Golf: Humbled Aussie Day, inspired by NFL's Brady, back at Masters

AUGUSTA -- Former world number one Jason Day, humbled by poor results but inspired by age-defying NFL star Tom Brady, finds charging up the rankings more enjoyable the second time around.

The 35-year-old Australian, nagged by chronic back pain, missed the Masters last year for the first time since 2010, the year before sharing second in his Masters debut.

Now with a rebuilt swing and gritty determination, Day has five top-10 finishes in his past six PGA starts and after sinking to 175th in the world rankings has jumped back to 35th.

"To be back here this year is very special," Day said. "I didn't watch much (last year) out of the sheer disappointment that I wasn't able to compete. It hurt my confidence a lot, so I've been trying to work my way back."

Day, whose only major title came at the 2015 PGA Championship, has won 12 PGA events, most recently in 2018 at Quail Hollow. He recalls his heady days atop the rankings after his major triumph.

"You feel invincible, like it's never going to leave and you're going to be on top of the world for a long time," Day said. "All of a sudden you get injured and that mountain can be very jagged if you fall down it."

Day's mother, Dening, died last year of lung cancer, adding to his struggles.

"It has been an unbelievable learning experience, a very humbling experience," Day said. "To be able to go through this and try and reinvent yourself is unique and I've enjoyed that thoroughly."

Day also took motivation from Brady, who retired earlier this year at age 45 after winning a record seventh Super Bowl title in the 2020 season with Tampa Bay.

"For him to be at that young age of 45 and be competitive in the NFL, it's remarkable, a true testament to his ability," Day said. "And then the mental ability he has.

"For the longest time I said I'll get to 40 and think about retiring. I feel like I can play to 50 now, which is great, and would be nice to get another 15 years out of my career and see what this second half of my career could unfold."

Day hopes another major, and maybe another stint atop the rankings, aren't out of the question.

"I'm more excited by the journey and trying to get back there," Day said.

"When I got to number one, I thought I would feel a little bit different and didn't really change too much. It was sacrifice everything. It came from a very hard place. Forget about how your body feels, just kind of force it in there.

"This time around, I'm learning more about what I need to do to keep myself healthy... I'm enjoying the journey and I'm learning each and every day, and I've actually got a lot of love and passion for it."

Agence France-Presse

Golf: Jason Day in hunt at Houston Open

WASHINGTON -- Sam Burns fired a two-under par 68 on Saturday at the Houston Open to maintain a one-stroke lead heading into the final round of the US PGA Tour event in Texas.

The 24-year-old American sits at nine-under 201 for a one-shot cushion over Australia's Jason Day and Carlos Ortiz of Mexico at the difficult Memorial Park Golf Course.

“I think this golf course, it’s not a matter of if, it it’s a matter of when this golf course will hit you,” Burns said. “I think for me, just being able to hang in there.”

Day, who will turn 33 next week, and Ortiz both shot a three-under 67s to reach eight-under 202.

Austria's Sepp Straka was one shot back in fourth after a 66 as both he and Burns are seeking their first PGA Tour titles.

With the global pandemic still gripping the United States, organizers are using the Houston Open as a testing ground for the return of spectators with some 2,000 a day being allowed on the grounds.

World number one Dustin Johnson, who is playing in his first event since getting the coronavirus and missing October tournaments, was alone in fifth place after shooting a second straight 66. He had an uncharacteristic 72 in his opening round.

South Africa's two-time European Tour winner Dawie van der Walt and Aaron Wise of the United States were tied for sixth at five-under 205, four shots back of Burns.

Day has been battling some health issues of late but his play this week has been very consistent.

"Right now I'm in contention, I'm one back going into tomorrow's round, so it's positive in regards to how I feel like I'm playing," Day said. "I think the golf swing is holding up quite nicely and the body is, too."

Burns, ranked 179th in the world, opened his round with back-to-back bogeys on the second and third holes but clawed that back with a birdie on the par-four No. 4 and an eagle on the par-five eighth, where he chipped in from a greenside bunker.

"I kind of necked the tee shot, but fortunately it stayed in the first cut," Burns said.

He had two more bogeys on the ninth and the 11th holes and then finished strong with three birdies in a four hole stretch, beginning at the par-four 13th. 

Burns landed his 181-yard approach shot on the 14th just two feet from the cup then made the easy putt.

He two-putted for birdie on 16 after landing a 230-yard second shot onto the green.

Agence France-Presse

Golf: Jason Day settles in tie for 4th at PGA Championship

Jason Day finished with a 66, but a bogeyless final round wasn't enough for a PGA Championship win on Sunday (US time).

Day, who closed with a 10-under 270, finished in a tie for 4th to 8th places with four Americans.

The Australia-raised Filipino gave himself a chance at least for a playoff in a closely contested leaderboard at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, but Collin Morikawa of the United States charged ahead in the last 5 holes -- highlighted by an eagle on the 16th -- to win.

Morikawa outshot a world-class field to capture his first major title by two strokes.

The 23-year-old from California fired a 6-under 64 final round to finish on 267.

