Reporting from PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Jason Day stood with his hands on his hips alongside the par-five ninth hole at TPC Sawgrass, wondering how he just chunked consecutive chips.
The world’s top-ranked player then stepped to his ball and flubbed a third.
A solid, six-foot bogey putt limited the damage, but Day’s 54-hole lead at the Players Championship had been cut from four strokes to two during a shaky opening nine holes Sunday. The run ended with him missing five consecutive greens in regulation.
Day, however, did not let the host of players suddenly in contention get too comfortable. He instead showed the killer instinct that has made the 28-year-old the best closer in golf.
He birdied two of the next three holes and never looked back en route winning the PGA Tour’s showcase event by four shots, earning $1.8 million and further distancing himself from every other player in the game.
“This is exactly where I want to be, and I want to try to stay here as long as I can while I can,” he said. “Because nothing beats this feeling.”
Based on his performance during the tournament, Day is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Day finished with a modest one-under-par 71, but ended the week 15-under 273 total for the lowest score at TPC Sawgrass since the tournament moved to May in 2007.
Kevin Chappell made late birdies at the 16th and 17th holes to match his runner-up to Day in March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Fan favorite Matt Kuchar headlined a trio at 10 under, but journeyman Ken Duke was one of the stories of the week. The 47-year-old entered the tournament ranked No. 495 in the world and left with his biggest payday ($504,000) since his only win on Tour, at the 2013 Travelers Championship.
The victory was Day’s 10th on Tour and seventh in 17 starts, but his first win as world No. 1.
Day, who opened the week with a 63 to tie the course record, has posted the last three wire-to-wire wins on Tour — and the first at TPC since Hal Sutton in 2000. Day now has held his last five 54-hole leads.
“That’s Tiger-esque, that kind of run,” former world No. 1 Adam Scott said.
The 35-year-old Scott came into the game when Tiger Woods was at the peak of his powers.
Scott, who won twice in March during the Florida swing, could sense another week of dominance coming from Day when the fellow Australians played a practice round last week.
“You can see there’s that calmness inside him, calm confidence,” Scott said. “The way he’s walking around, he’s got that kind of unbeatable look about him.”
Yet, Day said his outer calm belied a tempest brewing inside of him leading up to the final round.
“I was nervous starting the day,” he said. “I told [wife] Ellie earlier this morning, this is probably the most nervous I’ve been before a tournament round. I’m sitting there going, don’t choke. I mean, that would be the worst thing ever.
“Everyone would be talking about it.”
Not long ago, Day did struggle to close the deal.
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Jason Day of Australia plays a shot on the 15th hole Sunday during the final round of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
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Jason Day takes a big divot while playing a shot at No. 14 on Sunday during the final round of the Players Championship.
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Jason Day acknowledges the cheers from spectators on the 13th green during the final round of the Players Championship on Sunday.
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American Matt Kuchar lines up his putt on the 16th green during the final round of the Players Championship on Sunday.
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Hideki Matsuyama of Japan hits his tee shot at No. 8 during the final round of the Players Championship on Sunday at TPC Sawgrass.
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Colt Knost of the United States reacts after almost making a chip on the second hole Sunday during the final round of the Players Championship.
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American Kevin Chappell hits his tee shot at No. 5 on Sunday during the final round of the Players Championship.
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Jason Day hits his tee shot at No. 8 on Sunday during the final round of the Players Championship.
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Justin Thomas of the United States acknowledges the gallery after finishing his round of seven-under 65 on Sunday at TPC Sawgrass.
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Alex Cejka of Germany reacts to his birdie on the 17th green during the third round of the Players Championship on Saturday.
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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland tees off at No. 17 during the third round of the Players Championship on Saturday.
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Jason Day lines up a putt at the ninth hole on Saturday during the third round of the Players Championship.
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Jason Day of Australia hits from a sand trap at the eighth hole during the third round of the Players Championship on Saturday.
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Kevin Chappell reacts after missing a putt during the Players Championship, where he finished second. (Scott Halleran / Getty Images)
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Russell Knox of Scotland kept his humor at the par-three 17th hole, the famous island green, where he raised his arms triumphantly after making a putt to score nine. He put four shots in the water.
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Hideki Matsuyama of Japan chips onto the 16th green during the third round of the Players Championship on Saturday.
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Ryan Palmer of the United States hits from a greenside sand trap at No. 2 during the third round of the Players Championship on Saturday.
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Ken Duke of the United States lines up a putt for birdie on the ninth green during the third round of the Players Championship on Saturday.
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Jonas Blixt of Sweden tees off at No. 10 during the second round of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass on Friday.
