Day powers to victory in the Barclays

Jason Day romped to a six-stroke victory in the Barclays on Sunday to seize the lead in the US PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoff chase.

The Aussie, who ended a run of major heartbreak with his first Grand Slam title at the PGA Championship this month, backed up that triumph in style.

He fired eight birdies in an eight-under-par 62 for a 72-hole total of 19-under 261 at Plainfield Country Club.

Masterful on the greens, Day rolled in birdie putts of 28 feet or more at the 10th, 14th and 15th in a dominant performance in the first of four tournaments in the season-ending playoffs -- in which a $10 million bonus will go to the series winner after the Tour Championship in September.

Sweden's Henrik Stenson was a distant second after a 66 for 267.

Stenson tried to keep things interesting, shaking off an early bogey with three straight birdies starting at the fifth, then trimming Day's four-shot lead to two after birdies at the 10th, 13th and 14th.

But Day plumped his cushion back to three strokes with a 28-foot birdie bomb at 14, and after Stenson bogeyed the par-five 16th to fall four back it was clear sailing for Day.

He didn't take his foot off the gas, rolling in a 33-foot birdie putt at 15 and draining a 10-foot birdie at the last.

"I'm just trying to improve each and every week," Day said. "To be able to play the way I did over the weekend here was fantastic. Today was just phenomenal golf."

Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson was alone in third after a 69 for 269.

Watson overcame a double-bogey with three back-nine birdies, a birdie at the last moving him ahead of British Open champion Zach Johnson and Zac Blair, who shared fourth on 270.

Johnson signed for a 69, while Blair moved up with a four-under 66.

Bae Sang-Moon of South Korea, who shared the overnight lead with Day, made a promising start with a birdie at the second, but bogeyed five of his next eight to see his challenge end.

He carded a two-over 72 to share sixth place on 271 along with Americans Daniel Summerhays (66) and Ryan Palmer (70).
Source: AFP