Morikawa drove the green at the par-4 16th to set up an epic eagle that provided his margin of victory.

Third-round leader Dustin Johnson had to settle for a tie for second with England's Paul Casey. Johnson shot a 68 and Casey closed with a 66 to reach 11-under 269.

Joining Day at joint 4th were Matthew Wolff, Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau and Scottie Scheffler, three shots adrift of Morikawa.

Morikawa had four birdies, including two in his first four holes as he got off to a hot start. But it was his eagle at No. 16 that separated him from the tight pack at the top of the leaderboard.

Brooks Koepka failed in his bid for a historic three peat. 

The two-time defending PGA champion got off to a woeful start with four bogeys on the front nine en route to a four-over 74. 

Tiger Woods rebounded from a frustrating third round to shoot a 67 and finish one under for the tournament. 

Woods struggled on the greens early in the tournament, but found his putting groove Sunday, needing just 21 putts in the fourth round.

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Golf: Johnson grabs 1-shot lead at PGA Championship; Jason Day stays in hunt

Dustin Johnson made eight birdies to shoot a 5-under-par 65 and grab a one-shot lead after the third round of the PGA Championship on Saturday.

Jason Day finished with a decent even-par 70, falling into a 6-way tie for 7th to 12th places and 3 shots adrift of Johnson.

Johnson had four birdies on the front nine then birdied three of his final five holes to reach nine-under 201 at the TPC Harding Park in San Francisco.

It was the eighth straight round in the 60s at the PGA Championship for Johnson, who nearly chased down Brooks Koepka in the final round at Bethpage Black last year before losing by two shots.

Americans Scottie Scheffler (65) and Cameron Champ (67) are tied for second at eight-under 202.

Two-time defending camp Koepka shot a 1-under 69. Koepka, who is trying to become the first to win three straight majors since the 1950s, looked unflappable until a bogey on the 13th hole which began his back nine struggles. 

A stretch of three straight bogeys moved Koepka down the leaderboard but he recovered with birdies on No. 16 and 18. He is at seven-under 203, two shots adrift of Johnson. 

Third-round leader Li Haotong, of China, shot a 73 and like Koepka he struggled on the par-four No. in 13 with a double bogey. He made bogey two more times before 18 and finished at 5-under 205.

Li is trying to become the first player from China to win a major championship.

The first PGA championship on the US west coast since 1988 is being played without spectators because of the coronavirus restrictions.

Agence France-Presse

Golf: Struggling Day hopes Australian Open gives him a lift

SYDNEY -- Former world number one Jason Day said Thursday he will take another crack at winning his maiden Australian Open this year, hoping to find form on home soil after a slide down the rankings.

Day has plunged to 23 in the world after a US PGA Tour season in which the Australian's best result was tied fourth at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February. 

In majors, his only top 20 finish saw him tied for fifth at the US Masters in April.

"It's the tournament we all grew up watching and I've said before that I want to win a few of them, so there's no better time to start than December," Day said of the event that will be played at the Australian Golf Club in Sydney for a record 21st time. 

The last time he played the Australian Open in 2017 at the same Sydney venue, Day held the lead after 54 holes before finishing fifth.

"I nearly got one at The Australian a couple of years ago and it's a course that really sets up well for me," said the 2015 US PGA Champion.

"There is something about playing our national open that gives me a lift," he added.

That near-miss at the season-ending event proved to be a springboard into 2018, when he went on to win twice on the US PGA Tour.

Countrymen Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith are also confirmed starters at the tournament from December 5-8, which is played a week before Melbourne hosts the Presidents Cup between the USA and International teams.

Organisers are hoping some of the players for that event will also sign up for the Australian Open, which was won last year by Mexico's Abraham Ancer who has already qualified to play for the International team.

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Golf: Day vows to bring different mindset to Presidents Cup

MELBOURNE - Former world number one Jason Day is determined to bring a more positive mindset to the Presidents Cup in Melbourne this year after struggling to produce his best for the Internationals team in four consecutive losses to the United States.

The Australian has reaped only seven points from his 20 matches in the biennial team tournament and is still bothered by his 2015 performance in South Korea where he claimed only a half-point as the Internationals were pipped 15.5 - 14.5.

In line to qualify for his fifth Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne in December, Day said he needed to "pick up the slack" as a now senior member of a team looking to break a seven-tournament losing streak.

"I'm the first one to put my hand up in regards to that because unfortunately, it has to start at the top, and I've made mistakes with regards to not mentally being there," he told reporters at the Zurich Classic.

"You can obviously see my results in Korea and I wasn't mentally there unfortunately with regards to being there for the team when I needed, performing for the team.

"That was one Presidents Cup that we had a very good opportunity to win, and sometimes you have to look at leadership and ask the questions why, and for me, I made the mistake and I need to understand we've got 11 other guys on the team that are trying just as hard or trying even harder than myself, so I've got to pick the slack up, too."

Day will partner countryman Adam Scott at the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic, one of a number of prospective Internationals pairings teeing off at the team-based tournament under the watch of captain Ernie Els.

