Jason Day suffered a meltdown on a horror last day for Australia’s golfing stars on the Masters. From being neatly in rivalry to clinch a top-12 end and with it a assured price tag again to Augusta National subsequent yr, Day capitulated with 4 double bogeys in his final 10 holes to crash to a tie for thirty ninth.
And what impressive doubles they had been. The first got here at the par-4 9th, when the previous global No 1 four-putted after he were putting tricky at 3 below par for the championship and throughout the height 10.
Day stroked a super, curling first putt for birdie from 44 ft to 3 ft, most effective to push his strive for par previous the opening after which additionally leave out his strive at bogey. Seemingly rattled, he then hooked his power at the tenth into the timber and needed to reload with a penalty shot en path to a 2d double bogey.
The automotive crash persisted when Day, status awkwardly throughout the bunker at the back of the well-known par-3 twelfth inexperienced, putted his 2d shot thru and into the water for every other double. He then needed to reload once more at the par-5 thirteenth after hooking his power deep into the Georgian pine timber.
He settled in brief with pars on 14 and 15 prior to shedding every other shot on 16 and completing with an elusive birdie on the final. When he in spite of everything added up the wear and tear, Day signed for an 80.
It used to be a gloomy finish to what were every other promising event for the resurgent megastar. After top-20 finishes in any respect seven of his PGA Tour occasions in 2023, and making the quarter-finals of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play out final time, the previous main winner arrived at Augusta as probably the most outdoor contenders.
He lived as much as that billing to be solo 2d at 9 below par past due in Friday’s 2d around, prior to a watery double-bogey at the fifteenth induced his slide.
Day’s meltdown allowed reigning Open champion Cameron Smith to as soon as once more end because the main Australian. Runner-up on the 2020 Masters and 3rd final yr, Smith may just most effective set up a percentage of thirty fourth this marketing campaign at 4 over after remaining with successive rounds of 75.
“I’ve been on the back foot all week with the weather and wasn’t particularly striking it all that well,” Smith mentioned after enjoying at the fallacious facet of the draw. “There were lots of momentum par-saves but it was a bit of a rough week with the longer stuff.”
Adam Scott additionally plunged down the leaderboard after the weather-hit 3rd around resumed on Sunday. The 2013 champion tied with Day at 5 over after weekend rounds of 77 and 74. Any hopes of a final-day fee from Scott ended on round-three’s fifteenth when he dumped two balls within the water en path to a triple-bogey 8. Scott, alternatively, refused guilty the draw for his lackluster appearing.