CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There are few — if any — players on the PGA Tour who are as honest with themselves and the outside world as Jason Day.
Ask Day a question and he’s going to answer it with a direct, no-nonsense response.
After seizing the Wells Fargo Championship lead entering Sunday’s final around at Quail Hollow Club at 10-under with a 67 Saturday in the third round, Day was candid about his desire to return to the No. 1 ranking he held not long ago.
“This year I’ve kind of recommitted myself to try to get back to No. 1,’’ said Day, currently 14th in the world, who leads Nick Watney by two shots and Peter Uihlein, Bryson DeChambeau, Paul Casey and Aaron Wise by three. “I know that there’s a bunch of players in front of me that are trying to do the exact same thing and guys behind me trying to do the same thing. So I’ve got to get up every morning and do everything I possibly can to get back to that ultimate goal of getting back to No. 1.
“Weeks like this improve it. I’ve just got to focus. If it doesn’t work out [Sunday] or if it does work out, the bigger picture is No. 1.’’
Day then went on to concede that, after holding the No. 1 ranking, he lost it on account of a lessened desire. What athlete admits to that?
“I think there was a bit of desire thing in there as well, just not wanting it as much as I had the previous two years as well,’’ Day said. “If you get up and you kind of don’t really want it and don’t have the motivation to improve and get better as a person and as a player, then it’s a real struggle to come out and beat the best players in the world.’’
Day, who won the Farmers Insurance Open in January, said he feels like he’s close to the form he had at No. 1.
“I feel like it’s on the end of my [fingertips],’’ he said. “[Sunday] is going to be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to it.’’
It was apparent by early in the day Saturday that the third round was going to be a bit more electric than the first two, which you could accurately characterize as “sleepy.’’
The course set-up was a bit more forgiving than it was the first two days and there wasn’t a breath of wind. That, combined with some scalding-hot moving-day rounds has set up some potential fireworks among some of the game’s biggest names in Sunday’s final round.
The day began with Uihlein torching the course with a 9-under 62 to vault himself into contention to win a PGA Tour event for the first time. Then came a 7-under 64 from Phil Mickelson, who moved to 5-under.
“The course is set up kind of a little bit easier than it was the first two days, for sure,’’ Uihlein said. “The way the golf course was set up today, it felt like you can get after it a bit. With the conditions being overcast and no wind, it definitely feels it played a little bit easier than it did the first two days. The first two days felt like a U.S. Open.’’
Uihlein electrified the proceedings with a staggering six-hole run in the middle of his round, when he went 7-under with five consecutive birdies on Nos. 5-9 and an eagle on No. 10.
Mickelson, who said he has been satisfied with the way he has been swinging the club, yet not getting anything out of it,
was spurred on by what he saw Uihlein doing early in his round.
“I didn’t think there was a round lower than 4- or 5-under out there and then Peter shoots 9-under and I got it to 7,’’ Mickelson said.
Tiger Woods, who shot 3-under 68 to get to 1-under, walked off the course frustrated for the third consecutive day. His putting was poor in his first two rounds. And on Saturday, while he watched low scores posted by Uihlein and Mickelson, he said he felt as if he left a lot of shots on the course.
“I was so close to shooting about 7-, 8-under today,’’ Woods said. “My ball-striking’s been fine; I just haven’t made anything [on the greens]. If I would have made a few more putts or just putting normal, I would have been up there next to the lead. If I can just post a good number [Sunday], see what happens.’’