Scott is not one of the top 10-ranked Internationals players who secure an automatic berth in the team but the former Masters champion is highly likely to be a captain's pick due to his depth of experience at Royal Melbourne.

Day and Scott, who have both carried the world number one ranking and each won majors, have only been paired once in four Presidents Cups -- in 2015 when they halved a four-ball match against Phil Mickelson and Zach Johnson.

Scott hoped they would rekindle that partnership at Royal Melbourne.

"I think we’re a hell of a team," he said.

"I’ve tried to push for it to happen more often, but there are a lot of different opinions and things to happen.

"You know, you have to play as a team member and do what’s best for the team, but I would definitely push for this pairing, certainly in Australia. I think it’s very formidable."

(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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Golf: Roars return as Tiger takes the Masters spotlight

Major winners Francesco Molinari, Louis Oosthuizen, Brooks Koepka, Jason Day and Adam Scott shared top spot at the Masters on Friday at the end of the second round, but it was Tiger Woods who commanded the spotlight once again at Augusta National.

Woods brought the roars back to the famed venue with a brilliant four-under-par 68, putting himself on track for a fifth Green Jacket. At six-under-par 138, the American is just one shot off the leaders heading into 'moving day.'

After an ordinary outward nine featuring three birdies offset by a pair of bogeys, Woods embarked on one of his trademark charges, carding three birdies after the turn to shoot up the leaderboard.

"I feel like I played my own way back into the tournament," said Woods. "I was just very patient today, felt very good to be out there doing what I was doing.

"This is now three straight majors that I've been in the mix and so it's good stuff."

The stage is now set for an extraordinary weekend as Woods attempts to slip into his first Green Jacket since 2005 and claim his first major since 2008.

Woods has made huge strides since returning from back fusion surgery nearly two years ago, collecting his 80th career PGA Tour title at last season's ending Tour Championships.

However, nothing less than a 15th major victory will quell talk of an unfulfilled comeback.

It would also reignite his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus's record haul of 18 majors.

On Friday, it was like old times as the 43-year-old turned up the buzz with each shot, the roars echoing across Augusta National when Woods rolled in a long birdie putt at 15 and continued until he walked off the 18th where his birdie putt clung to the lip leaving him a tap-in par.

The Woods show overshadowed everything else.

Any other time, a hobbled Day might have been the story after getting up off the deck to shoot five-under 67.

Barely able to walk after throwing out his back bending over to kiss his daughter on the practice range on Thursday, the battling Australian somehow turned in a near flawless scorecard, with six birdies and a single bogey.

"Pain is a funny thing, it goes up and down, and everybody's pain threshold is different," said Day, the 2015 PGA Championship winner.

"Someone that is in a lot of pain might feel something totally different compared to me, so it's hard.

"Every day I feel like I wake up with some sort of aches, you know, and I think you just kind of learn to live with it and you just go along the way."

Italian Molinari carded an error-free 67 for his best round in eight Masters that put the British Open champion in contention for a Green Jacket to go along with the Claret Jug he hoisted last year.

Koepka, who had shared a one-shot overnight lead, also deserved applause, staging a back nine recovery after a stumbling start to the second round. 

After a flawless opening round, Koepka had two bogeys and a double in his first six holes on Friday but the twice U.S. Open champion was able to regain his composure, steadying himself with six straight pars from the ninth.

He followed that with birdies at 15 and 18 to salvage a 71 and join the leaders at seven-under 137.

It also looked like old times for Australian Scott, the 2013 champion, who moved up the leaderboard with a four-under 68.

British Open winner Oosthuizen also joined the party with a 68, while world number two Dustin Johnson returned a two-under 70 to join Woods at six-under.

There was drama up and down the leaderboard.

Patrick Reed kept his Green Jacket defense alive, making the cut with a two-under 70, but Spain's Sergio Garcia, the 2017 champion, made an early exit for the second straight year after returning a 73.

World number one Justin Rose also headed for the exit after he bogeyed the final two holes to miss the cut by one shot. 

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Golf: Day optimistic major back pain will not return this week

Former world number one Jason Day is cautiously optimistic his back problems will not flair up and hamper his challenge at this week's Players Championship in Florida.

The Australian, the 2016 Players champion, made it through only six holes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last Thursday before back issues forced him to withdraw in pain.

"My long term confidence in terms of my back, I am not even thinking about it right now," Day told reporters at TPC Sawgrass on Tuesday.

"I feel really cautiously optimistic about how things are progressing and the way that I feel."

Day said last week that an MRI scan had revealed he had a tear in a disc in his lower back, which was causing him crippling pain when the problem flaired up.

"When pain starts shooting down my legs, that's obviously a no-go," he said.

"My back seizes up, and I can't really walk ... it feels like your world is ending. It feels like is this going to be the last time that I am going to pick up a golf club.

"It's not great mentally to come back from an injury so your confidence is hit a little bit, but overall I feel good about."

Day, who able to play 18 holes on Monday, said he had also spoken to Tiger Woods about having injections for back problems.

"My big concern was if I got them, how long would it last?" Day said.

"I have to be more disciplined with my physio and training ... We are all playing with some kind of aches and pains."

