Jason Day wins World Cup of Golf at Royal Melbourne

Jason Day celebrates after winning the World Cup of Golf.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (AP)

After nearly withdrawing due to a family tragedy, Jason Day made an emotional return to golf at the World Cup to win his first tournament in more than three years at Royal Melbourne on Sunday.

His 7-foot putt to save par on the 16th hole held off a faltering Thomas Bjorn. Day had a 70 for a 10-under total of 274. That was two strokes better than Denmark's Bjorn, who finished with a 71 after two late bogeys.

Day's last victory came at the Byron Nelson Championship on the PGA Tour in 2010, although he's had four top-five finishes in majors since 2011.

The World Cup was Day's first tournament in five weeks and came less than two weeks after he learned that eight of his relatives, including his grandmother, died in the devastating Nov. 9 typhoon in the Philippines.

His mother, who immigrated to Australia from the Philippines 30 years ago, and sister were just off the green on 18 at Royal Melbourne. They both hugged him as he walked to the scoring tent to sign his card.

"It's just been an amazing tournament for me," Day said. "My mother, my family, coming down to support me. I'm just so happy the hard work has paid off, and I'm glad it happened in Melbourne.

"It would have been the easiest thing for me to just go ahead and pull out of the tournament with what has been going on over the last week," he added. "But I really wanted to come down here and play."

Day's situation wasn't lost on Bjorn.

"Obviously a fraction disappointed, I didn't play that great today," Bjorn said. "But I couldn't be happier for Jason winning. He has gone through a rough time of late and for him to even be here is a big thing and then to go and win a golf tournament ... that's what you want to see."

Day's last tournament victory came at the Byron Nelson Championship on the PGA Tour in 2010, although he's had four top-five finishes in majors since 2011.

Masters champion Adam Scott finished third after a 66, three strokes behind. Scott, who was trying to win his third tournament in a row, shot a 75 on the opening day, including a 9 on the 12th hole, and spent the rest of the tournament trying to catch up.

Day earned $1.2 million for winning the individual title and helped Australia win the team portion of the World Cup. Day and Scott, who each holed approach shots for eagles Sunday, shared the $600,000 first-place team prize.

American Matt Kuchar shot a 71 to finish fourth in individual stroke-play, three behind Day.

Ryo Ishikawa of Japan (69) and Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand (70) finished tied for fifth, seven behind the winner.

Day led by four strokes after nine holes thanks to a big swing on the fifth and sixth. Day bogeyed the par-3 fifth after going into bunker and Bjorn birdied, leaving them tied for the lead.

But on the sixth, Day's gap wedge from about 80 yards hit the green once and rolled into the cup for eagle. Bjorn, who was in the rough with his tee shot, made bogey and the three-shot swing put the Australian back in the lead.

On the next hole, Day increased his lead to four over Bjorn when the Danish player three-putted for bogey.

After making the turn with the four-shot lead, thanks to a 12-foot par-saving putt on nine, Day ran into big problems on the 10th when his tee shot went into the left rough. Trying to advance it up the fairway instead of chipping out sideways, he sent the ball but back into the rough.

He chipped back out to the fairway with his third shot, put his fourth on the green and two-putted for double-bogey. That reduced his lead to two shots over Scott and Bjorn, and birdies by Bjorn on 11 and 13 put both players level again until Bjorn's bogey on 16.

Scott, who holed out for eagle with his approach on the first hole Sunday, won the Australian PGA and Australian Masters in his first trip back home since winning at Augusta in April. He'll try to complete the Australian `Triple Crown' of majors next week at Royal Sydney.

"It's been an incredible day," Scott said. "Thanks Jason, you played so well this week."

The last time the World Cup was captured by a host country was in 1996 when the South African team of Ernie Els and Wayne Westner won at Cape Town.

Jason Day claims first win on home soil to guide Australia to World Cup title

Jason Day celebrates his win at Royal Melbourne

AS huge as Jason Day's World Cup win was, its full impact won't be felt for months.

