Jason Day's Gutsy Effort Tops Feel-Good Storylines Entering US Open Finale
There are plenty of unknowns heading into the final day of U.S. Open play at Chambers Bay, but one thing is certain: No matter who wins, we're going to witness a remarkable story of the heartwarming kind.
Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth and Branden Grace are all tied for the lead at four under par. Everyone else in the field is at least three strokes back.
That means on Sunday evening in prime time, you're likely to be watching either a rousing tale of redemption, a jaw-dropping display of perseverance, a history-making encore or an unexpected breakthrough.
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Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods are nowhere near the picture, but as far as leaderboards go, this one is pretty fantastic.
Day's story is the one that's making the most headlines, and rightfully so. The charismatic 27-year-old Australian is suffering from vertigo, yet he still managed to shoot the second-best round of the day.
In a terrifying scene on Friday, Day collapsed while walking up to the green on the ninth hole (his final hole of the day). He stayed on the ground for a while, and then while still appearing to be dizzy and unstable, he managed to finish up the hole with a bogey. He ended the day at two under par, tied for ninth place.
There were questions as to whether or not Day would even be able to play on Saturday, but the Aussie gave it a go, despite the fact that he was diagnosed with Benign Positional Vertigo, according to ESPN.com's Bob Harig.
Though his score of 68 suggests otherwise, it was anything but easy.
Over the last seven holes, Day managed to shoot four birdies. But after the round, Day admitted he experienced some vertigo and nausea during that impressive stretch on the back nine, per Fox Sports Asia's Stephanie Wei:
"He just dug as deep as he could possibly dig today, and it was just a monumental effort," Day's caddie, Colin Swatton, said on Fox after the round.
Day, who was the runner-up at the U.S. Open in 2011 and 2013 and finished tied for fourth last year at Pinehurst, is a very popular player among fans and his peers, and with five top-five finishes in majors since 2011, he's been primed for a big win for some time.
To see him finally win a major under these conditions would be nothing short of sensational.
But as mentioned above, Day isn't the only player who can provide a feel-good finish on Sunday. His co-leaders are also pretty easy to root for.
Spieth, the polite and prodigious 21-year-old, is the only one of the four with a major victory to his name, and that came just a couple of months ago at the Masters. If Spieth holds on to win at Chambers Bay, he would become only the sixth player in the history of golf to win the Masters and the U.S. Open back-to-back.
Just look at the company he would join: Tiger Woods (2002), Jack Nicklaus (1972), Arnold Palmer (1960), Ben Hogan (1951 and 1953) and Craig Wood (1941).
This wunderkind has already established himself as the next American golf superstar, but a win on Sunday would put him halfway to his Career Slam and keep his hopes for a Grand Slam alive.
From the sound of his post-round interview, as reported by Jason Sobel of ESPN, he's feeling pretty confident about his chances:
Meanwhile, Johnson isn't quite a clean-cut phenom, but his story is no less engaging. After all, Johnson is a guy who was blessed with all of the golfing gifts in the world, but his career has been primarily defined by battles with his demons.
The 30-year-old is most well known on the course for his major foibles in 2010: a disastrously blown 54-hole lead at the U.S. Open and a two-stroke penalty on the final hole at the PGA Championship that ended his hopes of joining the playoff.
Off the course, Johnson has long been mired by rumors of personal indiscretions and drug use, as detailed by Deadspin's Samer Kalaf. He was off the tour for six months last year, and Golf.com reported that it was a suspension for testing positive for cocaine.
While Johnson denied the reports of a failed drug test to ESPN's Tom Rinaldi and "attributed his problems to drinking too much," he has returned to the PGA Tour this year noticeably more focused and mature. A triumph on Sunday would crown an impressive comeback and go a long way toward repairing his image, at least where his golfing credentials are concerned.
The fourth co-leader isn't nearly as well known as the other three, but that's what makes his U.S. Open week so special. Grace is a 27-year-old who has never won a PGA Tour event, though he does have six wins on the European Tour.
The South African is currently ranked No. 40 in the world, and he only has one prior top-20 finish at a major—a tie for 18th at the 2013 Masters. If Grace emerges victorious, he would be one of the most surprising major winners in years.
In many ways, it's been a frustrating week at Chambers Bay. The course has been controversial, the broadcasting has been subpar and the struggles by some of the game's superstars have been downright painful to watch.
But when all is said and done, the tournament has delivered the most important thing: the perfect setup for a scintillating Sunday of golf.
That's something we can all be excited about, no matter what tale ends up being told.
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