Jason Day’s been knocking on victory’s door for the past month and on Sunday, he walked through it and grabbed the Canadian Open championship.
The 26-year-old Aussie, who has battled an inner ear infection that caused severe vertigo last month at the U.S. Open, was in perfect health and his game was equally sound on Sunday at Glen Abbey. He birdied the final three holes to edge hard-charging Bubba Watson and 54-hole leader David Hearn.
It was Hearn who was carrying the hopes of Canada, looking to become the first to win his nation’s championship in 61 years. Indeed, he led most of the day but lost his momentum down the stretch and saw both Day and Watson move past him.
Day’s game winner came on the 72nd hole with Hearn and Watson watching him from the 18th fairway. He faced a downhill, difficult 21-footer for birdie. He gave it plenty of speed and it buried itself square into the middle of the cup.
His 17-under par 271 total beat Watson by a shot and Hearn by a pair.
“I got the ball to the hole,” Day said with a huge smile before he accepted the trophy. “It was back and forth all day. I’m just so glad I made that putt,” he said, referring the the downhill, left-to-right breaker he canned at 18. “I’m just so proud to be the Canadian Open champion,” he said as he posted a closing 68.
Day grabbed the lead away from Hearn at the long par four 17th where he hit a monster 387-yard drive then pitched to within 12 feet. He made that birdie putt to get to 16-under.
When Hearn looks back, he’ll known that pars at the two closing par fives, the 16th and 18th, cost him his shot at the title.
“A wide range of emotions,” said Hearn of his day. He started out with a pair of birdies but made only one more all day, that coming at the par five 13th. “I didn’t quite pull it off in the end,” he said. “Even par wasn’t gonna get it done. Hopefully I’ll break through soon. I’m proud of the way I played,” he said, after shooting even-par 72.
Hearn ended up in solo third after Watson used his power off the tee to set up four straight closing birdies to finish runner up to Day.
Hearn was the first Canadian to hold the 54-hole lead since Mike Weir was in the same position in 2004. But like Weir, Hearn didn’t close the deal.
He didn’t lack for support from the fans and he loved how they pulled for him. “I can’t say enough about how the fans supported me.”