After withdrawing from the tournament at Bay Hill last week, Day decided to spend time with his family at Disney World.

That did not sit well with some on social media who wondered how he was unable to play, but was able to walk around a theme park.

"It was great," Day said. "When I have an injury, I get sad and depressed.

"I mean that's the biggest thing. I'm not going to be sitting in my bus depressed, and especially when the doctors tell me to go and walk."

Day said he was not going to let criticism on social media bother him either.

"I don't care, like, if people make memes about me. I think a lot of them are funny," Day said.

"I mean, it's fine. It is what it is. People trying to be funny and that, I get a good laugh out of it and I'm okay with that.

"You can tell between people that are being funny and people that are actually trying to ... that really hate you." 

(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina, editing Nick Mulvenney)

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Day hits spectacular shot en route to victory at Quail Hollow

Former world number one Jason Day almost aced the 17th hole on the way to a two-stroke victory at the Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina on Sunday.

After squandering a three-shot lead on the back nine, Day made amends to clinch his 12th PGA Tour victory in style at Quail Hollow in Charlotte ahead of Americans Nick Watney and Aaron Wise.

The Australian birdied the 16th and then took aim at the par-three 17th hole with a seven-iron from 230 yards.

His ball landed some 40 feet short of the pin, took a huge first bounce and finally clattered against the bottom of the flagstick on the fifth bounce.

Day was unlucky not to make a hole-in-one, but the stick also saved his ball from rolling off the back of the green.

The ensuing three-feet birdie restored his two-shot lead and he parred the last to finish at 12-under 272.

Day rated the victory one of the best of his career, not because of the quality of his play but more due to his ability to get the job done without his best game.

"I had no idea where the ball was going today, especially off the tee," he said in an interview on the 18th green.

"I missed a lot of fairways, missed a lot of greens. My short game stood the test, which is nice. This is probably one of the best wins I’ve ever had, just because of how hard everything was today."

It is only two years since Day was dominating the game, but he slightly lost his way and surrendered the spotlight.

However, a win at Torrey Pines in January showed that he was back in business, and his Quail Hollow victory is projected to elevate him to seventh in the world rankings.

Day, 30, acknowledged that plenty of doubts crept into his head when he bogeyed the 13th and 14th holes on Sunday to fall back into a tie with wise.

"The biggest thing is, you’re playing mental games with yourself," he said.

"Your sub-conscious is sitting there going, 'You’re going to fail, you’re going to fail, you’re going to fail.'

"I kept on saying to myself, 'No, just forget about those thoughts, keep pushing, keep pushing and give yourself opportunities.'

"I was putting great, pretty much all week and had a lot of good opportunities coming in."

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Ken Ferris)

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Fil-Aussie Jason Day returns to world's top 10

PARIS, France -- Former world number ones Jason Day and Rory McIlroy returned to the top 10 in the rankings on Tuesday, after the Australian's victory at Torrey Pines and McIlroy's second-placed finish in Dubai.

The 30-year-old Day jumped up four places after edging out Alex Noren in a play-off at the Farmers Insurance Open on Monday, after darkness had brought an early halt the previous day, to claim his first title since the 2016 Players Championship.

Four-time major winner McIlroy slipped out of the top 10 last year after failing to win in a season for the first time since 2008, but he moved up three spots to eighth despite losing out in a thrilling back-nine battle with Chinese youngster Li Haotong at the Dubai Desert Classic.

Li's victory at the weekend saw him become the first Chinese man to ever break the world's top 50, with a rise of 28 places to 32nd.

Spaniard Jon Rahm closed the gap on world number one Dustin Johnson, despite falling out of contention at Torrey Pines when a successful title defence would have seen him overhaul the American.

World top 20

1. Dustin Johnson (USA) 10.72 average pts

2. Jon Rahm (ESP) 9.55

3. Jordan Spieth (USA) 8.80

4. Justin Thomas (USA) 8.01

5. Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 7.40

6. Justin Rose (ENG) 7.39

7. Rickie Fowler (USA) 6.65

8. Rory McIlroy (NIR) 6.09 (+3)

9. Brooks Koepka (USA) 6.00 (-1)

10. Jason Day (AUS) 5.80 (+4)

11. Sergio Garcia (ESP) 5.66 (-2)

12. Henrik Stenson (SWE) 5.59 (-2)

13. Tommy Fleetwood (ENG) 5.43 (-1)

14. Marc Leishman (AUS) 5.19 (-1)

15. Tyrrell Hatton (ENG) 4.81 (+3)

16. Alex Noren (SWE) 4.75 (+3)

17. Paul Casey (ENG) 4.58 (-2)

18. Pat Perez (USA) 4.50 (-1)

19. Matt Kuchar (USA) 4.44 (-3)

20. Brian Harman (USA) 3.83

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Day beats Noren at sixth extra hole in playoff

LA JOLLA, California - Australian Jason Day won for the first time in 20 months when he beat Alex Noren in eerie silence in a playoff at the Farmers Insurance Open on Monday.

With the course closed to the public for logistical reasons, Day sealed victory with a birdie at the sixth extra hole after Swede Noren found a water hazard with his second shot at the par-five 18th at Torrey Pines.


