Jason Day following in Scott’s footsteps
Jason Day is following in the confident strides of Adam Scott as he pursues an overdue maiden golf major.
The 25-year-old Day has regained his place in the world’s top 10 for the first time since March last year following his second US Open runner-up finish in three years on Sunday.
The Queenslander was a fixture in the top 10 for 39 consecutive weeks before injury and the birth of his first child sent him as low as 45th from a career-high No.7.
Day’s resurgence began in February with a sixth placing at Pebble Beach followed by a charge to the semi-finals of the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship.
But it was at his second Masters near-miss in April, when he led by two shots standing on the 16th tee before faltering as an inspired Scott charged home to break Australia’s 77-year Augusta drought, that Day re-emerged as a major contender.
With his third placing at Augusta and second in the US Open at Merion this week, Day now tops the 2013 all-majors leaderboard, the only player to record top-10 finishes at both the Masters and US Open.
In what could prove a nice omen, Scott won the 2012 all-majors honours – after a joint eighth at the Masters, equal 15th at the US Open, second at the British Open and seventh at the US PGA – before breaking through with his playoff victory over Angel Cabrera at Augusta.
After several years of Australian under-achievement at the majors, Scott and Day – both Queenslanders and both former world junior champions – have proven ultra-consistent since sharing second place while grouped together in the final round at the 2011 Masters.
After making the cut on his major debut at the 2010 British Open, Day has three runner-up finishes among five top-10 efforts.
In his past 10 majors, apart from his Masters triumph, Scott also has five top-10s and, like Day, two seconds.
While others including Nick Faldo predicted Scott would forever be scarred by his British Open collapse last year, Scott vowed to use the experience as motivation to secure his first major and did so nine months later.
Day’s next opportunity will come at next month’s British Open at Muirfield.