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Players Victory Earns Day Accolades and Perspective

His scrambling? He got up-and-down 85 percent of the time, the highest rate of anyone at The Players Championship.

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“It’s just 10. I want more than 10”.

Day, who had established a 36-hole scoring record when the delayed second round was completed at Sawgrass on Saturday, four-putted the sixth hole in the third round and also double-bogeyed the eighth to see his lead cut to a single shot.

Rickie Fowler’s surge towards last year’s Players Championship title offered a scintillating storyline which will prove a regular source of reference.

But the difference between Jason Day and Greg Norman is Day’s steely character; he has the ability to put poor or bad shots behind him very quickly.

The loudest complaints might come from Spain’s Sergio Garcia after he six-putted from 70 feet on the fifth, the 2008 champion racing his birdie attempt eight feet past and needing five more attempts to find the bottom of the cup for a quadruple-bogey eight.

Day opened his final round with birdie chances on the opening two holes but was unable to capitalise. The last hurdle was finding land on the island-green 17th, and he cleared the water with about 10 feet to spare.

Jason Day’s stunning run this year on the United States golf tour has him positioned to take the mantle of Australia’s highest-earning athlete and smash the $20 million earnings barrier. And anyway, while length is important at Oakmont (with its two reachable par 4s), this is the same course Jim Furyk nearly won on nine years ago.

But after some early struggles during the long session, Day rights the ship with that tweet at 16, and he’s got a four shot lead.

Spieth, Rory McIlroy and the rest are in frantic pursuit of Day, who has a remarkable record of seven wins from 17 starts since late July.

Dutch teenager Max Verstappen stunned Formula One with victory at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, taking advantage of a crash by Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to become the sport’s youngest victor only a few days after being promoted by his team Red Bull.

Day was told about Scott’s comments after hoisting the trophy aloft in Florida and the 28-year-old said: “It’s great to be in the same sentence as Tiger”. “To win straight away in my first race with Red Bull is incredible”.

The world #1 led Thursday to Sunday in Ponte Vedra Beach at TPC Sawgrass, making it his 3rd wire-to-wire win since the 2015 BMW Championship (2nd – Arnold Palmer Invitational). Verstappen’s teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, was fourth. “This could possibly push me over to get into the Hall of Fame one day and I’m just glad I managed to win it”. “It’s no coincidence he’s No. 1 in the world”. That’s an incredibly nice way to walk out on the golf course. Today everything went well.

“That’s getting a little old”, Chappell said of his two runner-up finishes to Day.

“Max Verstappen, you are a race victor, fantastic”, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said over team radio after his driver crossed the finish line.

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Kenseth snapped a 17-race winless skid with his 37th career victory – and denied Larson his first win. “I want to be able to be looked on as one of the greats in the game and I have the opportunity to do that right now”. Larson matched his career-best finish and Elliott had the top finish of his rookie season. Kalitta powered his dragster to a 3.801-second pass at 323.19 miles per hour to beat Todd’s 3.780 at 320.66 on a holeshot – Kalitta winning with the slower time because of his faster reaction time at the start.

Ponte Vedra Beach FL USA Ken Duke after putting on the 7th green during the final round of the 2016 Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass- Stadium Course. Mandatory Credit John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports