Jason Day – file photo – Nike
Despite being yet to win the event, Jason Day has an enviable record at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am and today he created an opportunity for that record to continue and for him to perhaps even better his previous best when runner-up in 2018.
Day has played the event on eleven previous occasions and has finished inside the top ten in seven of those, five inside the top 5, but in breezy conditions today, Day added a third round of 68, the equal best round of the day amongst the leading groups and has jumped 8 positions to a share of 7th.
He is now just three shots from the leader, Jordan Spieth, whose cause was helped with a hole out eagle from 160 yards at the 16th.
“My putting was something that saved me out there a few times,” said the Ohio based Queenslander. “It would have been nice to convert 14 and 18, get those birdies, try and get at least to 12.”
“But, overall, it was a tough day, it was blowing 15 to 20, sometimes a little bit more, the greens are soft so sometimes you’re hitting 30 off a club and try and just chip it in there so it wouldn’t spin.
“It’s always nice to be in contention, especially on any given Sunday. I’ve had good experiences here in the past, I’ve had good finishes, tomorrow’s going to be a great day weather-wise.
“I just enjoy walking the golf course here, it’s beautiful from the first tee to the last and I just got to keep my head down and move forward.”
Not only does his effort to date this week offer Day hope for his first win since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship, it’s a reflection on the fact that he is now playing without many of the injury issues he has battled over the years allowing him to free-wheel in the manner which has seen him as one of Australia’s most successful players on the PGA Tour.
To date, Jason Day has won a major championship (PGA), a Players Championship and two World Golf Championship events amongst his 12 PGA Tour titles and has earnings of US$48 million since first joining the PGA Tour as a member in 2008. It is a phenomenal record already.
To think he has been able to do it with the significant injury (back) and health (vertigo) issues that have plagued him throughout his career, begs the question just how much better his record might have been with a free run in that regard.
That this week’s effort has followed two missed cuts to start the year reflects changes he has been making to alleviate his long term back problems and he has talked this week of now being able to play with a lot more freedom than has been the case for quite some time.
“The last two years have been really tough on my body. Honestly, I was hoping I was going to get to 35 (career).
“I feel like I’ve kind of set myself a goal where I want to play to 50 now because I feel good with my body, whereas before I was saying I just want to get to 40 and call it quits. So, I feel really positive about my body and I know that I’m 33 now and I’ve got a lot of years left as long as I want it in my head.
Referring to the work he has been doing with coach Chris Como, Day responded: “It is difficult to try and want, to want it perfect straight away, but you just got to just chip away at it because if you go full bore things get really tough. You get stuck in between patterns and you start thinking about more technical issues out there on the golf course and that’s not what you want, especially when you’re playing competitive golf.
“The way that I’ve been feeling lately, the way that my body is feeling, the way that I’m moving, I’m moving a lot better, the stuff that I’m trying to work on my swing is helping my back out as well.
“When I have an injured back I’m in the worst mood ever. And I feel very positive and I feel like things are moving in the right direction for the first time in a long time. So attitude is much better and I’m just happy to be out here playing golf.”
Spieth leads by two over Nate Ashley, Daniel Berger, Tom Hoge, Russell Knox and Patrick Cantlay, with Day another shot back. Berger was tied in the lead with Spieth until driving it out of bounds at the last and took double-bogey.
New Zealand’s Tim Wilkinson and Australians, Cameron Percy, Cameron Davis are not without hope of a very good week, that trio tied at 6 under and in a share of 20th.
John Senden is at 5 under and Matt Jones at 4 under.
The 54 hole leader Jordan Spieth – Getty Images Steph Chambers
Greg Chalmers’ Form Turnaround in Puerto Rico
Greg Chalmers in action this week – photo Getty Images Andy Lyons
In his last twelve PGA Tour starts, Texas based Australian golfer, Greg Chalmers, has missed the cut in ten and has a best finish of 50th in the other two. In fact in his one and only start this year on the PGA Tour, Chalmers recorded a second round of 83 to miss the cut by a large margin.
