I was glad for Jason Day on Sunday when he won the PGA Championship by three strokes. It was his first time to win one of the four majors in international professional golf: the Masters in April, U.S. Open in June, British Open in July, and the U.S. PGA Championship in August. It surely capped off one of the most exciting years for the four majors in the history of professional golf.
Jason Day is a dark and handsome, muscular yet slender, six-foot tall, 27 year-old Australian who now lives with his young family in Ohio. His father was Irish-Australian and his mother is Phillipino. Jason has a terrific golf swing and is powerful off the tee. He reminds me of another Australian–Greg Norman. Eve Day’s golf swing reminds me of Norman’s swing, except Jason doesn’t swing closed to open like Greg did somewhat. It caused Norman to block some iron shots right under pressure, such as last holes at the Masters and U.S. Open that caused him to lose both tournaments. Jason just let it rip under that pressure, thus releasing the clubhead properly to square the face at impact. However, that long four iron shot at the par five sixteenth barely stayed right next to the left side of the green. With a three shot lead the time, some players would have played safe under those conditions. Not Jason Day. He won in style.
Jason had been seriously knocking at the door to win a major. Until this tournament, he had finished in the top ten in six out of the last seven majors. In the last two majors, the U.S. Open and British Open, he had held or was tied for the 54-hole lead. At that U.S. Open, he battled Veritgo the last two rounds. It is almost impossible to play golf with Vertigo.
Jason beat the new PGA Tour sensation, now 22-year old Jordan Spieth, to win. It was almost like match play since they were paired together that last round. And the pressure was really strong on Jason Day. Jordan Spieth had set records by winning the first two majors this year and the first two for him: the Masters and the U.S. Open. Plus, Spieth is a big crowd favorite. But Jason Day is also very well liked.
Even before Jason Day holed his last putt, a one footer, he couldn’t hold back the tears. He said in the presentation ceremony minutes later that he surprised himself that he cried. In fact, he shed a lot of tears as he hugged his caddie. It was because his life was flashing before him. His father had died when he was twelve years old. His caddie, Col Swatton, had helped Jason turn his life around as a teenager and even became his mentor, father figure, coach, and now his caddie. The scene was heart warming. (In late 2013, eight of Jason Day’s relatives, including his grandmother, died in Typhoon Haiyan in the Phillipines.)
Then, to top it off, Jason’s three year old son, Dash, ran out to his dad as he was walking off the last green and Jason carried him all the way to the scorer trailer. And we could hear Dash on television crying out to his dad that he wanted to go with him. It was precious. Jason, his beautiful wife Ellie, who has another child on the way, and Dash live in their own motor home at tournaments. Chalk up one for the family.
Even though competition in professional golf is always fierce, just as in other professional sports, a lot of these young pros are true gentlemen, even when they lose. For example, when Jason Day hit a long putt close to the hole on the 70th hole, Jordan Spieth smilingly raised his thumb in Jason’s direction to signal “great putt.” In the televised media interview soon after the finish, Spieth paid a fine compliment to Day about how Jason played so well, with long drives in the fairway all day, especially in the closing holes. Jordan said, “there wasn’t anything I could do” to win.
Professional golf is in good, young hands these days.
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