This article is part of our Weekly PGA Recap series.
For the past couple of years, we've seen perhaps unprecedented depth at the top of the golf rankings. There's been Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm. Sergio Garcia won the Masters and so did Patrick Reed. Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson have rediscovered their games in the past few months. And then there's that other guy who's making a comeback … what's his name? … oh, yes, Tiger Woods.
Hmmm. Anyone else? Someone who has not been a part of the conversation?
Yes. Jason Day.
That's not to say that the former world No. 1 should've been considered among the elite the past couple of years. He didn't warrant it. But he does now.
Day won the Wells Fargo Championship on Sunday for his second title of the season, moving back inside the top-10 in the OWGR at No. 7. He now has 12 wins since 2010, third behind only Johnson (15) and McIlroy (14).
Until Day won at Torrey Pines in January, he had been winless since the 2016 Players Championship, derailed by back woes and vertigo. Day never fell that far in the rankings; in fact, his No. 14 standing heading to Quail Hollow was his "bottom."
Besides his two wins this season, Day also has a runner-up and has finished top-25 in every one of his seven stroke-play starts. He has been playing really well but still was a bit of an afterthought in relation to the aforementioned names.
In part, that's because Day, for better or for worse, had gotten a bit of reputation for being soft. With all the injuries and some WDs, gamers haven't felt they could rely on him. Soft doesn't seem quite fair or accurate to describe someone who collapsed – literally collapsed, writhing – on his final hole of the second round of the 2015 U.S. Open, then somehow got up to complete the hole, then played the weekend and tied for ninth.
That was the vertigo. As for the back woes, we've seen it countless times in sports that any time anyone has some sort of back problem it seemingly never goes away for good.
But for now, Day is playing some of his best golf. He began the week ranked first on Tour in both total driving and strokes gained: putting, first in scrambling inside 30 yards, first in putting inside 10 feet and fifth in birdie average. That combination will win you a lot of golf tournaments.
The hole in Day's game this season has been his irons, with a ranking of 188th in strokes gained: approach entering the week. But with the tournament on the line, after kicking away a three-stroke lead, Day came to the difficult 16th hole tied with young Aaron Wise. He stuck his 114-yard approach to 11 feet and made the putt. Then on the 230-yard 17th hole, Day hit one of the shots of the year on the PGA Tour: a 7-iron that hit the stick for a near ace and a kick-in birdie to seal the victory.
He turned the famed Green Mile into a walk in the park.
Day had watched from the tee on 17 as his ball just missed going in the hole. He smiled and said to no one in particular, "Oh, my God."
Yes, Jason Day was impressed with Jason Day. We all should be, too.
MONDAY BACKSPIN
Justin Thomas
Thomas needed only a share of 12th place at the course where he won the PGA Championship last year to overtake Dustin Johnson for world No. 1. But Thomas opened with a 2-over 73, never got anything going and tied for 21st. He'll have another shot this week at The Players Championship, though it will be harder –Johnson is in the field this time.
Rickie Fowler
Oh, Rickie. On the first page of the leaderboard nearing the end of the third round, Fowler doubled 17 and was never heard from again. He doubled No. 5 on Sunday and, just for good measure, doubled 17 again on Sunday to complete the tumble to T21. Fowler was coming off a runner-up at the Masters and, every time it seems that he'll finally turn the corner and win again, he pulls the rug out from gamers. Fowler's next chance comes this week at TPC Sawgrass, the scene of the biggest win of his career. Don't hold your breath.
Phil Mickelson
Mickelson didn't win the Wells Fargo. Then again, he never does. But he notched yet another top five with a 64-69 weekend. Mickelson's tie for fifth was his seventh top-five cash at Quail Hollow through the years. He now has six top-10s on the season, more than he had all last season. All eyes will be on Mickelson this week at The Players, although that might have something to do with the guy he's grouped with for the first two rounds. It's this guy right here ↓↓↓
Tiger Woods
Woods never got anything going at Quail Hollow and wound up in a tie for 55th. His biggest problem during his comeback had been his wayward tee balls; this past week, it was his putting. When different parts of a golfer's game come and go, when he's inconsistent, that's a bit of concern. We all were so high on Woods after the Florida Swing, but he's now gone T32-T55 in his past two starts. Woods generally hasn't been at his elite best whenever paired with Mickelson. So maybe we should temper expectations at The Players.
Hideki Matsuyama
Matsuyama may have returned from a hand injury nearly two months ago, but his game is not back. He tied for 76th and was an MDF at Quail Hollow, leaving him T49-T36-19-T76 since his return. Matsuyama has dropped to No. 9 in the world, and there's little indication to say that he soon won't fall out of the top-10.
Luke List
Finally, after months of good play, List used another strong showing (T9) to crack the top-50 in the world for the first time. It didn't come soon enough to get him in the Masters, but it could help him avoid having to qualify for the U.S. Open and other big tournaments. List continues to be gold for gamers, as he was surprisingly cheap on DraftKings at $7,400. If List is similarly priced this week at The Players …
Emiliano Grillo
Grillo made it 12-for-12 in cuts this season (not including the Zurich Classic) with a T9 at Quail Hollow. And that was with bogeys on the final two holes. Grillo was only $7,600 in DraftKings, another bargain to continue to ride.
Aaron Wise
The rookie tied for second, by far the best finish of his career. Wise came up two strokes shy of Day – and of qualifying for The Players. The former University of Oregon star is only 21; he's just getting started.
Nick Watney
Watney made a miracle 59-foot birdie putt on the final hole to tie Wise, his best showing since being solo runner-up at Pebble Beach in 2015. Watney is in The Players, and he'll carry 11 straight made cuts into the tournament. No doubt he'll continue to be very favorably priced in this elite field.
Gary Woodland
Since Woodland won at Phoenix in early February, he's missed four of six cuts in stroke-play events with a best finish of T49. He missed the cut at Quail Hollow. We see guys taking a step back after a big win all the time, but this is more than that. It's a concern for Woodland backers.
John Peterson
Peterson made news by leading after the first round of Quail Hollow, then saying that if he didn't meet the requirements of his major medical extension with only three tournaments remaining to earn more than $300,000, he would retire. Well, Peterson shot 77 on Friday and by Sunday tumbled to a tie for 42nd, leaving him $295,707 shy with now only two tournaments left. It would be shame if the former LSU star left the game, because he showed promise with seven top-25s in 2015. Plagued by injuries ever since, the 29-year-old Peterson has played only 23 tournaments combined the past three seasons.
