Australian golf great Jason Day was eyeing his first victory on the PGA Tour in nearly two years until an errant fairway shot found water at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Day – who won the event in 2016 – was just two shots back from leader Collin Morikawa and coming home with a wet sail in the final round on Monday morning.
His tee shot on the par-5 16th found the middle of the fairway, leaving him 192 yards to the green.
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The 37-year-old Aussie spent a long time deliberating over his shot, and on-course analyst Smylie Kaufman explained why.
“The big issue that Jason Day is dealing with here is that there is some mud on the back of his golf ball,” Kaufman said.
“It’s enough (of a concern) that he was definitely staring at it and trying to figure out ‘is it going to make it go a little left or right?’, I’m not really sure either.
Jason Day rues an errant swing at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. NBC
“He’s got a 6-iron in his hand, I imagine this is going to be a three-quarter (shot).”
Commentator Dan Hicks pointed out Day must have been unlucky to find mud on the Bay Hill course.
“It’s fascinating he picked out mud, as firm as these fairways are,” Hicks said.
“He must have picked out one of the very few soft areas (on the fairway).”
Day – needing to find a couple of shots in his final few holes to put himself in contention for the $6.35 million winner’s cheque – shanked his shot into the water.
“Wow,” Hicks said.
“I’m not sure if that was all mud, or poor swing and mud. He was one-handing it before he even looked up, I think he mishit it as well.
Jason Day of Australia. Getty
“It’s got to get in your head too, right? When you see that little bit of mud it puts that little bit of uncertainty in there.”
Day double bogeyed the hole and dropped from two shots back to four, which soon became five as Russell Henley pipped Morikawa to the victory.
The Aussie was in third place when his error happened. Third place at the signature event earns $2.2m.
Instead Day finished in a tie for eighth and collected just over $1m.
The Paris Olympian has won 13 times on the PGA Tour across 15 years, but has not tasted victory since the Byron Nelson in May 2023.
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