But the rest was more of the same – hitting the wrong shot at the wrong time – for the world No. 3 who has just one win (last November in Dubai) in his last 21 worldwide starts. It happened to Jordan Spieth when he won two by 21.
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He’s getting comparisons to Tiger Woods. Chappell has some high finishes in big tournaments but has yet to break through for his first PGA Tour win.
Tiger’s career accomplishments still dwarf the three of them combined – and will continue dwarfing them for a very long time, if not forever.
Perhaps it is no coincidence that Day has sought out Woods for advice. “I didn’t tell anyone, but watching these guys actually that’s on TV, and they said that I really didn’t play well around this, and it’s true, I never played good around this golf course”, Day said afterwards.
He said he’d been watching TV and listening to the commentators and analysts speak about how he’d converted his previous four 54-hole leads into wins.
But he regrouped and found the heart of the 10th green with his second before carding his first birdie of the day with a confident 18-foot putt, and he rolled in another from similar range at the 12th to restore his four-stroke advantage.
“I just had to get in there and want it more than anyone else”.
For most players, being saddled with such a comparison would be the equivalent of having the scarlet letters TW branded on their golf shirt.
“It feels great”, said Thomas, who won his first PGA Tour title in Malaysia a year ago.
“That’s great to be in the same sentence as Tiger”, he said of Scott’s comment.
“I’m very motivated to stay at number one”, Day said.
“I’ve got off to good starts and let some good rounds go, especially on the back nine where I feel like there are a lot of birdie opportunities, so it was nice to finish well today”.
Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis reported that tour pro Johnson Wagner had a conversation with one PGA Tour official who used the term “our Shinnecock moment” – a reference to that disaster at the 2004 U.S. Open that forced the USGA to water a green in between shots because one pin location and putting surface simply became unplayable. “They make the course almost unplayable”.
Day has made no secret about the fact that he’s leaned on Woods as a mentor.
It was the second start-to-finish triumph of the season for Day, who also led after every round in taking the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.
Day, with some struggles on the front nine, survived his own nerves, the hard golf course and some modest runs from the pursuers closest to him and won his 10th career PGA Tour title.
The comparisons will keep coming.
The Tour is being fairly candid about the mess at Sawgrass and acknowledging things got away from them.
With this win, Day has now won seven tournaments since capturing the Canadian Open last July.
Or as Day explained with a smile after his round, just as he did during those formative years, Woods is still serving as inspiration.
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“Tiger says he’s going to kick my butt when he comes back”.