Today, Chalmers finds himself just one off the pace set by Brandon Wu at the Puerto Rico Open but even he, heading into this week’s event, was unsure how things might pan out.
“To be honest, I don’t think my confidence was super high,” he said after his second round of 68 was added to his opening 66 at the Grand Reserve Country Club in Rio Grande.
“It was sort of teetering on what’s going to happen here. But you’re always open to the idea that something good could happen, you will start playing better and start seeing some better shots.
“I played nicely in the practice rounds. I was really excited about how I was hitting the ball leading into — I got here Sunday, so I had a lot of time to prepare, and I really hit the ball nicely on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
“But I have done that before and not done very well. So, I really am pleased to say that what I saw early in the week has continued, and I actually have a couple of things I wish were a little better, but really pleased with how that’s going.”
Birdies at his final two holes today saw Chalmers close within one of the lead of Wu who has yet to record a top ten in his PGA Tour career to date, playing events on the Korn Ferry Tour in the main.
Wu was one of the best amateurs in the US until turning professional eighteen months ago but was unable to gain status on the Korn Ferry Tour, although he did Monday qualify his way into a few events and eventually won their Tour Championship.
Because of the carry over of Covid 19 Wu has still not earned full status for the PGA Tour but a win this week would change all of that.
Chalmers is perhaps one of the more underrated of the Australian players on the PGA Tour as, although he has recorded only one PGA Tour victory in the twenty or more years he has competed in the US, he enjoys an enviable record at home having won two Australian Opens, two Australian PGA Championships and one Australian Players Championship.
Chalmers has only partial status on the PGA Tour via a major medical extension category and grabs starts where he can get them but now, at the age of 47, he no doubt looks ahead to the possibility of playing the PGA Tour Champions if he can play his way on to that tour.
Chalmers has been working with the highly regarded coach and former player Bradley Hughes in more recent times and, like some of the other players Hughes is involved with, he is beginning to show the benefits.
Victorian, Cameron Percy, another to be working with Hughes of late, is two shots behind Chalmers with New Zealander Tim Wilkinson another shot back.
Aaron Baddeley and John Senden have also made the cut.
Scores
Gabriela Ruffels Makes Professional Debut at Lake Nona
Gabi Ruffels now playing for money, with her 2019 US Amateur trophy – Photo Steve Gibbons USGA
The LPGA Tour season for 2021 essentially gets underway this week and while one event has already been played in Lake Buena Vista over a month ago, this week’s Gainbridge LPGA event at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando signals the start of 33 further events this season.
The Australasian contingent is headed by Lydia Ko who will be joined by Katherine Kirk, Sarah Jane Smith, Sarah Kemp and recently turned professional Gabriela Ruffels in representing those from down under.
The 2019 US Women’s Amateur Champion and runner-up in the same event last year, Ruffels has recorded top twenty finishes in three of her five LPGA Tour starts to date including twice in majors and is generally considered an outstanding prospect for Australian golf in the future.
Having finished her time at the University of Southern California Ruffels now gets the chance to play for money and many expect her to earn a lot of it.
Notably missing from the Australasians who play the LPGA Tour is Minjee Lee who is not expected to begin her 2021 season until later in March.
Ko is a member at this golf course and was keen to point out that the fact that where the event was being played a role in her decision to tee it up this week.
“Yeah, obviously extra excited to play at a golf course that I play at for the majority of my off weeks and off-season,” said the New Zealander.
“I was kind of surprised when I heard the tournament was coming here. I know there was a little bit where none of us were sure we were going to play this event. When I heard it was at Nona I wasn’t sure if this tournament was going to be on my schedule, but being here at the course I pretty much live and practice at, I knew it was kind of a no-brainer for me to play.
“Right after CME I went to Korea and I took five, six weeks off. With the quarantine there that took another couple weeks.
