Jason Day on Sunday continued his sensational streak with an emphatic victory at the WGC-Dell Match Play in Austin, Texas, and the new world No. 1 could not be happier with his game heading into next month’s Masters.
The Australian beat South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen five and four in the afternoon final at the Austin Country Club to clinch his sixth win in his past 13 tournaments worldwide.
Day, who sank a 12-foot par putt at the final hole to beat defending champion Rory McIlroy one-up in a morning semi-final, was already assured of regaining the world No. 1 ranking from the US’ Jordan Spieth.
Photo: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY
“It’s been an amazing week. I played wonderfully this afternoon,” Day, 28, said at the victory presentation, adding that he felt he had only a “50-50” chance of continuing the event after tweaking a muscle in his back during the opening day of competition.
“I’ve been able to not only utilize the great short game that I’ve had from last week to this week, but to be able to play the way I did from tee to green, and then on top of it hit the clutch shots has been really fantastic,” Day said.
Oosthuizen, the 16th seed, qualified for the final when he beat Spaniard Rafa Cabrera-Bello four and three in the other semi-final.
Day lost the first hole of the final, but that was his only setback as he relentlessly kept up the pressure on Oosthuizen and turned the back nine into a victory march.
Day’s ninth career PGA Tour victory was his second in as many weeks after he triumphed at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 20.
It was also Day’s second win in three years in the only World Golf Championships event that uses the match play format.
He also made it four wins in five weeks for Australian players on the PGA Tour, after Adam Scott won twice in Florida at the Honda Classic and WGC-Cadillac Championship.
Day’s hot streak stretches back to July last year.
After missing out on a playoff spot at The Open Championship by one stroke at St Andrews, Day won the Canadian Open the following week before picking up his first major victory at the PGA Championship in August last year.
He will now have a week off to recharge before the first major of the year, the Masters, where he will be the man to beat.
“It’s never easy winning,” he said. “I can’t get too complacent with how I’m playing. I need to focus on the little things that make me great and go into Augusta and prep the exact same way I have in the past.”
Runner-up Oosthuizen tipped his hat to the champion.
“I couldn’t buy a birdie. Up against a guy like Jason, you need to go out three-to-four-under to have a chance,” the 2012 Masters runner-up said. “Game is shaping up really nice for Augusta. That’s everyone’s focus right now.”
In the match for third place, Cabrera-Bello beat McIlroy three and two.
Cabrera-Bello’s strong week elevated him into the top 50 in the world and earned him a spot at the Masters.
McIlroy struggled in the consolation match, frustrated after losing his semi-final against Day.
“Today I just didn’t hole the putts I needed to and Jason wasn’t giving me anything either,” the Northern Irishman said. “I think that just shows how well Jason is playing at the minute.”
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