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American Jordan Spieth hits his tee shot at No. 3 on Friday during the second round of the Players Championship.
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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland watches his chip shot bounce on the ninth green during the second round of the Players Championship on Friday.
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Phil Mickelson follows his shot from the ninth tee during the second round of the Players Championship on Friday.
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Charley Hoffman of the United States tees off at No. 9 at TPC Sawgrass on Friday during the second round of the Players Championship.
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American Cameron Tringale hits from a sand trap at the eighth green on Friday during the second round of the Players Championship.
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Alex Cejka of Germany reacts after missing a birdie putt at No. 6 on Friday during the second round of the Players Championship.
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American Davis Love III putts from the edge of the 17th island green during the second round of the Players Championship on Friday.
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Jason Day of Australia hits his tee shot at No. 11 during the second round of the Players Championship on Friday at TPC Sawgrass.
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Justin Rose of England hits from a fairway sand trap on the second hole Friday during the second round of the Players Championship.
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In this black-and-white image, Henrik Stenson of Sweden hits his tee shot at No. 6 on Friday during the second round of the Players Championship.
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Danny Lee of New Zealand follows through on his tee shot at No. 11 during the second round of the Players Championship on Friday at TPC Sawgrass.
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Jason Day of Australia plays his shot from the 17th tee to the island green during the first round of the Players Championship on Thursday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
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Jason Day acknowledges the fans at the ninth green during the first round of the Players Championships on Thursday, when he would tie the course record with a 63.
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Shane Lowry of Ireland shakes hands with caddie John McLaren after shooting a seven-under 65 during the first round of the Players Championship on Thursday.
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Justin Rose of England bounces the golf ball with his driver as he wait to tee off at No. 11 on Thursday during the first round of the Players Championship. Rose shot a seven-under 65.
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American Dustin Johnson hits from a sand trap alongside the ninth green during the first round of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass on Thursday. Johnson shot a two-under 70.
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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays from a hillside during the first round of the Players Championship on Thursday. McIlroy would finish at even-par 72.
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American Jordan Spieth drops his club on his follow through after teeeing off at No. 9 on Thursday during the first round of the Players Championship.
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American Rickie Fowler prepares to chip from off the 17th green during the first round of the Players Champioship on Thursday. The defending champion finished at even-par 72.
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Rory McIlroy follows through on his tee shot at No. 15 during the first round of the Players Championship on Thursday at TPC Sawgrass.
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Sergio Garcia of Spain tees off at No. 9 during the first round of the Players Championship on Thursday, when he shot an even-par 72.
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Bubba Watson of the United States watches his tee shot at No. 15 during the first round of the Players Championship on Thursday. Watson would finish at three-under 69.
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Jason Day plays a shot from a bunker at the 11th hole during the first round of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass on Thursday.
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Rory McIlroy tees off at No. 11 on Thursday during the first round of the Players Championship.
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Shane Lowry hits his approach shot at No. 4 on Thursday during the first round of the Players Championship.
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Dustin Johnson plays a shot from the fairway during the first round of the Players Championship on Thursday.
(Sam Greenwood / Getty Images) At the 2015 Open Championship, Day faltered down the stretch to miss out on a playoff by a shot. Later, he fought back tears during his post-round interview.
Day said he turned his disappointment into a newfound determination to finally live up to the incredible expectations he has faced since he was a teen.
“It just flat-out sucks losing,” Day said. “It doesn’t feel good. I like doing this, sitting next to the trophy and being able to tell you how great of a week I had.
“That week, something changed. I think I said you myself, you know, I think you’re ready to finally do this.”
Day has been like a runaway train ever since and suddenly finds himself without peer.
At TPC, world No. 2 Jordan Spieth and defending champion Rickie Fowler missed the cut. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy had more bogeys or worse (seven) than birdies (six) during the weekend.
The Big Four has become an Unbeatable One.
Yet, Day had to contend with his own rough patches Sunday before he regained his footing and ran away from one of the best fields in golf.
Day’s chipping struggles at No. 9 had his mind spinning.
“I felt like an amateur chopping my way to the pin from only 10 yards off the green,” he said.
Day soon showed why he is the best player on Earth, sinking a bogey many would have missed. Day said it was his shot of the tournament.
At home in Dallas, Spieth concurred, tweeting, “JDay bogey putt on 9 was possibly most underrated shot of the day. Gathered emotions knocked it in and led to a clutch back nine. Great win!”
Day hopes it is just one of many more to come.
“I look at that 10 PGA Tour wins, and I say to myself, that’s not enough,” he said. “I want more than 10. I’m just like, OK, I want to be able to be looked back on and know that he was one of the greats in the game.”
egthompson@tribune.com
