No, Adam Scott is not the top-ranked Australian golfer in the world. To be fair, he’s still 11th, and has only fallen from his lofty third spot at the end of 2014 because of an indifferent 2015 season. But Scott’s lacklustre form has finally put the spotlight firmly on another Australian who revels in flying under the radar—Jason Day. Now, by no means is Day under-rated: that would be a ridiculous adjective for someone who’s had nine top-10 finishes in major tournaments; possesses one of the finest golf swings in modern golf; and has made a habit of lurking around the leaderboard on the PGA Tour. No, Day is very well known, popular even, just that his visibility isn’t on par for someone who is ranked fifth in the world. Yes, that’s right—his career-high ranking of fourth came after his wins at the Farmer’s Insurance Open and RBC Canadian Open this year.
What is really quite astounding about that ranking is that he’s also the only golfer in that rarified space not to have won a major championship. You don’t get to the world’s top five without winning a big one: Jordan Spieth leapfrogged his way up by winning two in a row; Rory McIlroy sits pretty with four; Bubba Watson has his two Green Jackets from Augusta; and wily veteran Jim Furyk has a US Open to his name. Day, on the other hand, has consistently finished in the top-10 in pretty much every tournament he’s teed it up at—and that includes a bewildering nine major championships. This year, his ninth-place finish at the US Open made more headlines for a severe bout of vertigo, which saw him being carried off on a stretcher—a rare sight as any in professional golf. And a heartbreaking fourth-place finish at last month’s British Open where he led the field going into the final round but couldn’t get the job done.
Interestingly, unlike Sergio Garcia—that other phenom never to have won a major—Day believes he can win the one that matters. “Sooner or later, it’s going to happen. I know that, “he said, beaming with confidence on the eve of the first day’s play at this week’s PGA Championship—the last major of the year. Right on cue, Day proceeded to shoot a four-under and five-under before rain suspended play on the second day—he had three more holes to go. Day hasn’t exploded on the scene like Spieth, but he’s been chipping away at major championships. He’s also had to deal with intermittent injuries that have derailed his quest just when he seems on the verge of winning one. No such issues this time and there won’t be a more popular winner if he can, in fact, pull through when the final round gets underway tonight.
The bigger surprise at Whistling Straits though is another Australian—Matt Jones who, at the time this column was written, shares the clubhouse lead with Day. Jones, who does have a PGA Tour victory to his name, has never fared better than a tied 30th position in his nine outings in major championships. The Aussie duo’s performance has applied some salve to fans in their home country after Scott—widely expected to rediscover his form at the tournament—slumped to a seven-over aggregate for the first two days. This was the first time Scott has missed a cut at a major championship since the 2011 US Open.
Punters in 2015 have been very predictable when it comes to the PGA Tour in 2015, and Jordan Spieth, yet again, is tipped to win an unprecedented third major title. Considering Spieth very nearly made it three out of three at the British Open, and the fact that he’s right in the mix tied for seventh place after the first two rounds, very few will bet against this precocious lad’s ability to amp up his level of play when it’s most required.
I wouldn’t rule out Justin Rose either. The gifted Englishman has by far the most technically sound swing in the world right now, and has displayed incredible shot-making skills in the Fedex Cup playoffs in the past few weeks. The efficiency of Rose’s swing would put a machine to shame—it’ll all depend on how his putter treats him over the last two rounds.
At end of day on Friday, Dustin Johnson still hadn’t started his second round. The athletic American was the first round leader, again—the first time someone has done that in all four major championships. Johnson used his prodigious length to great effect in his first round, driving the green on the shorter par fours like the tenth at Whistling Straits. Of course, Johnson’s penchant for opening strongly and finishing poorly is well documented. But history’s against him too—the only time the PGA Championship was won by a wire-to-wire winner was way back in 1994 (Nick Faldo). Can Johnson buck the trend? He certainly deserves to win.
What’s the dream though? Anirban Lahiri winning the PGA Championship. The bengaluru lad is very much in it, lying four-under with five holes to play in his second round when play commences. Now wouldn’t that be something—there aren’t too many frontiers left in professional sport, and to go down in history as the first Indian to win a major championship. That’s instant legacy.
A golfer, Meraj Shah also writes about the game