Day, 26, rode a roller coaster of emotions to not only power Australia to a team victory alongside Adam Scott, but secure just his third professional victory - and first in three and a half years.

That his first pro win in Australia - by two shots over Thomas Bjorn after a tense back-nine shootout - came with his grieving mother and sisters in the gallery after they lost eight family members in last week's killer Philippines typhoon made it even more memorable.

"With all that stuff going and to hit a great shot into 18, it was a very big move in my golfing career," Day beamed.

"I'm very proud of what I did out there and so happy I handled it the way I did.

"Hopefully the next time I have a chance of winning a major, I play this way and hopefully the next major I play in, I win.

Australians Jason Day and Adam Scott must cover the American pair if they are to clinch World Cup

     Adam Scott drives at the sixth hole yesterday.

 

GO AS low as you can and the team prize will take care of itself. That will be the basic strategy in the Australia versus US shootout at Royal Melbourne today.

Jason Day and Adam Scott simply have to collectively outscore Matt Kuchar and Kevin Streelman in the final round to win the World Cup.With all the combatants separated in the last four pairs, they can concentrate on their own bids to win the financially more appealing individual event.Day's five-under 66 yesterday vaulted him to nine-under, one ahead of Dane Thomas Bjorn in the individual event, with Kuchar a further two back in the chase for the $1.2 million winner's cheque from the $7 million purse. And the winning pair will also split $600,000 of the $1 million allocated for the teams' competition."The Australians are a strong team and the cushion we had has gone, so it's going to be exciting tomorrow,'' Kuchar said.Kuchar planned to catch up with Streelman last night to discuss ways of leapfrogging past the hometown pair."I hope to be a better teammate. So far, we haven't done a whole lot of talking,'' Kuchar said. Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar. End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar. "I've been dining with the wife and kids on room service and Kevin is here with his caddie. We haven't been out as much as a team. But I've talked to his caddie about strategies and there's a few strategies that I learned on this course that I'll share with Kevin.''Kuchar eased ahead of Streelman with a flawless three-under 68 as he again summoned the knowledge from his second place in the Australian Masters around the daunting Composite course last week."I haven't quite gone as low, but I can make a run at the title tomorrow. I didn't feel as in control and as sharp as I was, but I got up and down out of some pretty ugly places,'' he said.Bjorn and fourth-placed Italian Francesco Molinari don't have the team distraction today as they press for individual glory.

 

Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn, who hits out of a bunker during the third round, is in the running for individual honours today.

 

Bjorn's Danish teammate Thorbjorn Olesen slumped to a five-over 76 to leave them nine shots back, while Molinari's five-under 66 was a striking contrast to young compatriot Matteo Manassero.Manassero is a whopping 13-over, condemned to tee off in the first pairing today with similarly struggling Indian Gaganjeet Bhullar.``I play better on the front nine for some reason. It was a bit of a battle coming back in today, but I did well. The time I played the first four or so, holes (greens) were a bit softer with the rain and the rest were pretty much the same,'' Molinari said."We saw what happened to Stuart Manley today. It's a course that can bite you at any time. So, I hope to be not too far back to have the chance to play another good round."It's a good position to be in, especially after my first round (75). I left myself with much work to get back into it.''Molinari and his brother Eduardo won the 2009 World Cup in China. Eduardo is returning from injury in the South African Open this week while Francesco strives for World Cup individual honours."Winning the individual would be special on such a great golf course with so much history,'' he said.

Jason Day leads World Cup by 1

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Australian Jason Day shot a 5-under 66 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the World Cup at Royal Melbourne.

Day had a three-round total of 9-under 204 playing in his first tournament since finding out eight relatives, including his grandmother, died in Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines on Nov. 9.

The wind at Royal Melbourne picked up Saturday, taking away any advantage some early morning rain provided in slowing down the slick greens.

"You just have to have some patience," Day said. "I like playing difficult golf courses; that's what I do better at."