It was the 11th PGA Tour triumph for Day, which lifted him from 14th in the world rankings to 10th. The 30-year-old had not won since the 2016 Players Championship when he was ranked number one.

"It's been a long time (without winning) so happy to start off the year great," said Day, who also triumphed here three years ago.

"I was close at the Australian Open last year and didn't quite get over the finish line, but it's really nice to get over the finish line here."

Day and Noren could not be separated in five extra holes on Sunday before the playoff was suspended due to darkness.

It lasted just one more hole on the resumption on Monday morning after Noren narrowly failed to clear the pond guarding the green with his second shot.

Day, who laid up after driving into the rough, punched his third shot to tap-in distance for an easy birdie, pretty much ending Noren's chances. After taking a penalty stroke, Noren had pitch in for a matching birdie, a task that proved too much.

The Swede was seeking his maiden PGA Tour victory. He has won nine times on the European Tour.

He had no regrets at going for the green from 250 yards, and was only a whisker from pulling off what would have probably set up an easy birdie. His ball landed on the bank of the pond but trickled back in.

"I thought if I hit a good one it would be back of the green," he said.

Day, meanwhile, has set his sights on returning to world number one. He dominated the game for a nearly 10-month stretch from August 2015 through May 2016, winning seven times, including his first major at the PGA Championship.

But family worries as his mother dealt with cancer, and a recurrent back problem subsequently set him back.

"The major championships always are key for me, I always want to be able to give myself a good opportunity at winning those, but this is the start of the road to get myself back to number one," said Day.

"I've got to shoot for that goal because if I don't, then I'm not working hard enough and I'm not doing the right things.

"I need to fight and have a goal for something and that's such a hard accomplishment to achieve that goal. It always keeps motivating me and going along."

(Reporting by Andrew Both, editing by Ed Osmond and Christian Radnedge) 

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Golf: Jason Day snatches third-round lead at Australian Open

Jason Day ended a frustrating run of par golf by making three late birdies to snatch the outright lead after the third round of the 102nd Australian Open on Saturday.

The former world No. 1's patience finally paid off when he made back-to-back birdies at the 14th and 15th holes after parring his first 13 holes. He did drop a shot when he bogeyed his penultimate hole for the second day in a row but made amends with a birdie at the last for a two-under-par 69 and a three-round total of 10-under-203.

Day, chasing his first title in 18 months since winning the 2016 Players Championship in Florida, will head into Sunday's final round with a one-stroke lead over his fellow Australian Lucas Herbert, who carded an even-par 71 to finish at nine-under after leading overnight.

Sweden's Jonas Blixt charged up the leaderboard into a share of third place at seven-under after a flawless 66, and was joined by the 2015 Australian Open champion Matt Jones, who signed for a 68.

"Jason's a world-class player, a former No. 1 in the world," Jones said. "(So) he'd be the favorite to win but we've seen many upsets before and as long as I manage my game and give myself birdie opportunities, anything can happen."

Australia's Cameron Smith, who teamed up with Blixt to win this year's Zurich Classic of New Orleans, was in fifth place at six-under after firing a third consecutive round of 69 while the defending champion Jordan Spieth shot a 70 to finish eight shots off the pace.

"If there's any place to come from way behind, it's here," Spieth said.

"If I can sneak a few breaks in, you know, get a couple of long putts to go or chip in or something like that. I’m going to have to have some magic."

 Day’s failure to pick up any early birdies saw him slip two shots behind Herbert but he drew level with his playing partner when Herbert took a double-bogey on the par-three 11th when he lost his ball in the bushes after an errant tee shot.

Day made a tap-in birdie at the par-5 14th after almost chipping in for eagle then snatched the lead with a birdie at the 15th. He narrowly missed a long putt on the 17th to salvage par to rejoin Herbert at nine-under but immediately regained his slim advantage with a superb approach on the 18th to set up birdie.

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Spieth struggles, Day shines at Australian Open

SYDNEY, Australia -- Jason Day made a spectacular return to the Australian Open on Thursday, finishing the first round just three shots off the lead as the defending champion Jordan Spieth struggled in tricky conditions.

Day, playing his national open for the first time in four years, made the most of his early morning tee time, rolling in eight birdies in perfect sunshine for a superb round of five-under-par 66.

The former world number one finished the opening day tied for third place with Nick Cullen, as Cameron Davis set the pace with a blistering round of 63 to lead by two strokes from Taylor Macdonald at The Australian Golf Club.

Spieth, playing in the afternoon when the wind had picked up, battled his way to an up-and-down round of one-under-par 70 to end the day seven shots off the lead on a heavily congested leaderboard.

Unable to build any momentum after making bogey at his first two holes, the American dropped three more shots but brightened up his card with six birdies, including a 20-foot putt at the final hole that fell into the cup.

Playing the back nine first, Day dropped a shot at the par-three 15th hole, then double bogeyed the eighth hole, his second last, but was otherwise pleased with his as he chases his first Australian Open title in a rare outing in his homeland.

