Jason Day has soared to a smashing six-shot win at the Barclays Championship, his fourth win of a stellar American season.
The Australian obliterated the field in the first of four United States PGA Tour playoff events at Plainfield Country Club outside New York City, following his Saturday 63 with an even more remarkable 62 when he drained a three-metre birdie putt at the 72nd hole.
His scores of 68-68-63-62 left him 19-under, a tournament low, and gave him his sixth official US PGA Tour win, with Henrik Stenson of Sweden finishing second.
Day has won four of his past 14 starts on tour, and three of his past four including his first-ever major win at the US PGA.
He now leads the rich Fedex Cup playoff series ahead of Jordan Spieth, and is a strong position to become the first Australian to win the series and its $US10 million bonus, with three tournaments remaining.
Day, 27, also is within touching distance of the world No.1 ranking he has always craved. He moved to No. 3 behind Spieth and Rory McIlroy after his win at the US PGA Championship a fortnight ago, and he remains third, but up close, after today's astonishing performance.
His putting was outrageous today. Starting the final round in a share for the lead with Sang Moon Bae, the Queenslander rolled in birdies at the second, fourth and seventh, without a blemish on the front nine. By the time he curled in a bomb from 10 metres at the par-four 15th, following long birdies at the 10th, 11th and 14th, he had nailed 135 feet (41 metres) of putts for the day.
It was that kind of day, and it has been that kind of season.
"I'm just trying to improve each and every week,'' he said. "But it's been a special summer for me, and it's not over. To be able to play the way I did over the weekend here was fantastic.''
Day's run is worth noting. He was tied-ninth at the US Open at Chambers Bay in June when he suffered vertigo and collapsed during the third round, a gutsy performance. Sorting his physical ailments in time for the Open Championship, he was tied-fourth at St Andrews, leaving a putt to reach the playoff agonisingly short. From there he took a charter flight to the Canadian Open and won, then was 12th at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational. Toss in a win today and it is a season for the ages.
Day's score today was his 20th round under par in a row since the US Open. He has won more than $US7 million this year.
Five Australians reached the top 100 who will contest the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston next week — Day, Steven Bowditch, John Senden, Marc Leishman and Matt Jones. But Adam Scott, who missed the cut in the Barclays, is out of the Fedex Cup race, his season over.
Bowditch rattled home with a closing 64 and is now sitting comfortably in the top 20 on the Fedex Cup standings.
Meanwhile Sarah Jane Smith and Minjee Lee tied for 23rd in the LPGA's Yokohama Classic in Alabama behind American Kris Tamulis.