Jason Day led wire-to-wire Sunday at Whistling Straits to close out a record-setting PGA Championship and capture his first major title.
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“I didn’t expect I was going to cry”, said Day of his emotional win.
“I wasn’t going to stop fighting until it was over”, said the 27-year-old, who took home a $1.8 million prize nearly as hefty as the Wanamaker Trophy itself.
Jordan Spieth reacts Saturday after a birdie on the first hole during the third round of the PGA Championship golf tournament…
South Africa’s Branden Grace completed the top three on 15 under, while England’s Justin Rose finished a further shot back in fourth with his challenge fading on the 13th where he double bogeyed.
“I was so excited and I’m just so proud of him…it has been a long time coming for him”, she said.
“And it just, something clicked inside of me”. Not only did Day break through on Sunday with his first major championship, he did so in record fashion by shooting 20 under par.
Veteran tennis star Lleyton Hewitt tweeted that Day was a “great bloke and a great Australian!” while former Formula 1 driver Mark Webber said: “Cracking win…”
“I just never had the opportunity to really control the round today, even in the middle of that round I could have made up a couple more shots, gotten it to maybe one shot or two with six holes to go”.
While a second place finish at an absurd 17 under par for Jordan Spieth catapulted him to the top of the World Golf rankings as the number one player in the world, there was no question that for the past four days, Jason Day was the best golfer in Kohler, Wisconsin.
And in the final round, he missed a 12-footer on the 12th to move within a shot of Day.
“I’m still very motivated and hungry to do that”. Day knocked a 47 foot putt within inches and stepped away to allow Spieth to finish up.
Spieth closed out one of the best-ever performances at a major championship Sunday – 17-under 271 – to finish one of the best-ever seasons at the majors.
Day shot a final-day 67 at Whistling Straits to secure the PGA Championship – his first major and the biggest win of his career – and in doing so set a new record for the lowest total at one of golf’s four majors with his eventual score of 20-under-par.
Speaking to the media after the tournament, McIlroy admitted Spieth fully deserved to replace him as world No1. “Certainly it was a lifelong goal of mine, and that was accomplished today”.
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We know fans can be pretty cold when rooting for their favorite players, but many of them probably didn’t know Day’s story. He took it back and he wailed on it and it was a stripe show.
