Jason Day rebounds from vertigo, takes share of lead at U.S. Open
On a course as ridiculous as Chambers Bay, apparently it helps to come in a little dizzy.
This was Jason Day at the end of his round Friday at the U.S. Open:
And this was Day at the end of his round on Saturday:
That putt gave Day the lead at 4-under, putting him in position for a most improbable run at what would be his first major title and capping a sublime round that seemed unthinkable even a few hours before.
On the ninth hole Friday (his 18th), Day collapsed. He’s suffered with bouts of dizziness before, and this was no different. It was later determined he’d been diagnosed with Benign Positional Vertigo. Though he was just three strokes off the lead following Round 2, it wasn’t certain that Day would continue in the tournament until Saturday morning, just hours before his tee time.
Day said he was still battling with dizziness at the start of Saturday’s round. “I didn’t feel that great coming out early,” he told reporters after his round. “I felt pretty groggy on the front nine just from the drugs that I had in my system.”
He said it got better on the back nine, but at 13 he felt “nauseous.” Then at 16, he started shaking on tee box.
“I just tried to get it in, really,” he said. “I just wanted to get it in.”
He did, birdieing 17 and 18.
Day posted a 2-under 68 on the day, one of only six under-par rounds at the time of his finish. After starting slow, with two bogeys in his first four holes, Day first steadied himself and then began chopping away at the leaderboard. On the back nine, he carded a four-under back nine, five birdies against one bogey.
“When anybody’s sick, they always say to be scared of the sick golfer,” Kevin Kisner, Day’s playing partner, said after the round. “He showed that today. It always seems to work out that way for some reason.”
Day, who last year withdrew two holes into the third round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational because of dizziness, said Friday’s bout of vertigo was worse than that one.
Three other players are tied for the lead at 4-under – Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson and Branden Grace. Day will be teeing off in the final group on Sunday. He’d surely be happy to sit down during the trophy presentation.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter.
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