- 'Good start to the week' -

"I made a couple of mistakes out there with some swings, but made, I think, eight birdies, which was nice and finished at five-under, which is a good start to the week," Day said.

"I think it would have been a little bit disappointing if I came out this morning and shot an even-par round. I think it's definitely out there to shoot a deep one.

"That's kind of the thing, you almost need to come out and capitalise when there's no wind, because it's very warm in the morning, the ball's starting to go a lot further in the mornings and there's no wind."

Davis, also playing in the morning, birdied six of his first seven holes before the wind gusts put a halt to his phenomenal start and he eventually signed for a 63, enough to grab a two-stroke lead over Macdonald, ranked 1,809th in the world.

Davis, who turned professional after winning the 2015 Australian Amateur title, and then helping Australia win the Eisenhower Trophy in 2016, could hardly contain his excitement after chipping in for birdie at the seventh to get to six-under.

The 22-year-old made his only bogey of the day at the ninth but regained his composure and played the back nine in three-under to claim the early outright lead.

"To be able to play the back nine without any bogeys, just keep on making a couple of birdies, I felt like that kind of shows that I was able to not get too far ahead of myself, which has definitely happened in the past," he said.

"That's one of the things I feel like is improving for me."

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Jason Day 'didn't want to play' after mom cancer scare

JEJU, South Korea -- Major-winner Jason Day said Wednesday he was targeting getting back to world number one after his mother's cancer scare had left him not wanting "to be on the golf course".
"My mum getting lung cancer was very difficult," the Australian told reporters ahead of the US PGA Tour's CJ Cup, which begins in South Korea on Thursday.

"I don't have any grandparents. I don't have my dad. I don't have anyone. If I lost my mum all I would have would be my two sisters," said the world number nine on Jeju Island.

"So realising how much she sacrificed for me growing up it meant a lot to me to be there for her. And I didn't want to be on the golf course.

"I knew that if she was going to die then I wanted to spend as much time as I could with her," he said, his voice cracking with emotion. "Because I only get to see her once a year.

"Fortunately the surgery (in March this year) went well and now I'm able to focus back on golf."

After making his major championship breakthrough by winning the 2015 US PGA Championship, the 29-year-old went on a hot streak to rise to the top of the world.

Day was still number one at the start of 2017 but with his last win coming a year and a half ago at the Players Championship his ranking has tumbled.

He missed the cut at the US Open and finished outside the top 20 in the Masters and the British Open.

Day has shown glimpses of form since, finishing ninth place in the US PGA Championship in August and recording two top 10s since.

"It was a little bit of a combination of things why I had this poor season. I was a little bit burnt out from 2016 and 2015," said Day.

"I didn't know how to handle being number one. Next time I get there again I will handle it a little bit differently," said Day, who has not been outside the world's top 10 since the end of the 2013 season.

"I still worked very hard to get through that burnt-out stage. And then my mum got lung cancer.

"Hopefully the distractions that I've had on the golf course and off the golf course have gone away and I can focus on climbing back to number one."

Ten of the world's top 30 will tee off on Jeju Island, south of the mainland, in the second event of a three-week swing as the US PGA Tour spreads its wings further into Asia.

World number four and US PGA Champion Justin Thomas is the top-ranked player at the par-72 Nine Bridges course for an event which carries a first prize of $1.665 million as part of a massive $9.25 million purse.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Jason Day carries old back, new caddie to first-round 64 at BMW

Jason Day had a new caddie to carry his clubs but was stuck with the same old troublesome back in the opening round of the BMW Championship on Thursday.

Walking gingerly between shots at Conway Farms outside Chicago, the former world number one nevertheless swung with apparent freedom to card a seven-under-par 64 and end the day two strokes behind compatriot Marc Leishman in share of second.

"It's just a little stiff in the back," said the long-suffering Australian, who has been plagued by recurrent pain throughout his career. "I feel I have a stiff back every week."

After dumping Col Swatton in the run-up to the tournament, Day strode the fairways in the company of childhood friend Luke Reardon, who was working as a fill-in caddie this week.

Day says Swatton, his mentor, coach and caddie since the age of 12, will stay on as instructor.

"Luke did a fantastic job out there today," Day said. “You never know whether you're going to gel. He's a good golfer, has got a keen golf I.Q."

Day has happy memories of Conway Farms, where he gained the world number one ranking by winning the BMW Championship two years ago.

He is 40-under par in his career at Conway Farms, nine shots better than any other player, but he has not been his usual self for much of this year.

Something had to give and, as with Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson before him this northern summer, it was the caddie.

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina, editing by Nick Mulvenney)

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Golf: Day to take on Spieth at Australian Open

Former world No.1 Jason Day will battle two-time winner Jordan Spieth at this year's Australian Open in Sydney, organisers said on Friday.

Australia's top-rated golfer, now ranked No.9 in the world, will be contesting his national championship for the first time in four years at The Australian course from November 23-26.

Current world No.2 and three-time major winner Spieth is returning to defend the crown he won last year in a play-off.

"The Australian Open holds a special spot in my heart," Day said. "I’d love to get my name on that trophy one day -– hopefully this November."

