Jason Day, a serial contender in the majors over the last few years, finally landed a coveted title when he won the PGA Championship yesterday in record-breaking fashion.
At Whistling Straits, Day shot a final-round five-under par 67 to finish on 20-under par 268 – the lowest total in relation to par in the history of major championships. The previous record was Tiger Woods’ 19-under set at the 2000 Open Championship.
It was only his 21st major start, and he has had nine top-10 finishes in the past. Day won by three shots over Jordan Spieth, who closed with a four-under par 68 and 17-under par for the tournament.
Spieth, winner of this year’s Masters and the US Open, may not have won his third major championship of the season, but he did have the consolation of taking over Rory McIlroy’s crown as the No 1 golfer in the world.
Defending champion McIlroy finished at nine-under par 279 following a final-round three-under par 69, but that was good enough only for a tied 17th place. But with Spieth finishing outright second, McIlroy needed to finish inside the top-13 to prevent the 22-year-old Texan from overtaking him at the helm of professional golf.
South Africa’s Branden Grace finished solo third on 15-under par 273, while England’s Justin Rose was fourth a shot behind on 274 following a bogey on his final hole. Anirban Lahiri (68) and Brooks Koepka (66) were tied for the fifth place at 13-under par 275.
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Day picked up his first shot of the day on the par five-second and then fired a hat-trick of birdies from the fifth, the last from 45 feet meaning he became the quickest player in major history to reach 19 under par.
It was a vital response to the challenge of Grace, who had birdied the third and also picked up shots on the fifth, sixth and seventh. Spieth was always lurking behind, but could not match the brilliance of Day on the day.
Tiger Woods, a very good friend of Day’s, was quick to react on Twitter, tweeting even before Day hit his second shot on the 18th hole: “Game over, very happy for Jason. Great dude and well deserved. Hats off to Jordan, incredible season. Calling it early.”
Game over, very happy for Jason. Great dude and well deserved. Hats off to Jordan, incredible season. Calling it early.
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) August 16, 2015
Justin Rose’s momentum was halted by an ugly double bogey on the 404-yard par-4 13th. Two shots behind the leader Day after making four birdie in 11 holes, he hit his tee shot into the left rough, and from there into a horrendous lie in the greenside bunker.
Grace overcooked his second shot on the par-4 10th hole and overshot the green. From there, he needed two shots to get up to the green and two-putted for a double.
Lahiri put together a super display, and only a last-hole bogey denied him a finish inside the top-five. The 28-year-old shot a four-under par 68 and his tied fifth place was the best finish by an Indian golfer in a major championship.
American Dustin Johnson, who lost the tournament here in 2010 with a rules infringement that cost him two shots on the 18th hole, dropped out of contention with a quadruple bogey on the first.