“I mentioned like a few days or a week ago I had deviated septum surgery, so that took me out for two to three weeks. So I’ve only been back in Florida for three to four weeks, so ever since I’ve been back I’ve been slowly getting back into things, working out where my trainers, working on the swing with Sean (coach Foley) .
“So, yeah, I wish I had a bit more time to get ready for this event. That’s the time I had, so I tried to be as productive as I can. I think this off-season probably the difference was I tried to spend a little bit more time on the golf course than practicing a lot just on the facilities, especially as this event was going to be my first one.
“So tried to kind of see and understand and get comfortable with playing. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how well you hit it on the practice days. You’ve got to be able to bring it on the golf course. So I think that was probably the biggest difference for me this off-season compared to the others.”
Given Ko’s relative slip from the level of her play in her early years on the LPGA Tour she was asked if winning so early in her career might have worked against her. Her response was interesting and considered.
“I don’t think so. (Laughter.) I think a lot of things happened for me at such an early age, and obviously things that I could have only dreamed of. Even my first win in Canada, it happened like without — I don’t know when it sunk in, and definitely didn’t sink in like when this tournament finished. It took a while for me to kind of understand that whole situation. Might have taken a year after that for me to understand that.
“But I’m sure at points I might have said to myself, Maybe if those things didn’t happen early then there wouldn’t have been as much expectations. At the same time, I think because those things happened early I was able to come out on tour a little earlier and a lot of opportunities were given to me.
“So I think you just got to be grateful for everything that’s happened. Let’s say even if it was just the end of my career right now, I think I’ve got so many things to be thankful for. So I think that just also at the same time just motivates me and just going to push me to become a better version of myself.
“At the same time, I can’t try to be the person I was when I was world No. 1 or winning at those moments because I’m just not the same anymore. Experience changes you. I just have to be the best player, the best person, I can be at this moment and not compare myself to my past.”
Katherine Kirk played very well late in 2020 as she ran up several top tens in quick succession and although that form dropped off a little in the last few events of the year her results were encouraging.
Sarah Jane Smith is still regaining her playing skills following a departure from the LPGA Tour to have her first child eighteen months ago.
Kemp is well outside the top 200 in the world and has done well to retain her (albeit limited) LPGA Tour status.
The tournament will also see a rare appearance from former world number one and the player who most think is the greatest female player of all time, Annika Sorenstam, who is playing what is essentially a home event given she lives at Lake Nona.
Opportunity for Many Australians in Florida and Puerto Rico
Kennedy, seen here following his recent in Victoria, gets a great opportunity in Florida – photo PGA of Australia
With two PGA Tour events being played concurrently this week, more Australasians than is normally the case get their opportunity to take advantage of a start close to the elite level of men’s professional golf.
The World Golf Championship Workday Championship at the Concession sees an eclectic mix of world players teeing it up in a $10.5 million event in Bradenton in the south west of Florida, while in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Open is played in Rio Grande.
In Florida, nine Australians tee it up in an event which brings together 74 players from the world ranking and a mix of players from various money lists worldwide while in Puerto Rico seven Australians and one New Zealander will play an event, the purse of which pales in comparison to that in Florida but an event that offers opportunity for several lesser PGA Tour players.
With no cut and a guaranteed minimum cheque of close to US$50,000 a significant payday is on offer whatever the outcome.
At the WGC event, Adam Scott, Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Jason Day, Lucas Herbert, Jason Scrivener, Brad Kennedy, Wade Ormsby and Min Woo Lee all get their chance on the Jack Nicklaus / Tony Jacklin designed layout about an hour south of Tampa.
For Scott, Smith, Leishman and Day this is just another PGA Tour (albeit with a little more prizemoney at stake) event, but for the others this represents a rare opportunity to compete against most of the world’s leading players.
Kennedy is an interesting one. Twelve months ago, Kennedy was winning his second New Zealand Open title in Queenstown and in just four events since he has won a PGA Tour of Australasia event and finished 41st at the Zozo Championship on the PGA Tour.
