Australian golf star Jason Day has birdied his last three holes to win the Canadian Open in Toronto.
Day’s fast finish in a final-round four-under-par 68 gave him a 72-hole hole total of 17 under for the championship, enough to win by one shot from American Bubba Watson, who closed with a 69.
Bidding to become the first home winner in 61 years, David Hearn (72) finished a further stroke back in outright third after leading for most of the final round.
Veteran Jim Furyk (69) was fourth, with fellow Americans Stewart Cink and Tom Hoge sharing fifth place after each shooting last-day 66s.
Day’s second victory on the US PGA Tour this year, after he won the Farmers Insurance Open in February, came just six days after he fell one shot short of making the British Open playoff at St Andrews.
It was the 27-year-old’s ninth professional win and fourth on the lucrative US PGA Tour.
“I got the ball to the hole this time which was nice,” Day said of his 21-foot birdie putt on the last that confirmed his victory, a week after his clutch putt on the 72nd hole at St Andrews stopped a foot short.
“There’s no better feeling than coming down to the wire and contending with these guys.
“It was just back and forth all day, and I’m so glad that I got that putt in.
“To be able to do that it just gives me a lot more confidence going in to the rest of the season.”
Day birdied three of the first seven holes to briefly came the outright lead on the front nine, only to drop strokes on the eighth and ninth.
Playing a group ahead of Watson and Hearn, the world No.9 parred the first six holes on the back nine but timed his run perfectly over the final stretch.
Day is the sixth Australian to win the Canadian Open, joining Joe Kirkwood (1933), Jim Ferrier (1950, 1951), Kel Nagle (1964), Greg Norman (1984, 1992) and Nathan Green (2009) on the honour board.
Day will now take a well-earned rest before resuming his preparations for next month’s final major of the year, the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits,
“I feel good, I feel really good. I’m going to take next week off,” Day said.
“The last two weeks have been a big grind for me, but it’s all worth it.
“All the hard work that I put into it, it’s my fourth win of my career and hopefully I’ll have many more.
“But right now I’m just so proud to be the Canadian Open champion.”
