Date: September 21, 2015
Author: Mark Hayes

Day mounts case against Spieth as Tour’s best

It began as a quirky murmur, but it’s building to a roar.

When it was first mooted after Jason Day’s US PGA Championship triumph that he could be the US PGA Tour player of the year calculations, most just giggled.

At that point, Day had one win, at T4 and a T9 in the majors after he saluted at Torrey Pines and the Canadian Open earlier in the year.

In the blue corner, however, was Jordan Spieth.

Then No.1 in the world and with wins at the Masters and US Open among two other wins on tour this year and a T4 and outright second in the other majors.

It seemed a fait accompli that the Texan should employ a speechwriter for the Tour’s top award.

But wait …

Day, whose win today at the BMW Championship in Chicago elevated him to No.1 ranking, also won The Barclays in an extraordinary six-tournament sweep that has him well clear in the FedEx Cup rankings with one event to play.

Nobody is certain any more.

When Rickie Fowler, who won the other FedEx Cup playoff event in Boston, was asked to pick between the two, he shirked the issue.

“I'm glad it's not my decision,” said Fowler, forgetting he will have to cast a ballot at season's end.

And in-form Kiwi Danny Lee, into the Tour Championship ranked 19th, was even more abrupt.

“Whatever Jason Day is doing, or which course he's playing, it's ridiculous," Lee said of the Aussie who’s now 101 under par in total through his past seven starts.

Suffice to say that if, and it’s a big if, Day could salute in Atlanta next weekend, there’ll be a few more swinging voters.