Morning 9: Day wins Nelson | PGA CEO on LIV’s pursuit of OWGR points | Unplayable hole

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Good Monday morning, golf fans, as Jason Day returned to the winner’s circle with a clutch victory at the AT&T Byron Nelson.

1. J-Day ends 5-year winless drought

Golf Digest report…It was anybody’s ball game on Sunday at the AT&T Byron Nelson. And we do mean anybody. Seven different golfers held a share of the lead at some point during the final round at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, including a trio trying to claim their maiden PGA Tour wins.

• But in the end, it was experience that prevailed. Jason Day, a former World No. 1 who started the round two shots off the lead, rallied with a closing bogey-free nine-under 62 to win for the 13th time in his tour career but the first since 2018.

• “It’s been a struggling few years, five years since my last win … so to be able to get the win the way I played today was really special,” said Day, who beat Si Woo Kim and Austin Eckroat by one shot with a 23-under 261 total. “I’m very pleased and happy with how things have progressed the last couple years for me.”

2. Jin Young Ko wins dramatic Founders Cup

AP Report…”Trailing by four shots heading into the final round of the Founders Classic, Jin Young Ko got a little inspiration about comeback wins watching fellow South Korean Sung-jae Im rally from a big deficit to win on the KPGA Tour.”

• “If he could do it, why not her?”

• “Ko overcame a pair of deficits to win the Founders Cup for the third time in five years, getting the victory on the first playoff hole Sunday when defending champion Minjee Lee three-putted for bogey.”

3. DJ wins in playoff

AP Report…”Dustin Johnson overcame a triple bogey Sunday by making birdie on the 18th hole to join a playoff and another birdie on the 18th to win LIV Golf Tulsa for his first win this year.”

• “The victory was Johnson’s second since he joined LIV Golf a year ago. He also won outside Boston in a three-man playoff.”

• “This one required some clutch shots on the closing hole at rain-soaked Cedar Ridge for Johnson to take down British Open champion Cameron Smith and Branden Grace.”

4. DP World Tour: Forsström takes Soudal Open

DP World Tour report…”Simon Forsström recovered from a back-nine wobble with a series of late birdies as he held off the charge of fellow Swede Jens Dantorp to claim his first DP World Tour title at the 2023 Soudal Open.”

• “Forsström began the day with a slender one-shot lead before extending his advantage to three shots at the turn with birdies on the fourth and eighth.”

• “But things began to unravel on the back nine as the 34-year-old followed up a double bogey at the tenth with a bogey on the 12th to surrender the lead.”

• “He bounced back brilliantly, though, holing birdie putts at the 14th, 16th and 17th to take a one-shot lead down the last.”

5. PGA CEO on LIV’s pursuit of OWGR points

ESPN’s Bob Harig…”Waugh said that the OWGR is waiting for the latest LIV response to their application.”

• “There are certain parts of their structure that can be solved by math, but there may be some pretty fundamental things that are harder,’’ Waugh told the Times. “There’s the potential conflict with the team aspect and then access—how do you get relegated and promoted?

• “They had our latest response weeks ago and we haven’t heard back. They have made a bad assumption that this will be a quick process. It never has been. Every application has taken a year-plus as far as I’m aware.

• “I can’t speculate [on how long it will take] because they have not responded. They might have to solve things as well, and it’s not clear whether they’re willing to.’’

6. Unplayable hole at NCAA tourney

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…“The third round of the NCAA Division III Women’s Golf Championship was canceled with almost 60% of the 151-player field finished with play.”

• “The reason? An unplayable hole.”

• “While severe weather rolled in and suspended play late Thursday afternoon, it wasn’t rain or lightning that prompted the decision. Instead, it was because of a hole location that was, as the NCAA determined, too severe for play.”

• “The hole in question was the 308-yard, par-4 sixth at Mission Inn and Resort’s El Campeon Course in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. According to coaches, the hole had been cut on a 5-percent slope on the right side of the green – and later in the day, course staff watered the putting surface in an attempt to soften the severity of the slope.”

• “It didn’t help much. Around 8 p.m. ET, the NCAA Division III women’s golf committee finalized the decision to revert the championship back to 36-hole scores and, with more thunderstorms in the forecast for Friday afternoon, shorten the event to 54 holes.”

7. Dufner, Kaymer out of PGA

Golf Channel…”Jason Dufner, who won the 2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hill for his lone major title, withdrew from this year’s edition at the same venue, the PGA of America announced on Friday.”

• “No reason was provided for Dufner’s withdrawal. He missed the cut at this week’s AT&T Byron Nelson. Sweden’s David Lingmerth replaced him in the field.”

• “Also withdrawing ahead of the championship was Martin Kaymer. The 2010 PGA and ’14 U.S. Open winner had been battling an injury this year, but has competed in each of the last three LIV Golf events, including this week in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His absence reduces the number of LIV players in the PGA Championship field to 17. He was replaced by Callum Tarren, with Eric Cole now the first alternate.”

8. The most unexpected man in the PGA Championship field?

Mark Whitaker for Golf Digest…”What the visitors do see as they drive up the town’s main road, however, is a cute little nine-hole golf course. Built in 1929 on farmland purchased by local businessmen and artists, Woodstock Golf Club takes pride in the fact Gene Sarazen once played a couple of exhibition matches there. But for scratch golfers, it’s hardly an imposing track: It has no practice range, slowish greens, par 4s all less than 360 yards and just one 463-yard “quote-unquote par 5,” as club professional Chris Sanger jokingly describes it.”

• “Yet in a plot line that could be described as a cross between “Finding Woodstock” with “Tin Cup,” Sanger is now headed 200 miles west to Rochester, one of 20 club pros to earn a spot in the upcoming PGA Championship at Oak Hill. Sanger finished T-17 in a field of 320 at the PGA Professional Championship two weeks ago, grabbing the last qualifying spot for the major. It’s a remarkable feat not just because of the tiny size of the club Sanger represents, but the fact the 37-year-old was anything but a world traveler before he flew to the four-day tournament in New Mexico.”

9. Winning WITB: Jason Day

Driver: Ping G430 LST (9 degrees @ 10)

Shaft: TPT prototype

3-wood: TaylorMade SIM Max (15 degrees)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Kuro Kage 80 X

7-wood: TaylorMade Stealth (21 degrees)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Kuro Kage 80 X

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (4), TaylorMade P7MC (5-PW)

Shafts: KBS C-Taper 125 S+

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (52-08F, 56-10S), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks Proto (60-T)

Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: TaylorMade Itsy Bitsy Spider Ghost

Ball: Bridgestone Tour B X

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord