Jason Day holding his trophy after winning the Byron Nelson PGA Tour. Source: Jason Day/Instagram
Australian golfer Jason Day has won his first PGA Tour even since 2018, claiming the Bryon Nelson a tight contest that came down to a single stroke difference.
For winning the Byron Nelson, Day earned the top prize of US$1,710,000 (AU$2.6m).
It’s Day’s second time winning the Byron Nelson, with the event being the site of his first PGA victory back in 2010. His last PGA win was the Wells Fargo Championship in 2018.
He narrowly edged out South Kearn golfer, Kim Si-woo and, and US golfer Austin Eckroat. Day beat both players by on a single stroke, finishing with a bogey-free 9-under-par final round to finish 23-under.
His victory drought has largely been due to various injuries during the period, particularly to his back. Across 2019 to 2021, day missed the cut three times in six majors.
“It’s been a struggling few years,” Day said after his victory.
Day, who is a former world No.1, had slid to No.175 on the World Golf Ranking last year. However, it’s clear that he has managed to push through and reclaim some of his past glory.
Day’s scoring average for this season is fifth, proving him as a strong contender for next week’s US PGA Championship in New York.
Today’s Byron Nelson was a particularly emotional victory for Day, as the tournament closed on Mother’s Day. Day’s mother, Adenil (known as Dening), passed away from cancer in March last year.
During the tournament, Day’s caddy wore a bib with ‘Adenil’ written across it.
“This was the first [Mother’s Day] kind of without her so to have her on my caddy bib was special,” Day said.
Day also thanked his wife, Ellie, for “the amount of sacrifices she’s made for me and my career, I just can’t thank her enough.”
