PGA Tour’s Jimmy Walker Reveals Celestron Partnership

PGA Tour golfer Jimmy Walker, who has has three wins in six months, has announcemd a partnership with Celestron.

Walker, who is a keen astrophotographer, will receive observatory-grade astronomical equipment installed at a dark-sky site in New Mexico.

“As a kid, I remember having a telescope and looking at the Moon, Saturn and Jupiter. My fascination started with looking up,” Walker recalls. “From there, it evolved to attaching a camera and taking long exposures.”

Since Walker is on the road with his family for much of the year, the Celestron CGE Pro 1400 HD telescope is placed at a remote location that Walker can access via the Internet. Whether he’s at home in Dallas or at a tour event, Walker can control his telescope and conduct imaging sessions. The telescope then relays the raw images back to Walker, who applies his artistic touch in post-processing.

Walker’s three recent wins at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Fry’s Open and Sony Open have landed him in first place in the Ryder Cup standings. Walker is also slated to appear in his first Master’s tournament later this year. He brings the same tenacity to his astroimaging, becoming a respected imager within two years of first attaching a camera to his Celestron C-11 telescope. His photos have been featured on NASA’s prestigious Astronomy Photo of the Day blog and showcased in various astronomy-related publications.

Celestron will kick off its new partnership with Walker at the upcoming Northern Trust Open, February 12-16 in Pacific Palisades, Calif.