Second-round leader Thomas Bjorn of Denmark shot 71 and was in second place, while American Matt Kuchar had 68 and was in third, three behind.

"I felt like I was in control, as sharp as I would have liked to be," Kuchar said. "I did miss out on a couple of good opportunities, but I also made a handful and got up and down from some pretty ugly places."

Australia leads the World Cup team standings at 11 under, one ahead of the U.S. team of Kuchar and Kevin Streelman.

Italy's Francesco Molinari moved up the leaderboard with a 66 and was fourth, while Streelman had a 74 and is in fifth place, five strokes out of the lead.

Molinari won the World Cup with his brother Edoardo in 2009.

"It was obviously a very good day," Molinari said of Saturday's round. "I seemed to play better on the front nine for some reason, and then it was a bit of a battle really coming back in. I dropped a shot on 16 and holed a few nice putts for par."

Stuart Manley of Wales had an incredibly up-and-down day, following a hole-in-one on the third with an 11 on the fourth. But he slowly recovered with an eagle and a birdie on the back nine to finish with a 72, and was tied for eighth.

"The highest high to the lowest low," Manley said.

Masters champion Adam Scott also was tied for eighth after a 68. After an opening 75 that included an 11 on one hole, the Australian has slowly moved up the leaderboard as he attempts to win his third tournament in a row.

But Scott said the Royal Melbourne greens are wearing him down. He won last week's Australian Masters at Royal Melbourne after winning the Australian PGA the week before and will try to win the Australian Open next week at Royal Sydney to capture the so-called Triple Crown.

"I've hit so many putts from 50 and 60 feet in the last two weeks, it's hard to make them all the time," Scott said. "It's hard to even just two-putt them around here because you're fearful of knocking it 7 or 8 feet by all the time."

Stuart Manley follows ace with 11

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Welsh golfer Stuart Manley went from a hole-in-one to an 11 at Royal Melbourne on Saturday in the third round of the World Cup.

The good part came on the par-3 third when Manley moved into a share of second place with the ace with an 8-iron on the 176-yard hole.

Manley patted the roof of the car after the shot, thinking he had won it, but the car is only available for a hole-in-one on Sunday during the final round.

Before he had a chance to see himself on the leaderboard, Manley went from a 1 to double figures on the par-4 fourth. A bad tee shot and a pitch that kept rolling off the green and back down to his feet in the gully dropped him into a tie for 15th.

Manley, who shot an opening-round 67 and then a 72 on Friday, reacquired his European Tour card for next year at last week's qualifying tournament in Spain, then made a rushed trip to Australia.

It's his first time playing at Royal Melbourne -- he came here in 2005 in an attempt to get into a tournament, but never got in as a reserve.

The 346th-ranked Manley intended to play in the team event for Wales, but his scheduled partner, Jamie Donaldson, withdrew with a back injury. That forced Manley to play as one of eight individuals in the 60-player field.

Vijay Singh earlier had trouble on the same fourth hole, hitting his approach on the sloping green to about eight feet, only to see it slide away and off the green into the gully. But Singh only made bogey.

Isleworth to host World Challenge

Tiger Woods' annual World Challenge event will leave Southern California after this year and relocate in 2014 to the place he used to live and hone his game.

The 18-player, 72-hole event -- which will be played for the 14th time at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif., on Dec. 5-8 -- will move to Isleworth Country Club near Orlando next year. The scheduled dates are Dec. 4-7.

Until moving to Jupiter, Fla., in 2011, Woods had lived in the gated community since turning pro in 1996 and did the majority of his practice and preparation at Isleworth, which consistently ranks among the toughest courses in Florida.

The tournament will have an association with the Tavistock Group, which owns the course and has sponsored a long-time event known as the Tavistock Cup, a 36-hole exhibition. Both Woods' and Tavistock's foundations will benefit.

