Jason Day marked Mother’s Day with an emotional victory at the AT&T Byron Nelson. Day’s mother, Dening, passed away in March 2022 after a five-year battle with cancer. The 35-year-old Australian made his long awaited return to the winner’s circle at TPC Craig Ranch, Texas. Day’s last PGA victory was 1835 days ago at the Wells Fargo Championship in 2018. The world No. 35, who claimed his maiden PGA Tour win at this event in 2010, produced flawless golf on Sunday to win by one shot. Day is the seventh player to win multiple Byron Nelson titles.
Day carded rounds of 64, 69, 66 and a bogey-free 9-under 62 on Sunday to reach 23-under. The 2015 PGA champion started the final round two shots back from joint 54-hole leaders Austin Eckroat, Zecheng Dou and local favourite Ryan Palmer. The Queenslander got busy early pouring in three consecutive birdies at the 3rd, 4th and 5th holes. Day covered the front nine in 4-under 32 with his fourth birdie for the day at the 9th hole. The back nine was even more productive for the Aussie peeling off five unanswered birdies including making a four at the par 5 final hole for the narrow win.
America’s Austin Eckroat and South Korea’s Si Woo Kim finished one shot back at 22-under and in a share of second place. Eckroat, aged 24, produced a final round 6-under 65. It was the rookie’s best finish on the PGA Tour. Kim scored a final round 8-under 63 to fall short of claiming his fifth PGA Tour title.
CT Pan from Chinese Taipei closed out his tournament with two eagles over the final five holes. The world No. 300 signed for a superb 9-under 62 on Sunday to reach 21-under and take solo fourth place. It was Pan’s first made cut on the PGA Tour since the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in October 2022.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler carded a 6-under 65 final round to get to 20-under and finish in a tie for 5th place with England’s Tyrrell Hatton (64) and China’s Dou (67).
Back-to-back defending champion KH Lee was looking to become the first player in more than a decade to score three consecutive wins at a PGA Tour event. Steve Stricker won the John Deere Classic from 2009-2011. The Korean settled for a tie in 50th place at 4-under. If Lee won at TPC Craig Ranch, he would have become the first player in nearly ninety years to claim his first three PGA Tour wins in the same event (Leonard Gallett did it at the Wisconsin PGA in 1929, '33 and '34).
The PGA Tour moves to New York for next week’s PGA Championship to be staged at Oak Hill Country Club. America’s Justin Thomas is the defending champion.
1. Jason Day -23
T2. Si Woo Kim -22
T2. Austin Eckroat -22
4. CT Pan -21
T5. Scottie Scheffler -20
T5. Tyrrell Hatton -20
T5. Zecheng Dou -20
T8. Adam Scott -19
T8. Vincent Norrman -19
T8. Ryan Palmer -19
Other Australians
T23. Aaron Baddeley -15
T50. Harrison Endycott -11
T66. David Micheluzzi -9
T70. Greg Chalmers -8
MC. Cameron Percy
MC. Geoff Ogilvy
MC. Min Woo Lee
Photo credit: Mike Mulholland/Getty Images