His game is not built around the power of the current players, but he has shown a command of his game despite struggling to keep up with the power hitters.
“It’s my second WGC. My first was way back in I think 2013 (2012 WGC-HSBC Champions) when I played in China,” said Kennedy.
“But WGCs are always great to get into. Played ZOZO (CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD last October), so it’s great to come back to the U.S. again and play another tournament.
“After I won New Zealand last year in March, I actually took six months off, didn’t touch a golf club. I just couldn’t see any progress happening and all the tournaments were being canceled, so I really just took a break. It was good to be home with the family.”
It wasn’t until December last year that I knew some events were coming up in Australia in January, February, so yeah, got myself ready for those. Fortunately won the first one back, so it was nice to get off to a good start again.
Kennedy and Min Woo Lee are in the field courtesy of their PGA Tour of Australasia efforts of late, Ormsby because of his Asian Tour performances and Scrivener and Herbert get their chance courtesy of some fine play in Europe in the last twelve months or so.
In Puerto Rico, Robert Allenby, Aaron Baddeley, Greg Chalmers, Rhein Gibson, Mark Hensby, Cameron Percy, John Senden and New Zealander Tim Wilkinson will tee it up, Allenby making his first PGA Tour appearance since this very event twelve months ago.
Allenby, at one stage ranked close to the top ten in the world is now ranked outside the top 1800 and so this represents an opportunity to get things headed in the right direction as he no doubt considers a career on the PGA Tour Champions for which he becomes eligible later this year.
Allenby has won four PGA Tour titles but the last of those came at Riviera Country Club twenty years ago and having made the cut in just two of his latest nineteen starts this week offers a litmus test for him.
It is good, however, to see the four-time Australian PGA and twice Australian Open champion back competing again.
Both events off opportunity for some of Australia’s emerging stars but they also offer the chance to resurrect a career in the case of Allenby, Hensby, Chalmers and Senden.
There will be much interest in just how such a generous line-up of Australians perform this week in both Florida and Puerto Rico.
Excited Cameron Smith Impresses at Riviera
Californian Max Homa has outlasted Tony Finau to win his second PGA Tour title at a course he described as ‘the best golf course in the world’.
Homa parred the second hole of a playoff against Finau at Riviera Country Club in the suburbs of Los Angeles, after the pair had finished one shot ahead of long-time leader Sam Burns with Australian Cameron Smith alone in 4th place.
Smith reeled of a final round of 67 on the demanding layout and at one stage had climbed within two of the lead but despite being unable to win his second individual PGA Tour title he has recorded yet another impressive finish, this time on one of the finer layouts on the PGA Tour.
Smith’s effort overcomes a slow start to the year on the PGA Tour and bodes well for a return to Augusta National in seven weeks-time where he finished runner-up to Dustin Johnson three months ago at the delayed 2020 Masters.
Smith was delighted with the manner in which he hit the ball: “I think I probably hit it as good as I could today. I left a few iffy puts there on the back nine that could have gone in, but hit really good shots. It was just Riviera out there on the back nine, just punishing you unnecessarily sometimes, but that’s golf.
“I thought I struck it probably the best I’ve struck it in a very long time, three, four years probably. It’s nice to get back in that groove.
Matt Jones also challenged for the title at various stages during the final round but a triple bogey after driving out of bounds at the 12th followed by a bogey at the 15th cost him any chance of a higher finish.
Jones did though birdie his final two holes to finish 8th and continues a solid run of form of late during which he has made his last ten cuts although this is his best finish by some way in this event.
Marc Leishman was 32nd and Adam Scott recorded a final round of 66 to finish 38th, Cameron Davis 43rd and Danny Lee 52nd.
The winner Homa, secured his second PGA Tour title having won the Wells Fargo event eighteen months ago.
“I think I have a game that fits difficult golf courses and I finally started to build a mind that fits difficult golf courses,” said Homa.