His best result at the tournament was tied fourth in 2011.

Day has 14 top-10 finishes in the 28 major championships he has completed, including victory at the 2015 US PGA Championship. He is also a 10-time winner on the US PGA Tour.

The Australian Open winner will receive a minimum of 32 World Golf Ranking points.

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It has been a while since Jason Day felt this good on golf course

Jason Day raced nightfall to finish his second round Friday at the PGA Championship and enjoy a long night's sleep, wrapping his arms around top-ranked Dustin Johnson for making it possible.

Seventh-ranked Day, the Australian star with Filipino roots who won the 2015 PGA and was runner-up last year, parred the final hole with help from electronic scoreboard lights to fire a five-under par 66 and stand third on six-under 136, two behind co-leaders Hideki Matsuyama and Kevin Kisner.

Thanks to a storm delay of almost two hours, there were 25 players who weren't so lucky and need to return Saturday morning to complete their final holes. But Day isn't among them thanks to some sprinting over the last two holes and Johnson's willingness to race ahead and quickly hit a tee shot at 18, enabling the entire group to finish.

When Day caught up to the lanky American, he gave a hug of pure joy and gratitude.

"On 17 I was off the green. And we were walking up, and we were talking about, 'If we can get a tee shot on 18, we could finish the round.' And DJ is like, 'I'll do it.' And I'm like, 'That's great,' " Day said.

"He ran out there and teed off. As soon as he teed off, you know, we all kind of flushed it down 18. And I just walked up to him and said, 'That's the biggest, most clutch thing I've ever seen anyone do for me.' "

Extra rest and sleep could enable a charge such as Day enjoyed Friday, when he eagled the par-5 seventh and birdied five of the next seven holes.

"I had to give him a hug for it," Day said. "He was happy as well. Obviously to be able to finish and not have to wake up at 5:30 tomorrow, get some rest, because it is hot out there and it does take it out of you... it really does (feel great) to be able to get that extra sleep and relax a little bit in the afternoon."

Day has raced darkness to finish friendly rounds in his youth, never dreaming it was training for one of the biggest events of them all.

"I do remember finishing in the dark a lot when I was a kid, not thinking that it was going to be I was running down the 18th hole at a major championship," Day said.

And he enjoyed being in the spotlight on 18, the glow of lights helping him see well enough to close with a par.

"There's this big, massive screen on 18 which lit up the whole putting green. So it was kind of like you're playing under the lights, which was nice," Day said.

"It looked like we were playing in daylight. It was really dark out there. We were kind of slow the whole day and we played really fast the last two holes.

"Thinking about it, if I went bogey, bogey, I'd be very devastated right now sitting here. But at the end of the day, I finished strong with two pars. Just missed a birdie on 18. So very pleased with how I played."

Day said he was pleased to round his full game into form, saying it felt like it hadn't been so good in a long time.

"It just feels likes it has been 10 years ago because I have had a pretty poor year. Very pleased to be where I'm at," Day said.

"I know that I can (win). But I've just got to focus on just trying to control what I can do out there."

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Golf: Why Jason Day isn't concerned about missing practice at British Open

Jason Day is hopeful he can figure prominently at this week's British Open despite arriving at Royal Birkdale later than planned — thanks to Donald Trump.

The Australian was due to be in England on Sunday but ended up putting back his departure by 24 hours because of flight delays in New York which he put down to the US President.

"I had three weeks off before this, so I could have got in early," Day said at Birkdale on the eve of Thursday's Open first round.

"I was actually supposed to get here Sunday. And I was flying through JFK and President Trump was there and there was a bunch of delays. So I just decided to move my flight back a little bit later."

Trump attended the US Women's Open in New Jersey last weekend, and the delays allowed Day to spend an extra day at home with his young children, and be there for his son's birthday.

Day also revealed it is not the first time he has been delayed by a U.S. President.

"President Obama held me up one time flying out of Palm Springs. So I understand. It is what it is. So it was massive delays."

The 29-year-old world No. 6's change of plans meant he did not practice on the Southport links on Monday, but he believes a lack of golf going into the championship could benefit him.

"Usually I get in here to places like this early. I usually get in Thursday or Friday and play a couple of practice rounds. I did it this year at Augusta and I was just truly knackered by the time I started Thursday," said Day, whose mother Dening traces her roots to Samar.

"This week has felt a lot quicker to me. And I got some work in before I came in here. I think all in all I feel pretty ready and fresh going into tomorrow's round."

Day was presented with an award on Wednesday for ending 2016 as world No. 1. Since then he has dropped back due to poorer form, including a missed cut at last month's US Open.

PGA champion in 2015, when he also came fourth in the Open at St. Andrews, Day admits to having had his mind elsewhere at the start of this year due to a cancer scare involving his mother.

"When you feel like you're going to lose someone that is very close to you, there's nothing you want to do more than just be with them and you don't even want to think about playing golf or even think about working," said Day.

He plays with 2015 Open champion Zach Johnson and reigning Masters champion Sergio Garcia in the first two rounds as he chases a first win since the Players Championship over a year ago.

Managing expectations

By the time he eventually played Birkdale on Tuesday, the wind had switched, making the conditions different from what can be expected on Thursday.

"I played in a southeast wind, which is a totally different wind to what we normally get here. And I think everything is kind of switching for tomorrow's round. So it's going to be kind of a new golf course for me tomorrow. But regardless, I'm looking forward to trying to get back into the winner's circle this year."

Even though Day boasts the best scoring average of any player in majors since 2013, he has not won a tournament in over a year with injuries and his mother's ill health disrupting his season and causing him to tumble down the world rankings to No. 6.

"I'm trying to not give myself too many expectations and hopefully I'm there in contention on Sunday.

"It's really difficult to play against these guys. And when things are out of order and you're trying to battle other things and then you try to get to a golf course and play against the best players in the world, it makes it very, very difficult to win."

Day's last experience of a major was disappointing. He missed the cut at the US Open after an opening-day 79, a round so bad it prompted his close friend Tiger Woods to text offering advice.

"I had a chat to him. It was more about my putting stroke. So obviously it's great to have a set of eyes like Tiger's, especially who's one of the best clutch putters of all time, to be able to kind of see on TV what you're doing wrong. So just trying to tidy up a little bit and hopefully I putt a little better this week." — With a report from Reuters

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Horschel outduels Day to win Byron Nelson in playoff

DALLAS -- American Billy Horschel parred the first playoff hole to beat world number four Jason Day on Sunday to win the PGA Byron Nelson tournament, registering his first victory since 2014.

Horschel came into the tournament having missed four consecutive cuts but turned his fortunes around with some incredible putting at the TPC Four Seasons resort near Dallas.

Australia's Day missed a short putt on the 18th hole that would have extended the playoff to hand Horschel the victory.

"That's not the way I wanted to win it," said Horschel. "Four missed cuts to come in here and I played this well -- someone is looking out for me."

Both Horschel and Day finished 72 holes on 12-under par 269. Day fired a two-under 68 Sunday while Horschel shot 69, each finishing one stroke ahead of American James Hahn, who was third after shooing 71.

American Jason Kokrak finished fourth on 270.


Horschel had the top putting percentage in the players in the field while world number four Day had made 95 percent of his putts inside five feet this season before missing what appeared to be a routine four-footer to drop the playoff.

Day, Horschel and Hahn all played in the final group, creating a bit of a match-play scenario.

Horschel's two-putt birdie on the par-5 16th moved him back into a tie for the lead with Day while Hahn's par on the hole all but ended his chances. Both Day and Horschel parred 17 and 18.

Danny Lee of New Zealand (68), American Sean O'Hair (68), An Byeong-Hun of South Korea (69) and Amrican Bud Cauley (70) shared fifth on 272.

Canada's Nick Taylor (65), Joel Dahmen (67), Matt Kuchar (69) and Cameron Tringale (72) were another stoke back.

World number one Dustin Johnson never made a serious run and finished tied for 13th at 274.

Defending champion Sergio Garcia, who won his firts major title last month at the Masters, shot 74, the Spaniard finishing in a tie for 20th on 276.

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Hahn grabs lead on 'Moving Day' ahead of Horschel, Day

Jason Day made the most of a frantic moving day at the AT&T Byron Nelson on Saturday by firing a seven-under 63 in the third round to move within two shots of leader James Hahn at TPC Las Colinas in Texas.

World number four Day began nine shots off the pace but made a run of five birdies in a row from the seventh and crowned a brilliant round with a 60-foot birdie putt at the par-three 17th to reach 10-under 200 for the tournament.

Hahn made three birdies on each nine in a bogey-free 64 to grab the 54-hole lead at 12 under par in his quest for a third PGA Tour victory.

Billy Horschel, the 2014 FedExCup champion, was alone in second place one shot back at 11-under after birdies at the last three, including a holeout from the greenside bunker at 17 for his 66.

   
Second-round leader Jason Kokrak, who led by five strokes after firing a 62 on Friday, moved in the wrong direction shooting a two-over 72 marked by a triple-bogey six at the par-three fifth hole.

Kokrak was tied for third with Day on 10 under par at the Four Seasons Resort in Irving, Texas.

Hahn said his first birdie of the day at the third hole, where he chipped in on the fly from off the green, put him in a great frame of mind.

"The chip in on three today kind of settled things down," Hahn said after the round. "I just needed one of those good breaks to happen to keep the momentum going."

Hahn could have shot even lower as he narrowly missed birdie putts on the last three holes.

Day said the key for him was locking in on his routines.

"Everything was kind of clicking," said the Australian, who won his first PGA Tour event here in 2010.

"The biggest thing for me ... was the process. The pre-shot routine was a lot smoother. The process of thinking over the golf ball was a lot smoother as well.

"When things like that happen you can kind of swing away at things and I was driving the ball wonderfully and I gave myself the opportunity to hole a lot of putts today."

Masters champion Sergio Garcia also moved up the leaderboard with a six-under 64 that put him at eight-under, four shots back.

(Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Pritha Sarkar/Greg Stutchbury)

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