If General Santos has Manny
Pacquiao, Tacloban now has its favorite son in Fil-Australian Jason Day, the
new toast of the world golfing community after his record-setting capture of
the PGA Championship in Wisconsin.
Day was practicing with
world No. 2 Adam Scott at the Royal Melbourne course on Nov. 17, 2013 when he
was informed that his grandmother, his uncle and six cousins were among the
thousands who perished during the onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda.
Prayers and statements of
support from golfers all around the world poured in for Day who, upon winning
the PGA championship by three strokes with a 20-under par 268, said he was a
changed man after Yolanda and after missing so many chances to win his first
majors.
“If I didn’t have those
failures, I wouldn’t be standing here today with the trophy,” said Day who
fired a final-day five-under 67 to hold the late charge of new world No.1
Jordan Spieth. Day shed copious tears of joy after the win.
“Some people get there
quicker than others, some people make it look easier than others, and I’m glad
that it’s finally happened, because it was kind of wearing on me a bit,” said
the 27-year-old Day.
Day’s 20-under 267 eclipsed
Tiger Woods’ erstwhile record of 19-under win at the British Open in 2000.
Like Pacquiao’s
hand-to-mouth existence in his early years, Day’s childhood was no picnic as
after his father’s death in 1999, he started drinking at age 12 and got into
fights growing up in Beaudesert, Queensland.
Day credits his mother
Dening for seeing and fully supporting his golfing potential and his caddie and
coach Colin Swatton for picking him up from the gutter as a wayward,
father-less boy. Dening migrated to Australia three decades ago.
Going into the PGA
Championship, Day was tagged as the greatest player in the world who has never
won a majors while racking up total winnings of US$21 million since he turned
professional in 2006.
Day has finally shed that ignominious title and an avalanche of other majors win seems to be in his horizon. –End-
Image by: NY post
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