Jason Day battles to Wells Fargo Championship victory

The Australian finished two in front at Quail Hollow in North Carolina

Jason Day wins Wells Fargo Championship
Jason Day wins Wells Fargo Championship
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Jason Day of Australia came through a tough final day at Quail Hollow to win the Wells Fargo Championship by two strokes from Aaron Wise and Nick Watney.

Jason Day battles to Wells Fargo Championship victory

Jason Day battled to a closing 69 in the Wells Fargo Championship and, despite being some way from his best form, he claimed the win and a second PGA Tour title of 2018.

The Australian found just eight greens in regulation during the final round at Quail Hollow but, displaying great tenacity, he managed to get the job done.

Day was three clear at the start of the back nine but he let it slip with a bogey on the 13th and then a ball in the water on the 14th. After that he found himself in a tie with Aaron Wise. But Day moved clear again with a birdie on the 16th. He then played the shot of the week on the 17th. His tee shot on the par-3 hit the flag and stopped just three feet from the cup. On a hole that measured 230-yards, Day’s was the only birdie of the day. With a two-shot lead, Day parred the last to claim his 12th PGA Tour victory.

Jason Day won for a second time in 2018

Jason Day won for a second time in 2018

"One of the best wins I have ever had," said Day. “You sit there and play mental games with yourself, subconsciously saying, 'You can't do this. You're going to fail, you're going to fail,’ I just kept on saying to myself, 'Forget about it and keep pushing.'"

21-year-old Aaron Wise enjoyed the best finish of his career, ending the week in a tie for second. Saving pars on the final two holes, he moved from 105th to 51st on the FedEx Cup standings.

“My coach Casey Martin told me that if you ever want to play the PGA Tour, you have to have a good short game,” Wise said. “Ever since then I’ve really worked on it.”

Wise tied for second with Nick Watney. It was his best result since a second place finish in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am back in 2015.

Another good finish for Phil Mickelson

Another good finish for Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson had another good week, finishing in a tie for fifth with Paul Casey and Peter Uihlein. Mickelson now has eight top-five finishes at Quail Hollow.

It wasn’t such a good day for Tiger Woods. He struggled to a closing 74 and ended the week in a tie for 55th.

Wells Fargo Championship Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina 3-6 May Purse: $7,700,000 Par: 71

1 Jason Day (Aus) 69 67 67 69 272 $1,386,000 T2 Nick Watney (USA) 72 67 66 69 274 $677,600 T2 Aaron Wise (USA) 68 68 70 68 274 $677,600 4 Bryson DeChambeau (USA) 75 65 66 70 276 $369,600 T5 Paul Casey (Eng) 69 68 69 71 277 $281,050 T5 Phil Mickelson (USA) 72 72 64 69 277 $281,050 T5 Peter Uihlein (USA) 72 72 62 71 277 $281,050 8 Patrick Reed (USA) 71 71 67 69 278 $238,700 T9 Emiliano Grillo (Arg) 68 71 71 69 279 $200,200 T9 Luke List (USA) 70 72 67 70 279 $200,200 T9 Sam Saunders (USA) 70 69 68 72 279 $200,200 T9 Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 70 67 70 72 279 $200,200

Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage

Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.  

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly. 

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?