2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson: Top 10 power rankings at TPC Craig Ranch
OWGR: 22nd. FedEx Cup: 26th. Jason Day. 2024ByronNelson/PowerRank/10. 1
Jason Day did what until last year proved to be impossible: beat K.H. Lee at TPC Craig Ranch.
Day carded rounds of 64-69-66-62 to win the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson (now CJ Cup Byron Nelson). It put an end to the prospect of Lee winning three straight tournament titles.
Lee was well back in T-50th. Day’s closest contemporaries were Austin Eckroat and Si Woo Kim a shot back in a tie for second. Day ranked third in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach (6.297) but had all facets of his game dialed to rank 34th or better in all SG categories.
It was a redeeming moment for Day. The former world No. 1 and major champion hadn’t won an event since 2018. Injuries and personal tragedies along the way made it tough for Day to stay atop golf’s perch.
He showed flashes of his old self to win in McKinney. There was a time when Day thought he would have to hang it up early.
“I was in tears for a little bit there, and to think about what my mom went through from 2017 on to her passing last year and then to know that -- it was very emotional to go through and to experience what she was going through, then I had injuries on top of all of that going on in my life," Day was transcribed by ASAP Sports.
"To be honest, I was very close to calling it quits. I never told my wife that, but I was okay with it, just because it was a very stressful part of my life. Ellie, she never gave up on me trying to get back to the winner's circle again. She just always was pushing me to try and get better."
Day’s perseverance hasn’t manifested into any more wins since the Byron Nelson, but he’s established himself as a consistent top-25 player in the world again. Three top-10s thus far in 2024 and a T-18th in his last start at the RBC Heritage all help the cause.
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The 36-year-old is 31st on the PGA Tour in SG: Total (.719). His approach game isn’t as locked in as it was at this time last year, but his short game is always steady (17th in SG) and he’s comfortable lagging it around TPC Craig Ranch’s large green complexes if he isn’t stuffing it close.
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