05 Feb 2022 | Professional golf |
Day continues resurgence at Pebble
by PGA of Australia
By Tony Webeck
Perennial Pebble Beach top-10 finisher Jason Day is at it again, moving into a tie for sixth through 36-holes as he chases a major money milestone at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Day opened with a round of four-under 68 at Pebble Beach and followed it up on Friday with a bogey-free five-under 66 at Monterey Peninsula Country Club to sit comfortably inside the top 10 at nine-under with two rounds left to play.
Day will tee it up at Spyglass Hill on Saturday – considered the toughest of the three-course rotation – but his history in the event and resurgent form gives every indication that he will be in the mix again on Sunday.
Runner-up in 2018, Day has not finished worse than seventh in the past five years and can break through the $50 million career earnings milestone if he finishes 14th or better at the end of 72 holes.
“I think I’m very due,” Day said of his impressive record at Pebble Beach without a win. “I’ve played some really solid golf over my lifetime here.
“I’m just not going to try to think about it too much, hopefully it falls in my lap.”
Day got his second round moving in the right direction by converting mid-range birdie putts at four and five yet had to wait until the par-4 13th to convert his third birdie opportunity of the day.
Averaging 297.5 yards off the tee for his second round, Day found the par-5 16th in two to set up a two-putt birdie and converted from eight feet after playing a wedge approach in tight at the par-4 17th.
“It was solid overall,” Day said of his second round, trailing runaway leader Seamus Power (64) by seven strokes.
“I could have taken advantage of the par-5s a little bit better. I know that I had some opportunities early in the round as well.
“But overall it was nice to shoot five-under, so heading in the right direction.”
As for his affinity with the region that yielded a top-three finish at last week’s Farmers Insurance Open, Day says he simply calls on the good feelings that he has accumulated during his career in California.
“First and foremost it’s just having a really good attitude,” Day said.
“You can get some gnarly weather here, it can be pretty hectic with 40, 45 degrees, blowing sideways, rain, and I remember a few years ago we had hail on the third tee.
“There can be some pretty rough days, but then you have days like this where it’s absolutely stunning.
“I love Carmel by the Sea, it’s one of my favourite little towns to kind of go and visit. I just love this area. And I’ve always kind of just gravitated towards this area, especially playing. “I’ve taken this event off a couple times but every single time that I don’t play I see guys playing Pebble and I’m like, I want to be out there.”
Greg Chalmers was five-under on his round late at Monterey Peninsula to move inside the top 50 while Cameron Percy (T82), Min Woo Lee (T94), Brett Drewitt ( T111), Matt Jones (T111), Aaron Baddeley (T139) and John Senden (T148) are well back at the halfway mark.
MEANWHILE Victorian Su Oh was the only Aussie to make the cut at the LPGA Drive On Championship in Florida, tied for 21st through two rounds and eight shots back of leader Leona Maguire.