Jimmy Walker held on at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am for his third victory in his last eight starts on the PGA Tour. The win also solidifies his No. 1 spot on the FedEx Cup standings and will move Walker from No. 35 to a career-best No. 24 on the Official World Golf Rankings.

The tournament seemed well in hand for Walker, who at the close of Round 3 had a six-shot lead over Tim Wilkinson and Hunter Mahan. As per usual on the Monterey Peninsula, the weather played a huge factor in not only the pace of play but also on scoring. With wind gusts of up to 25 mph, the scoring was substantially higher than in past years, yielding a winning score for Walker of just 11-under (eight strokes off Brandt Snedeker’s winning mark in 2013).

Jimmy Walker stepped on the 10th tee with the tournament all but in his grasp, but with bogeys at Nos. 10, 11 and 13 he allowed eventual runner-up Dustin Johnson (66) to enter the mix. Johnson posted 10-under and waited in the clubhouse with hopes of a potential playoff. Johnson’s day was explosive with 7 birdies that were complemented with an eagle at the par-5 2nd hole. Other chasers included Jim Renner (67), who carded a back-nine 31 to shoot a final-round 67 tie for 2nd with Johnson, his best career finish.

The action became extremely tense on the 17th hole for Walker when his 24 foot birdie left him with a dicey 3.5-foot putt that he missed to card a bogey. This left Walker clinging to a one-stroke lead with the infamous tee shot on the par-5 18th at Pebble Beach waiting for him. With water left and trouble right, Walker protected his lead by clubbing back from the tee with a 3 iron. Although he hit his tee shot into the right rough, he was still able to reach the green in regulation and two putt for his victory. The winner’s share is worth 1.18 million to Walker’s account and 500 points to his ever-growing FedEx Cup point total.

Other notables who finished in the top 25 were 2010 U.S. Open Champion Graeme McDowell (T-7th), Pat Perez (T-7th — his third top-10 in his last five events) and Phil Mickelson, who carded a first-round 66 but stalled on the weekend and slipped to T-19 finish.

Next week it’s off to Pacific Palisades and the legendary Riviera Country Club better known as “Hogan’s Alley” where John Merrick will defend his title against a historically strong field.