C’MON AUSSIE: Jason Day rallies with a closing 62 to win the AT&T Byron Nelson, ends a FIVE-YEAR victory drought

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Jason Day, showing signs of a resurgence most of the year, won his 13th PGA Tour title on Monday (AEST), 13 years after his first one, and both came in the same event.

With an impeccable bogey-free nine-under 62 at TPC Craig Ranch, the former World No.1 defeated Si Woo Kim and rookie Austin Eckroat by one stroke in the AT&T Byron Nelson in McKinney, Texas.

Jason Day Highlights From AT&T Byron Nelson Round 4

Day, 35, and the 35th-ranked player in the world, snapped a winless drought stretching more than five years – 1,835 days to be precise – by emerging from a leaderboard jammed and juiced with birdies.

The Queenslander, who lived in Dallas when he won his first Byron Nelson title in 2010 (played then at TPC Four Seasons Resort), capped a 23-under 261 total with a two-foot birdie putt on the par-5 home hole after Kim, playing in the same group, sank a three-footer to tie him at 22-under.

“It’s been a struggling few years, and to be able to go out … five years since my last win … and to be able to go out and get the win the way I played today, was really special,” Day said, surrounded by his expectant wife Ellie and four children. “I’m very pleased how things have progressed over the last couple of years for me.

“Just non-stop grinding and non-stop wanting to improve and trying to get better,” Day added, talking about his comeback after several years dealing with various maladies and general struggle on and off the course.

“I’ve had a lot of injuries with my back and for a moment there I thought I wasn’t going to play again. Just trying to get through those two years, just trying to get through a tournament was difficult. To be on the other side of it, to be healthy, feeling good about my game, finally winning again … yeah, it’s no better feeling.”

The venerable putter model Jason Day used to win the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson

Day, who began the 2022-23 season in September ranked 175th in the world, improved to No.20 with the victory. He was part of a five-way tie for the lead until he chipped in for birdie from 37 feet at the par-4 12th hole – the most difficult on the golf course – to get to 20-under.

He was caught briefly by Dallas resident and World No.2 Scottie Scheffler at the short par-4 14th, but Day never trailed the rest of the way, regaining the lead alone when he two-putted the 14th for birdie. He pocketed $US1.710 million ($2.57) and moved up to No.5 in the FedEx Cup standings.

In all seven players held at least a share of the lead at one point on a day of intermittent showers that became a downpour in the final 30 minutes. The final round was played using preferred lies.

Kim, who missed the cut last year, closed with a 63 while Eckroat had a 65 after sharing the 54-hole lead with Texas native Ryan Palmer and Zecheng “Marty” Dou, who is a member at TPC Craig Ranch. Eckroat had a chance to tie Day on 18 but came up well short and right on a 63-footer for eagle from the back of the green. He still enjoyed his career-best finish.

Scheffler two-putted the short 14th hole for birdie to catch Day, but then he didn’t make another birdie coming in and ended up T-5 with Tyrrell Hatton and Dou at 264. He carded a 65, while Hatton birdied four of his last five to shoot 64. CT Pan eagled two of his last five holes for 62 and finished fourth at 263.

Dou, who had a 67, looked like he would take control of the tournament when he birdied four of his first seven to reach 20-under, but he suffered a double-bogey at the par-4 eighth after flying his approach over the green and out of bounds. That opened the door to the rest of the field, creating a leaderboard logjam that took hours to unravel.

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Dou reclaimed the lead with a tap-in birdie at the par-5 ninth, but 11 players were still separated by just two shots, and Day came home in five-under 30 to outduel the contenders.

Palmer carded a 68 and ended up T-8, his first top-10 finish of the season.