Jason Day is back in the world's top 20 for the first time since 2019 after a one-shot win; world No 2 Scottie Scheffler and England's Tyrrell Hatton in tied-fifth; watch the PGA Championship from Oak Hill exclusively live on Sky Sports Golf from Thursday at 1pm
Monday 15 May 2023 06:39, UK
Jason Day enjoyed the best possible preparation for the PGA Championship at Oak Hill after ending a five-year winless run with victory at the AT&T Byron Nelson.
The Australian, who has won the PGA Championship once before back in 2015, finished the week in McKinney, Texas, with a sensational nine-under 62 to claim his first PGA Tour title in five years.
Day finished the tournament on 23 under, one stroke clear of Austin Eckroat and Si Woo Kim in joint-second place. CT Pan also shot 62 on the final day to sit alone in fourth place at 21 under.
Scottie Scheffler, the world No 2 and the hometown favourite in the Dallas area, carded a bogey-free 65 to share fifth spot at 20 under along with England's Tyrrell Hatton (64) and Zecheng Dou (67) of China.
Day hit the top of the leaderboard when he chipped in for a birdie at the 12th hole of the TPC Craig Ranch course and sealed the win when he picked up a ninth birdie of a bogey-free round with a tap-in at the final hole.
It is the former No 1's 13th career PGA Tour victory, but his first since winning the Wells Fargo Championship in 2018. Day's first came at the Byron Nelson back in 2010.
Day admitted after his victory that he had considered giving up on golf a couple of years ago, having endured illness and injury as well as the pain of watching his mother's five-year battle with cancer end with her death last year.
"It was very emotional to go through and to experience what she was going through, then I had injuries on top of all of that going on in my life," he said. "To be honest, I was very close to calling it quits. I never told my wife that, but I was okay with it, just because it was a very stressful part of my life."
The 35-year-old was briefly reduced to tears after sealing victory on what was Mother's Day in the United States and celebrating with his wife Ellie, who is expecting the couple's fifth child.
"Ellie, she never gave up on me trying to get back to the winner's circle again. She just always was pushing me to try and get better," Day added. "It feels strange to be sitting here. I don't know how else to explain it. To go through what I went through and then to be able to be a winner again and be in the winner's circle is very pleasing."
Watch the PGA Championship this May live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Thursday May 18 from 1pm on Sky Sports Golf.
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