Jason Day walks up to the 18th green with his caddie Colin Swatton during third round of the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay on Saturda in University Place. Day is tied for the lead at 4-under par despite suffering from vertigo during the past two rounds. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
UNIVERSITY PLACE – Everything Jason Day did Saturday at Chambers Bay was labored and difficult.
Everything except the split seconds when he swung his golf club.
And in those brief moments of grace, the 27-year-old from Australia put together what his longtime caddie called the greatest round of golf he has ever seen.
This year’s U.S. Open on the brutal Chambers Bay layout has left many of the world’s best golfers feeble and frustrated.
And none of them are dealing with the debilitating dizziness that Day has since he collapsed on the ninth hole Friday.
In Saturday’s third round, most of the field struggled. A warm and windy afternoon further dried a course that already resembles a desert.
But Day trudged on, eyes downcast, simply putting one foot in front of another. He struggled to pick up his tee. When he marked his ball on the green, he moved in slow motion.
And he managed to make four birdies and no bogeys over the final seven holes en route to shooting 2-under 68.
“I told him ‘one day, they might make a movie about that round,” his caddie Colin Swatton said. “That was right up there with Tiger winning on a broken leg.”
Just 24 hours earlier, it seemed unlikely Day would even play on Saturday, no less be tied for the lead at 4-under par.
As he walked in front of the grandstand on the ninth hole, dizziness struck Day so strongly and suddenly it appeared he had slipped on the greenside slope.
As he lay prone on his back and medics converged, a hush fell over the crowd. Only after several minutes was visibly shaky Day able to blast his ball out of a bunker and putt twice to complete his second round.
He was then whisked away by medics and treated at the motorhome he and his wife are staying in on the Chambers Bay grounds. Two specialists who treated Day diagnosed him with Benign Positional Vertigo.
Day has struggled with bouts of dizziness recently. He withdrew from a tournament three weeks ago because of the symptoms. But Swatton said this episode is the worst Day has experienced.
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Saturday, he took medication that made him weak and groggy, but that wore off and the symptoms returned during the round.
Swatton said Day struggled the most on holes four and seven, which are long uphill par-4s. On the four hole, Swatton worried Day wouldn’t be able to finish the round.
“Once we got to eight, I said it’s all downhill from here,” Swatton said. “He had bits and pieces throughout the round where he felt OK, then he didn’t feel great. Late in the round, he was just exhausted.”
Every hole, Swatton fed Day a steady diet of water, food and encouragement. There were moments when Day steadied himself by putting his elbow on Swatton’s shoulder.
“The hardest part for him is the turning of the head,” Swatton said. “Every time he turns to look at the target, it takes a moment for his eyes to steady up.”
Swatton asked Day whether he should handle bending over and marking the ball on the greens. “He kind of gave me a look like ‘why did you even ask me that?'”
We too often overuse the word “courageous” and “heroic” in sports. It’s not like athletes are saving people from burning buildings.
Day’s case is no different. He exposed himself to discomfort more than danger.
But what Day showed Saturday was pure grit and gutsiness. And in the context of sports, that is something to celebrate.
And that’s why many in the crowd on Sunday will be rooting for Day to win his first major title.
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