bacterial infection spread by an infected tick, he reckons it could have been picked up hunting back at home, though there is no memory of suffering a bite; just the fall-out from it, a physical and mental toll taken that left him unable to play, unable to practice, unable to live life the way he wanted to.
Depressed, sapped of the confidence that had taken him to the top, his ranking tumbled as opportunities slipped by. At his best, Walker was the 10th best golfer in the world. Currently, he occupies number 556.
Before pitching up in Newcastle, the last competition played was the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Michigan at the end of June. He missed the cut. So for those surprised to see him at the Irish Open, and wondering why is he here when so few other Americans are, the answer is fairly straightforward.
“Well,” he says in a southern drawl, “I didn’t have a place to play.
“I kinda asked around, with the changes to the tour and I didn’t play well this year… just not getting in. As a golfer, you wanna play. I’ve been at home long enough with the boys - it was time to go to work.”
And, so far, it has been a rejuvenating experience.
One-under-par after the opening two rounds, he comfortably made it through to the weekend, at one point edging up the leaderboard at three under before a double-bogey at his penultimate hole, the eighth, stole some sheen.
“Um, y’know, I hit some really great shots on my front nine, I just really didn’t convert any of the birdies.
“I finally got one to go on one for eagle, then birdie two, that got me rolling, and then the wind kinda picked up from a different direction – it’s not blowing much harder or anything, it just made it different.
“All week we had to really hit some shots into the wind, but I’m really pleased with the day. I’d like to get eight back, but that kinda stuff happens out there… super-thrilled, didn’t know what to expect.
“I haven’t played in quite a while.”
It is a first-ever time setting foot on Royal County Down too, the course providing a true test of the work Walker has been doing behind the scenes in a bid to get his career back on track.
“It fits in with a lot of the ones I’ve played… you know, there’s some blind tee shots, but it’s generous when you get out there. You kinda know that in the back of your head.
“Then there’s some holes that are really tight, you just to see it right off the tee. It’s got a great mix, but I’ve enjoyed it… the greens have been beautiful, some of the faster links greens I’ve ever putted on.
“Now I’m excited for the weekend – I’ve been working pretty hard the past two months, working on golf swing, working on putting, chipping, definitely the ball striking has shown.
“The confidence to come here and do it, especially on a difficult driving golf course… it’s a lot easier when you’re at home playing your home country club and all the places you know.
I’m really pleased, so we’ll see what happens.”
The intermittent rain and howling winds on Tuesday and Wednesday should go some way to preparing him for a turn in weather over the weekend, though Walker knows nothing is off the table between now and the final ball being sunk.
“It played very difficult Wednesday,” said the 45-year-old, “I teed off at 11.30, played the front and it’s one of the harder nine holes of golf I’ve ever played.
“You just take whatever it gives you… I mean, the wind did a complete 180, like a clock, today. I watched it work its way all around, so who knows. It’s going to be tough.”
But those things, for now anyway, feel beyond his control. Instead he is just enjoying being out there, doing what he always did best.
“[Lowry and [Robert] McIntyre were a couple of groups in front of us, you could see that and it’s fun… it’ll be fun on the weekend if you’re up near the top, you get to see the crowds.
“I love all the people here, the people who come out to watch golf, everybody’s so generous with their claps…. it’s so different. If you’re not hitting it to five feet every time, they don’t care.
“Everybody here knows when you hit a good shot, and a good shot could be 30 feet… you just don’t get that at home.
“Y’know, it’s been a long time - the last two or three years have been pretty rough. I felt like Lyme kinda hurt my golf game in a few spots… I feel good, but there’s still residual stuff I deal with.
“I didn’t know what to expect coming in here; I didn’t know how I was gonna play, especially being an Irish Open, a links-style golf course - it’s difficult.
“If you don’t have your faculties together it exposes you pretty fast, so I’m thrilled.”
