The Roar
The Roar

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Jason’s day has finally come

Jason Day now holds the record for the best score at a golf major. (Source: Jim Rogash / AAP)
Roar Pro
17th August, 2015
4

A young man steps up to make his final putt, tears streaming down his face.

Next to him stands the man he is about to defeat, the new world number one, the rising star, golf’s future.

Yet today he was not up to the mark, as today belonged to 27-year-old Australian Jason Day, who claimed his first major win in Wisconsin.

Heading into the day with a two-shot lead, the final round did not come without some obstacles, with Day bogeying eight and fifteen. Yet the victory was set up through seven birdies in the last round as he led from start to finish.

Four of those birdies came in the first eight holes, ensuring that the Australian had some breathing space, heading into the back nine with a three shot lead.

Day held firm as his opposition became to falter. Branden Grace had a costly double-bogey on ten and a bogey on fifteen to tarnish a near perfect final round that included six birdies, eventually finishing in third.

Justin Rose was solid for his fourth place finish, but his double-bogey at thirteen and bogey at eighteen made it a back nine to forget for the Englishman.

It soon became clear that it was a two-horse race between two-time major champ Jordan Spieth and Jason Day, a man still searching for his first major after being the perennial bridesmaid for the majority of his career.

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Spieth was dangerous but could only muster six birdies in comparison to Day’s seven, but it was the timing of these that continued to mount pressure on the Australian as he never quite tailed away.

His Birdie to match Day on the sixteenth was crucial, holding the margin to three shots and ensuring that Day would have to hold his nerve if he was to claim the win.

Day stood firm, to do what many Australians in the past have failed to do, successfully close out a major championship.

His score of 20-under was the lowest score to ever win a major, beating Tiger Wood mark of 19 under at the British open in 2000. He is the first Australian champion at the PGA Championship since Steve Elkington won back in 1995 and the first Australian major winner since Adam Scott’s 2013 Masters triumph.

For Spieth his second place comes with a sweet bonus as he now rises to the number one golfer in the world, capping off a remarkable year that saw him finish in the top four in all four majors, including two victories.

Yet more importantly for Day this win marks a triumph over adversity that he has struggled with throughout his career. The vertigo troubles at the US open and the back and thumb issues that plagued him through 2014 threatened to destroy his career. Yet he rose from the ashes, like the true fighter and champion he is to a 2015 PGA victory that will go down in the record books.

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