“So I come here where I know it very well, I feel very comfortable. I think it’s the best golf course in the world. We mix all these things together and you start to see some really good golf. But I’m hoping this is kind of just
the beginning. I’m not sure what the next hardest golf course is, but I’ll give it a try.
“I don’t know if I could ever do anything cooler in golf than than this. Just for me, for my caddie Joe, we were raised 25 miles north of here. I mean, Tiger Woods is handing us a trophy, that’s a pretty crazy thought.
“We grew up idolizing him, idolizing Riviera Country Club, idolizing the golf tournament. To get it done, it’s almost shocking, but it just feels — it feels like it just can’t be topped just for me.”
There were mixed emotions for Finau who has been knocking on the door for some time now in his search for a second PGA Tour title.
“Yeah, a little bit bitter right now just coming off that playoff. Had a chance to win on that first playoff hole and decided to play that putt a little downhill and shouldn’t have.
“I played really nicely today and I think that’s going to be the big takeaway of the week from me is, you know, anytime I’ve had a chance to win, I haven’t been the guy that went low and today I was, so I can take a lot of confidence from that.
“That’s something that I wanted to happen today to just prove to myself on Sundays that I can put myself in the thick of it and shoot a number and I was able to do that this week. So I think at the end of the day I’m going to be able to look back on that and have a lot of positives to take from it.”
The Winner, Max Homa – photo Getty Images Harry How
Coletta and Alker Begin Korn Ferry Seasons Well
Brett Coletta – file photo Bruce Young
It might not have been the weekend he was hoping for but Australian Brett Coletta has made a solid start to the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour season with an 11th place finish at the opening event of the season, the LECOM Suncoast Classic in Florida.
Coletta who began the event with a round of 63 and was in 2nd place through 36 holes, cost himself any chance of contending for the title when dropping three shots in his final two holes on Saturday but recovered with a round of 70 today to improve 2 places and finish four shots from the winner.
The eventual champion was Hayden Buckley who won a playoff over Dawson Armstrong and Taylor Montgomery.
Coletta tied with New Zealand veteran Steve Alker (49) and gets his quest for a PGA Tour card in 2022 off to a reasonable start.
Seasons 2021 and 2022 are being combined to establish the leading 25 players at the end of the regular season in August and although Coletta will improve only a few positions (7) from his current 82nd place he is headed in the right direction.
Of the other Australasians, Mark Hensby, Brett Drewitt and New Zealander Nick Voke tied for 47th while Curtis Luck was 55th.
Steve Alker – file photo Bruce Young
Sam Burns Tearaway Genesis Invitational Leader
Sam Burns – Photo Getty Images Sean Haffey
Sam Burns might not yet have won on the PGA Tour but the manner in which the 24-year-old from Louisiana has handled the demanding Riviera Country Club over the opening two days of the Genesis Invitational suggests his maiden victory at this level is perhaps close at hand.
Burns has opened-up an amazing five-shot lead over one of the strongest fields of the season to date with eight of the world’s top ten trailing in his wake at present.
To add further merit to his performance to date is that he tied the 36 hole record for this historic event.
Burns added a second round of 66 to his opening 64 and leads over Tyler McCumber, Jason Kokrak, Joaquin Niemann and the pre-tournament favourite and world number one Dustin Johnson.
Burns best finish to date on the PGA Tour was when 3rd at the Sanderson Farms Championship in late 2018 although he has won on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2018, en-route to gaining his PGA Tour credentials.
“I’d like to think that I have all the tools to win out here,” said Burns. “Obviously there’s a lot of good players, really, really good players. Yeah, I think try not to get caught up in that and just trying to get better each week and just trying to build as the season goes on.”
Cameron Smith heads the Australians at the halfway mark in 9th place and although seven shots from Burns’ lead, he is just two shots out of second place and tied for 9th.
Smith overcame a shaky start to his closing nine to add three birdies late in his round and finished with a round of 68.
