Day’s playing like Day again

IRVING, Texas – What’s it like when one of the world’s top golfers gets his groove back? It probably looks a lot like Jason Day on Saturday at the AT&T Byron Nelson. Five consecutive birdies. A 60-foot birdie putt. Accuracy off the tee and even more so into the greens. And finally, a 7-under 63 to move into contention for another win at TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas. He’ll start Sunday’s final round at 10 under, two strokes behind leader James Hahn. “Finally today,� Day said. “… Everything was kind of clicking.� It’s been awhile. Day’s 63 is his lowest score in more than a year, ever since he opened with a 63 en route to winning the THE PLAYERS Championship in 2016 – which just happens to be the last time he won on the PGA TOUR. Day called Saturday’s 63 his best round since the PGA Championship last July, when he shot four rounds in the 60s – including a second-round 65 – to finish solo second to Jimmy Walker. “Quite a long time ago,� Day noted. Since then, he suffered a back injury that forced him to withdraw from the final two FedExCup Playoffs event. Then at the start of this year, his mother was diagnosed with lung cancer that at one point was considered terminal. Day brought her from Australia to the United States for further tests and surgery, and now the prognosis is much better. No surprise that his golf life had taken a back seat to his real life. Day entered this week without a top-20 finish in his last six starts and had fallen to 106th in FedExCup points. But he’s on the upswing now. Making his first start at the AT&T Byron Nelson since 2013, Day has posted three rounds in the 60s. At one point on Saturday, he shared the lead before dropping off the pace with his only bogey of the day, at the par-4 14th. He bounced back with a birdie at the par-5 16th – his eagle putt from 13 feet came up one rotation short – and then the monster 60-foot birdie putt at the par-3 17th that produced the loudest roar of the day. He knew it was good even before the ball found the bottom of the cup. “Obviously wasn’t the greatest iron from the tee,� said Day, currently ranked No. 4 in the world. “I was trying to hit a cut 8-iron in there and double-crossed it and obviously went long and left. … The biggest thing for me is to read the putt like it’s going to go in the hole, play like you have the putt. “Halfway down the slope I had my hands up. … It’s really cool to hear the crowds roar like that again because it’s been awhile.� Perhaps it’s fate that he’s found his game again this week. His first TOUR win came at TPC Four Seasons Resort in 2010, and now Day has a chance to give the course a proper send-off before Trinity Forest becomes the new venue next year. “I feel a lot more things are in balance now with regards to what happened earlier in the year, just kind of fighting myself,� Day said. “Finally I think things are starting to click back for me. “I’m starting to work harder and the desire to get back to No. 1 in the world is obviously coming back to me. This is a good step in the right direction. I just need to stay calm because obviously one more round to go.�

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