There is something about Jason Day. The Australian somehow manages to get himself into contention whenever he tees up at a major, and the 144th Open Championship will be no different.
Going into the final day, the 27-year-old Aussie leads the tournament alongside 2010 champion Louis Oosthuizen and amateur Paul Dunne at 12-under par.
The achievement becomes even more praiseworthy, considering Day survived a huge scare after unexplained dizzy spells in tournaments earlier this season, including last month’s US Open at Chambers Bay, where he collapsed on the final green on Friday.
Day seem to be doing fine after he was diagnosed with Benign Positional Vertigo, which was brought about by an ear infection, and a five-under par 67 gives him the chance to win his first major title after several close finishes in the last few years.
“I always wanted to be the first Aussie to win the Masters, but you know, Scottie beat me to it,” said Day.
“It would be nice to put my name on the Jug. We’re just trying to chase that bit of immortality. That’s probably the best way to put it is just that if you win, you’re stuck in history at that moment, that person’s name on that Jug becomes immortal in some way. It’s just great to be able to have that piece of history and that glory that goes along with it.”
Jason Day is the 8th player since World War II to have or share the lead after 54 holes at both Opens. Previous 7 won one of the two.
— Tripp Isenhour (@TrippIsenhourGC) July 19, 2015
Day said he was lucky to get over with his medical issues, but he did come to St Andrews determined to better his record in the one major where a tied 30th place in the 2011 Championship is his best finish in previous four starts.
“To be honest, it was tough with what went on at the US Open, and then even though I wanted to finish a little bit better, I was just glad to get it done,” said Day.
“To be able to come back pretty much three weeks later and play the way I’ve been playing, I am very proud of that. I know this is one of those events that I haven’t really played well in the past. It’s not my strongest major, and I’m looking forward to changing that this week.”
Oosthuizen, who made a birdie on the final hole to join the leaders, said his previous win here in St Andrews, will give him a lot of confidence on the final day.
“I think knowing I’ve done it before at this golf course, I will take a lot from that,” said Oosthuizen who finished second last month at the US Open.
“But there’s a lot of golf that needs to be played. Jordan is obviously looking at making history, so you can expect him to fire on early and to really be up there. Jason is playing unbelievable.
“There are so many players that can still win this. I think it’s going to be one of the tightest Opens.”
Oosthuizen is paired in the final group with Dunne, while Day goes a group earlier along with Jordan Spieth.
