Australian golf star Jason Day has damaged a five-year PGA Tour title drought with an emotion-charged Mom’s Day victory on the $US9.5 million [$A14.3m] AT&T Byron Nelson Championship in Texas.
A yr after dropping his mum Adenil ‘Dening’ Day to cancer and tumbling exterior the highest 100, Day denied Scottie Scheffler the prospect to return to world No.1 in a tense Sunday shootout at TPC Craig Ranch.
Day fired an excellent bogey-free final-round nine-under-par 62 to safe a steely one-shot win over Si Woo Kim [63] and American Austin Ekroat [65].
Kim’s countryman CT Pan [62] was fourth at 21 underneath, with Scheffler [65] in the end ending fifth three pictures again after being unable to stick with Day down the stretch.
Kim birdied the final to briefly be part of Day atop the leaderboard however the Queenslander held his nerve to reply and ship his spouse Ellie – greenside and closely pregnant with the couple’s fifth youngster – her personal priceless Mom’s Day reward.
In a poignant tribute, Day’s caddie sported a bib together with his mom’s start title ‘Adenil’ and the impressed former world No.1 honoured her reminiscence in model together with his first event win because the 2018 Farmers Insurance coverage Open.
Jason Day’s caddie Luke Reardon wears ‘Adenil’ on his bib – the title of the Aussie golf star’s late mom
Day’s mom sadly handed away from most cancers final yr however the Aussie golfer mentioned he might really feel her spirit with him on the course
Day’s spouse Ellie and their 4 kids watch daddy declare the PGA Tour win on Mom’s Day in Texas
‘This was the primary one [Mother’s Day] sort of with out her so to have her on my caddy bib was particular,’ Day mentioned.
‘After which clearly Ellie, the quantity of sacrifices she’s made for me and my profession, I simply can’t thank her sufficient.’
In an enormous confidence booster forward of subsequent week’s US PGA Championship, the season’s second main in New York, Day completed at 23 underneath and had solely three bogeys for the week.
Fittingly, the 35-year-old ended his barren run on the identical event the place he clinched his maiden PGA Tour win in 2010.
However his thirteenth triumph is much more particular and completes Day’s tumultuous journey again from heartache and despair.
He was languishing at a hundred and seventy fifth on this planet final September earlier than rebuilding his swing to fight the debilitating again damage that threatened to prematurely finish a once-great profession.
However the 2016 PGA Championship winner’s resilience is now paying off, with Day among the many hottest gamers on the planet as soon as extra.
Day proudly poses with the primary PGA Tour trophy he has received in 5 years after claiming an emotional victory in Texas
Day’s victory is sealed with a kiss from spouse Ellie who was on the course with all 4 of their kids on Mom’s Day
Day shares an embrace together with his eldest son Sprint who simply six years previous the final time his dad received a PGA tour title
He posted six top-10 finishes this yr and eight consecutive top-20s earlier than an premature bout of vertigo cruelled his Masters’ possibilities.
In addition to the trophy, the 35-year-old pocketed a cheque for $US1.7 million [$A2.6m] after snapping his 1835-day title drought.
‘It has been a struggling few years so to have the ability to get the win the way in which I performed immediately was actually particular,’ Day mentioned.
‘I’ve had loads of accidents with my again and for a second there I believed I wasn’t going to play once more after which simply attempting to get by way of these two years and simply attempting to get by way of a event was troublesome.
‘So to be on the opposite aspect of it, being wholesome, feeling good about my sport, lastly profitable once more, there is no higher feeling actually.’
Day and Scheffler each began the spherical two pictures behind co-leaders Ryan Palmer, Eckroat and China-born Dallas native Zecheng Dou, who moved clear early on Sunday.
However the cream rose to the highest after Dou opened the door with a double-bogey on eighth gap.
Day and Scheffler picked up 4 pictures every to enter the again 9 joint prime at 18 underneath, with 22 gamers inside three pictures of the lead.
After cruelling hitting the opening together with his strategy on the eleventh and darting off the inexperienced, Day had {the golfing} gods on his aspect when he chipped in for birdie on the subsequent to assert the solo lead for the primary time.
He was by no means headed.
Compatriot Adam Scott loved the clubhouse at 19 underneath following an eight-birdie final-round 63 earlier than ultimately settling for equal seventh.
Aaron Baddeley (68) tied for twenty third at 15 underneath, whereas David Micheluzzi (70) completed at 9 underneath in a decent share of 67th on his PGA Tour debut.