Matt Jones is the next of the Australians in 19th place at 3 under although after a good start to his round he dropped three shots in four holes around the turn and was unable to recover.
Cameron Davis is another shot back at 2 under and ten shots from the lead, while Marc Leishman, defending champion Adam Scott and New Zealander Danny Lee just scrapped into the weekend field.
Dustin Johnson – Getty Images Sean Haffey
Talented Coletta Begins Korn Ferry Tour Season Well
Brett Coletta – file photo Bruce Young
Victorian Brett Coletta has made a near perfect start to his 2021 golfing year with opening rounds of 63 and 69 to be one behind the lead at the Korn Ferry Tour’s LECOM Suncoast Classic in Lakewood Ranch in Florida, about an hour south of Tampa.
The event is the first Korn Ferry Tour event since last October and will be the first of twenty in the regular season in 2021 followed by three Korn Ferry Tour Finals.
Coletta, who agonisingly missed his PGA Tour card at the completion of the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour season by finishing 27th in the season’s standings (25 players earned their card), struggled for much of 2020 but in this carry-over season he has rekindled his hopes of playing the PGA Tour in 2022.
The doubling up of the seasons became necessary as a result of the impacts of COVID
The 24-year-old, who won the 2016 Queensland Open just two weeks after finishing runner-up to Curtis Luck at the Asia Pacific Amateur that year, has been unable to fully realise his considerable talent to date but perhaps his start this week is a sign of better things to come.
In order to gain access to the PGA Tour in 2022, he will need to be inside the top 25 on the Korn Ferry Tour points list by mid-August when the combined regular seasons of 2020 and 2021 come to a finish in Omaha although there is further opportunity via the three event finals immediately following.
Currently Coletta is in 82nd position in the carry-over season but a good finish this week will obviously aid his cause.
Coletta’s fellow Australian, Mark Hensby, who will turn 50 in June, is in 28th place at 5 under and six from the lead, a position he shares with New Zealand’s, Steve Alker, while New Zealander Nick Voke is at 4 under with Curtis Luck and Brett Drewitt just making the cut on the number.
Scott defends but Johnson the standout at Genesis Invitational
The PGA Tour moves from one iconic venue to another this week when the Genesis Invitational is played at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades in the western suburbs of Los Angeles, a few days after the completion of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
The event, or its equivalent (the Los Angeles Open), was first played at this venue in 1929 and was played there spasmodically until 1974 when the Riviera Country Club became its permanent home.
It is interesting to note that in 1974 the prizemoney totalled $US150,000 when won by Dave Stockton who earned $30,000 for his victory. In 2021, the total purse is $9.3 million with US$1.675 million to the winner.
The golf course is one of the most popular of the traditional golf courses on the PGA Tour and typically attracts a strong field because of the course’s history and standing. In 2021 eight of the top ten in the world ranking are in the field including the leading four players, Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele.
Four Australians and one New Zealander are also teeing it up including the defending champion, Adam Scott, Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith, Cameron Davis, Matt Jones and New Zealander Danny Lee.
It is a venue that has been good to Australians with Scott, Aaron Baddeley and Robert Allenby having won this event and Steve Elkington winning the PGA Championship here in 1995.
Adam Scott has missed only one cut in his eleven starts since his win twelve months ago although there has been only one top ten, that coming when 10th at his last start at Torrey Pines two weeks ago. It may be, therefore, that he is timing his run well as he looks to defend his title.
Scott has also had other success in the event when winning a 36-hole version in 2005 and when runner-up in 2006 and 2016 so he clearly has a love affair with the historic layout.
“I love this place here at Riviera,” said Scott today. “Although I won the tournament before, it was in different circumstances, so to win last year with four rounds, but also an incredible field, an amazing atmosphere out here, special memory for me.
“Obviously looking back on it, it was nice to get a win in before we shut down for such a long period of time. It’s nice that we can be back. The course is fantastic, but we’re missing the crowds obviously, but I’ll still be trying hard to defend this title.