"We have a longstanding relationship with Tavistock Group and my friend, Joe Lewis, and I am thrilled to see it grow in support of our foundations,'' Woods said in a statement. "... I'm looking forward to this next phase of the World Challenge and what it can bring to Florida."

The move is a bit of a surprise, given Woods' California roots. He grew up in nearby Cypress and his foundation is located in Irvine. Along with his late father, Earl, Woods put together the World Challenge as a way to raise funds for his foundation, and after one year in Scottsdale in 1999, it moved to Sherwood.

Woods has developed several fund-raising vehicles for his foundation, but the World Challenge has always been viewed as dearest to him because of his father's input. After Chevron left as a title sponsor two years ago, the foundation had difficulty securing a new one. Woods even put up what was believed to be $4 million of his own money for the purse last year, with Graeme McDowell pocketing $1 million for the victory.

Northwestern Mutual was secured as this year's title sponsor, but it's just a one-year deal. The move to Isleworth, so far, is for one year, which means other Tavistock venues, including Lake Nona in Orlando or even properties in the Bahamas, could be used to stage the event in the future.

"We've got a multiyear contract with Tavistock Group and we're committed to have that event at Isleworth in 2014," said Greg McLaughlin, the president and CEO of the Tiger Woods Foundation. "We will then review and evaluate beyond that. We haven't done any planning beyond 2014. We're obviously focused on this year."

Woods' foundation is supported by two other PGA Tour events -- the Deutsche Bank Championship and the AT&T National, where the title sponsor is not expected to remain beyond the coming year.

"It's been one of those times, unfortunately for a lot of charities, where it's a tough economic climate right now for anyone to try and raise money,'' Woods said last month during a conference call to promote the tournament. "Luckily our foundation really got going with this event, some of our other events that we run. We were in that boom.

"I think we've got a lot of awareness and equity built in through all those years. I think that's why we're still able to raise the money that we're able to raise, just because people are aware of it and they understand what we're trying to do and the message is already out.''

Since 2009, the World Challenge has awarded world ranking points. Woods has won the tournament five times.

Scott Brown in front at Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Scott Brown shot a 4-under 68 at Spyglass Hill on Friday and leads the Pebble Beach Invitational by one stroke over Jason Kokrak after two rounds.

Brown had two bogeys and six birdies, all within 10 feet. He is at 10-under 134 for the tournament.

"It was nothing too crazy," said Brown, who earned first PGA Tour win last season at the Puerto Rico Open. "I hit a few shots and made a few putts. It was just a good vibe day."

Kokrak, who opened with a 67 at Pebble Beach, had a 68 at Del Monte. Kokrak also had six birdies and two bogeys.

Morgan Hoffmann, who opened with a bogey-free 65 at Spyglass for a one-shot lead over four players, shot a 71 at Pebble Beach. Hoffmann had four bogeys and five birdies and is third at 136.

Starting on the back nine at Spyglass, Brown opened with two birdies and followed with two bogeys. He then had four birdies and no bogeys the rest of the round.

"I am really not doing anything differently," said Brown, now early in his third PGA Tour season. "I just feel a lot more comfortable out there then I did a few years ago. Not doing anything too crazy is good."

Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam, who has played in the event several times since her LPGA retirement in 2008, had a 71 at Del Monte en route to a 141 total.

Defending champion Tommy Gainey, Chesson Hadley, Ted Potter, Jr. and Brown trailed by one after 18 holes. But Gainey stumbled to a 13-stroke swing with a 78 at Spyglass Hill.

Gainey is grouped among seven players at par 144. Hadley carded a 73 at Spyglass and is grouped with seven players at 139. Potter, Jr., shot 71 and is tied with four other players at 137.

John Cook, who had a 70 at Del Monte, and Kirk Triplett are among five players at 139 and the low scorers among nine Champions Tour players.

The 42nd event includes 80 professionals from the PGA, LPGA, Champions and Web.com Tours competing for the same prize money. The winner earns $60,000 of the $300,000 purse.