Day 1 for Day brings pain, gain
World No. 2 fights back injury during Match Play win
World No. 2 Jason Day
AUSTIN closed out Graeme McDowell on the 16th hole in Wednesday’s opening round of the World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play Championship at Austin Country Club. And it came none too soon. Day headed straight for treatment on his lower back after shaking hands with McDowell following his 3-and-2 win, the latest in a string of injuries that have hampered his career, from vertigo to wrist injuries to a bum ankle.
His status for Thursday is unknown, one of many things that left people shaking their heads after the first day. Top seeds fell and others dug deep to win on a day when winds whipped across the course. Day 2 is expected to be just as wild and unpredictable as the wind will shift and gain velocity.
Day left the course without talking to the news media after receiving treatment for an hour. He’s scheduled to play Thongchai Jaidee on Thursday at 3:20 p.m. ET.
If Day forfeits, his path to the Sweet 16 becomes much tougher. Following the lead of soccer’s World Cup, round-robin matches are played in each of the 16 fourman pools before elimination Friday.
Then the remaining 16 players play one-and-done matches through the final.
“He is pleased with the outcome of his match and is getting prepared to play tomorrow,” Day’s agent, Bud Martin, said in a statement.
The Aussie, who won five titles last year, initially hurt his back with his drive on 15. On 16, he dropped his club and grabbed his back after hitting his tee shot with a driver. From there he walked slowly, bent over often and at times had to take a knee to relieve the pain.
World No. 1 Jordan Spieth, who is fit and played this course many times when he was at the University of Texas and heard a bunch of “Hook ’Em Horns” throughout his match, led from the first hole and defeated Jamie Donaldson 3 and 2.
“It’s been a little while since I played here in school,” Spieth said. “But certainly having any course knowledge is better than pretty much the field here. No one has really seen this place. ...
“Everything is kind of coming together. Very pleased with the way we knocked in those 4- to 8footers, but I drove the ball well, struck the ball very nicely. My swing is really starting to come together. I need to get my speed and line matching up more on my midrange putts. I had a few of them today that were very makable putts that I’m just not at a perfect comfort level yet, but it’s getting there.”
Out-of-sorts Rory McIlroy, the defending champion and world No. 3, straightened out late by winning three of the last five holes for a 1-up win against Thorbjorn Olesen.
“Scrappy” is how McIlroy described the match. “The quality of golf out there wasn’t good. But I felt it was hard to play quality golf with the wind. I didn’t have my best stuff out there, but I hung in there.”
In one of the day’s most impressive performances, Phil Mickelson, who hadn’t played in the event since 2011, routed emerging European youngster Matthew Fitzpatrick 5 and 4. The two won the U.S. Amateur 23 years apart.
“I’m excited about the rest of this week. I’m excited about the rest of the year,” Mickelson said. “I’m striking the ball better than I have in a long time. I feel good on and around the greens.
“I just feel like it was a good start to the year, but it was a good thing to build on. Hopefully I’ll be able to get better and better. I’m excited.”
Less excited was No. 4 Bubba Watson, who lost the final hole and halved with Patton Kizzire. World No. 5 Rickie Fowler was defeated by Jason Dufner 2 and 1. No. 9 Dustin Johnson lost 3 and 2 to Robert Streb. No. 13 Hideki Matsuyama was beaten 1 up by Rafa Cabrera Bello.
“I’ve got to win the next two,” Fowler said. “Did my best out there today, tried to fight through it. At least I got myself back in the match, but I couldn’t finish it off. … Made some birdies out there to kind of hang around and get myself back in the match. He made more putts than I did today, and that was probably the little bit of difference.”