“I think my game is improving. I was right up there at Farmers, I think I was in the lead on the back nine Saturday at one point, but really struggled a little bit on Sunday, just didn’t feel great and that’s not a good course to feel like that on, it’s a very tough course.
“Hung in there for a top-10, but trying to improve all areas and this is a good time of year to get your game sorted out, lots of big stuff. Obviously this is a tournament special to me, but then as we move over to Florida and into Augusta, it’s a good time to be feeling good about the game.”
Marc Leishman has twice recorded top five finishes in the event and after a disappointing finish to 2020 has played nicely at Torrey Pines.
Cameron Smith has made a slow start to 2020 but did finish 6th here in 2018 behind Bubba Watson.
Cameron Davis just keeps getting better as his experience on the PGA Tour grows but missed the cut in his only start at Riviera two years ago and Matt Jones although playing well at present does not enjoy a good record in this event.
New Zealand’s Danny Lee has missed six of seven cuts in this event and having missed four of his last PGA Tour cuts his chances of a good week appear slim.
It is hard to go past Dustin Johnson as the logical favourite. Johnson is dominating the game at present and has an outstanding record at Rivera Country Club.
Johnson has finished inside the top ten in six of his last seven starts in this event including a victory in 2017.
Jason Day 7th Behind Daniel Berger at Pebble Beach
Daniel Berger – Photo Getty Images Harry How
Jason Day has continued his outstanding record at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with yet another top ten finish in the event which finished today.
For Day it was his 8th top ten in eleven starts in the iconic event on a layout as ‘American as Apple Pie’ and, although he was unable to stage a genuine challenge for the title in his final round, his improvement from missing the first two cuts of the year was marked.
Day tied for 7th and five shots behind the winner, Daniel Berger, who secured his fourth PGA Tour title with a 30 foot eagle putt at the last to defeat Maverick McNealey by two with another shot back to Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay who tied for 3rd.
Berger returned to 13th in the world ranking, equaling his previous highest standing in the game and improving from 15th after his missed cut in Phoenix last week.
Day was unable to build on the momentum he had created when making the turn in 2 under, a bogey at the 12th, after finding the greenside bunker, effectively eliminating any chance on improving on his previous best of runner-up in the event in 2018.
He would go onto birdie the 14th and 18th to finish at 12 under.
Cameron Davis continued his encouraging start to the 2020/2021 season with a 14th place finish after his final round of 68, Cameron Percy was 21st despite two late bogeys today, New Zealander Tim Wilkinson was 30th, Matt Jones 34th and John Senden 38th.
For Berger it was his 3rd top ten in his last four starts and and continues his rise in world golf from 123rd after this event 12 months ago until his current 13th place. It also continues Berger’s liking for the event, having finished 10th and 5th in his two previous outings.
Berger was still enthusing over the 3-wood to the last which set up the eagle and the two shot win.
“The 3-wood was, like I was saying earlier, one of the best 3-woods in my life. I’ve always struggled with finding a good 3-wood. It’s either good off the tee or good off the deck, but this one I’ve really been comfortable with for a long time.
“I just try to be aggressive. I wanted to win the golf tournament. I didn’t want to lose it on the last. I just wanted to go out there and try to hit the best shot that I could and I wasn’t going to be conservative on the 3-wood coming in.”
“Every time I’ve ever played the event I wonder why I don’t come back more often, and this year was, I knew I was going to play it. I set it on my schedule early. I didn’t commit until kind of late, but I knew I was going to be here.
“It’s just a special place. Every time you step up to the tee, you just, you tend to take in the sights and sounds and don’t really focus on the golf as much and I think that’s kind of helpful for me.
“When I hit that drive down the 18th hole I looked to the right and there was a leaderboard and I saw that Maverick McNealy had birdied the 18th hole and I know Nate Lashley was tied with me for awhile and I didn’t see his name.
