Jason Day's Round 3 one of greatest in U.S. Open history

Courage.

It’s not a word that usually goes hand in hand with golf, but what I saw Saturday at Chambers Bay was the definition of courage. 

We all watched Friday when Jason Day walked down towards the ninth green, his final hole of the day, and suddenly dropped to the ground. I thought he tripped and twisted his ankle, but when I saw the replay I realized he just stopped in his tracks and fallen. As he laid there, my partner in the booth Shane Bacon and I just stared at the screen and neglected our own commentating jobs. What was going on with our broadcast didn’t seem important as we watched Jason on the ground holding his head. 

Incredibly enough, he got up and finished his final hole, then was sent to receive medical treatment. We weren’t sure why, we just knew it was bad. 

After we found out it was an attack of Benign Positional Vertigo, an inner ear disorder that causes episodes of extreme dizziness, we were glad it wasn’t something more serious. But we thought we had seen the last of Day in this U.S. Open. Even Greg Norman told me he felt Jason’s odds of showing up to play Saturday were 50-50. 

But not only did he show up, he played one of the greatest rounds in the history of this championship.

While Day warmed up on the range, it was obvious that he was uneasy on his feet. His complexion looked pale and clammy. He moved in slow motion so he didn’t trigger another onset of vertigo and his system was full of medication to try and control it. His doctor and physical trainer followed his every move on the golf course. After making bogies on 2 and 4 on the front 9, I thought it was great that he was just trying to finish the tournament. I later found out in an interview that Day himself said he almost quit three times on the front nine. But Day wasn't done trying, and over the final nine holes on Saturday, he showed the world what he is made of. After making birdie on 10 and bogey on 11, he birdied 12, 15, 17 and 18 to tie for the lead in the U.S. Open at 4-under.

Although he looked weak and sickly in between shots, it didn’t show when he swung the golf club. Day mustered up every bit of energy he could on each shot, only to look near-collapse immediately after. Following the 6-footer on the last hole that brought him into a tie for first, Day slowly and gingerly limped off the course, refusing interviews with the media in order to get more medical attention; I thought it was one of the most emotional moments I’ve ever seen in all my years around the game. Jason Day poured every bit of energy into playing 18 holes until he simply had nothing left.

It was one of those moments when you realize just how important the game is to an athlete like Day. He showed he was willing to risk his health to win the U.S. Open trophy, a prize he has wanted since he first touched a golf club. That kind of dedication and desire is what we want in our sports heroes, and that’s why Day is now absolutely one of mine. 

It’s hard to consider anything about a severe attack of vertigo to be fortunate, but actually Day was lucky it happened on his final hole Friday. Had his attack occurred a couple holes earlier, he would have not been able to just quickly finish his round and get medical attention. He almost definitely would have had to withdraw and end his chances to win. But, just maybe, it wasn’t luck. Maybe it was destiny.  

Sunday my new golf hero tees off in the final group, tied for the lead in the U.S. Open. I can’t wait to watch.