Jason Day won the prestigious trophy at TPC Sawgrass for his seventh victory in his last 17 starts. The Australian shot a one-under final round to maintain his overnight lead and lift the beautiful trophy. The final round also saw five Americans round off the runner-ups.
World number one wins with a four-shot lead
Day began his final round as the 54-hole leader at 14-under par. The Aussie began his fourth day on the famous TPC Sawgrass course with five straight pars as he failed to take advantage of early birdie opportunities.
But he could not birdie hole number six after missing an eight-foot putt for par. Day then clinched a strong par on the seventh hole before routinely carding a par on the eighth as well. The top-ranked worldwide golfer closed out his shaky opening nine holes with a disappointing bogey to card a two-over front nine.
Day came alive on his closing nine holes of the star-studded tournament. A birdie on the tenth hole saw him hole a 17-foot putt, which sparked a turnaround in his final round. Day kept his momentum going as he sunk a 16-foot putt on the 12th to bring him back to even par on the day and 14-under for the tournament.
The Australian comfortably made par on the following three holes before carding his last birdie of the day on the 70th hole of the tournament. Day headed to the famous 17th hole at 15-under par, and ahead of the field.
The 28-year-old landed his nerve-racking tee shot on the island green of the 17th hole to put him 50 feet away from the hole. Day made a crucial two-putt as he headed to his final hole with a comfortable lead over the talented field.
Four shots and a roar from the Florida crowd later, Day was crowned the victor of THE PLAYERS Championship after an amazing week in Ponte Vedra Beach. The Australian gained the top spot in the FedEx Cup standings and looks forward to accomplishing many more of his goals on the PGA TOUR.
Americans headline the remaining top three
Kevin Chappell finished his week in the Florida heat in solo second while Justin Thomas, Matt Kuchar, Colt Knost, and Ken Duke finished in a tie for third. Chappell and Knost both fired three-under-par 69s to conclude their week to remember. Kuchar carded five birdies and one bogey to shoot a final round of 68 to complete his impressive week.
Thomas impressed the golf world with a 65 after sinking eight birdies and one bogey in his final round. Duke, on the other hand, fell back a spot on the leaderboard after an even-par round to end his top-three week.
Yet another great American showing on the PGA TOUR hints towards a tough future Ryder Cup selection as there are many in-form golfers representing the red, white, and blue.