“So I knew I was going to have to birdie it, but the putt was much trickier than I thought it was going to be, it was extremely fast, a little right-to-left and then a little right at the end. But I mean I would be lying if I said I wasn’t trying to 2-putt that. To see it go in was just an extra bonus.”
The PGA Tour now moves to Los Angeles for the Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club where Adam Scott will defend his title.
Healthier Jason Day Contends at Pebble Beach
Jason Day – file photo – Nike
Despite being yet to win the event, Jason Day has an enviable record at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am and today he created an opportunity for that record to continue and for him to perhaps even better his previous best when runner-up in 2018.
Day has played the event on eleven previous occasions and has finished inside the top ten in seven of those, five inside the top 5, but in breezy conditions today, Day added a third round of 68, the equal best round of the day amongst the leading groups and has jumped 8 positions to a share of 7th.
He is now just three shots from the leader, Jordan Spieth, whose cause was helped with a hole out eagle from 160 yards at the 16th.
“My putting was something that saved me out there a few times,” said the Ohio based Queenslander. “It would have been nice to convert 14 and 18, get those birdies, try and get at least to 12.”
“But, overall, it was a tough day, it was blowing 15 to 20, sometimes a little bit more, the greens are soft so sometimes you’re hitting 30 off a club and try and just chip it in there so it wouldn’t spin.
“It’s always nice to be in contention, especially on any given Sunday. I’ve had good experiences here in the past, I’ve had good finishes, tomorrow’s going to be a great day weather-wise.
“I just enjoy walking the golf course here, it’s beautiful from the first tee to the last and I just got to keep my head down and move forward.”
Not only does his effort to date this week offer Day hope for his first win since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship, it’s a reflection on the fact that he is now playing without many of the injury issues he has battled over the years allowing him to free-wheel in the manner which has seen him as one of Australia’s most successful players on the PGA Tour.
To date, Jason Day has won a major championship (PGA), a Players Championship and two World Golf Championship events amongst his 12 PGA Tour titles and has earnings of US$48 million since first joining the PGA Tour as a member in 2008. It is a phenomenal record already.
To think he has been able to do it with the significant injury (back) and health (vertigo) issues that have plagued him throughout his career, begs the question just how much better his record might have been with a free run in that regard.
That this week’s effort has followed two missed cuts to start the year reflects changes he has been making to alleviate his long term back problems and he has talked this week of now being able to play with a lot more freedom than has been the case for quite some time.
“The last two years have been really tough on my body. Honestly, I was hoping I was going to get to 35 (career).
“I feel like I’ve kind of set myself a goal where I want to play to 50 now because I feel good with my body, whereas before I was saying I just want to get to 40 and call it quits. So, I feel really positive about my body and I know that I’m 33 now and I’ve got a lot of years left as long as I want it in my head.
Referring to the work he has been doing with coach Chris Como, Day responded: “It is difficult to try and want, to want it perfect straight away, but you just got to just chip away at it because if you go full bore things get really tough. You get stuck in between patterns and you start thinking about more technical issues out there on the golf course and that’s not what you want, especially when you’re playing competitive golf.
“The way that I’ve been feeling lately, the way that my body is feeling, the way that I’m moving, I’m moving a lot better, the stuff that I’m trying to work on my swing is helping my back out as well.
“When I have an injured back I’m in the worst mood ever. And I feel very positive and I feel like things are moving in the right direction for the first time in a long time. So attitude is much better and I’m just happy to be out here playing golf.”
Spieth leads by two over Nate Ashley, Daniel Berger, Tom Hoge, Russell Knox and Patrick Cantlay, with Day another shot back. Berger was tied in the lead with Spieth until driving it out of bounds at the last and took double-bogey.
New Zealand’s Tim Wilkinson and Australians, Cameron Percy, Cameron Davis are not without hope of a very good week, that trio tied at 6 under and in a share of 20th.
John Senden is at 5 under and Matt Jones at 4 under.
The 54 hole leader Jordan Spieth – Getty Images Steph Chambers