Jason Day wins BMW Championship, claims world No.1 ranking

By Australian Golf Digest

By Evin Priest

AUSTRALIA, we have a new world No.1 golfer.

Jason Day has continued his phenomenal year at the BMW Championship — his fifth victory of the season — to claim world golf’s top spot.

The Queenslander followed a career-best opening round of 61 with scores of 63, 69 and 69 for a six-shot victory, finishing at 22-under par.

His nearest competitors were US duo Daniel Berger at 16-under par and Scott Piercy a shot back.

“It’s tough to explain; I’ve been working so hard and all I wanted to do is win,” Day said after the round. “Since the Open Championship (where he missed out on the playoff by one shot) something changed in my head … It’s been a phenomenal run.”

The last time we had a green and gold world No.1 was last year, when 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott held the top spot from May 18 to August 2 – 11 weeks.

Day, 27, began the final round as the FedEx Cup leader with a six-shot lead – the biggest 54-hole advantage on the US PGA Tour this season. With the victory, Day locked up the No. 1 seed at next week’s season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake GC.

At the 17th hole this morning, Day landed his approach shot in a bunker and then executed a spectacular sand save to maintain a five-shot lead heading into the par-5 18th hole.

There, he absolutely smoked a drive straight down the middle of the fairway. When Day’s approach with a fairway metal landed in thick grenade rough, he exhibited his world-class short game to pump and run it to three feet. He converted the putt for birdie.

The US PGA Champion also had a chance to join golf’s elusive ’59 Club’ in the opening round, when he drove the ball to 40 metres from the green at the par-4 ninth (his 18th). With Conway Farms Golf Club being  a par 71 and Day sitting beside the green with a chance to chip in for an 11-under par round, a 59 was a possibility. But with a weather delay, Day finished his first round on the Saturday morning and failed to chip in for the 59 and get up-and-down for birdie, instead recording a par and signing for a career-low round of 61.