Winner winner salty chicken dinner: Jason Day wins World Cup of Golf

It was Australia’s Day at Royal Melbourne as Jason Day and Adam Scott win the World Cup of Golf.

Jason Day is embraced by The Fanatics after winning the World Cup of Golf.

Australia cleaned up at the 2013 World Cup of Golf. Jason Day, powered by his mother’s ‘salty chicken’ showed nerves of steel to beat Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn by two shots, and he and Adam Scott combined to also win the team competition.

Day and Scott’s combined scores of 17-under par was ten shots better than their nearest rival – the United States pairing of Matt Kuchar and Kevin Streelman – to win the World Cup for Australia a fifth time and the first since 1989.

With his mother and two sisters watching in the gallery, Day showed nerves of steel over the final four holes to record the biggest victory of his career  and just his second as a professional.

Jason Day’s family watch on at Royal Melbourne’s final hole.

Day and Bjorn were tied for the lead as they arrived at the difficult 16th hole. Day found a greenside bunker with his approach shot but a superb sand wedge saw his ball roll out to five feet from the hole.

Day made the putt while Bjorn made bogey and gave Day a one shot cushion he wouldn’t relinquish, ultimately winning the World Cup of Golf by two shots.

Earlier in the day it looked like Day’s team-mate Adam Scott, may challenge Day for the individual trophy.

Adam Scott’s hole out for eagle at the opening hole sent a huge roar across Royal Melbourne, and two holes and two birdies later, golf fans were wondering whether Scott could pull off one of the great comebacks in the history of Australian tournament golf.

Conversely, Jason Day’s final round got off to a bad start.

Day couldn’t get up-and-down for par at the first hole but he steadied with birdies at the 3rd and 4th before getting in on some of the eagle action himself with a fabulous approach shot that took one one bounce and slammed into the hole.

Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn was struggling to find the pace of the greens on the front nine at Royal Melbourne and when both players made the turn, Day held a four shot lead.

The lead was halved at the next hole when Day’s 1-iron off the tee found the scrub on the left. His recovery shot stayed in the trouble and was forced to chip out – eventually settling for a double-bogey.

Jason Day claims victory at the final hole.

Despite the team competition being all but in Australia’s hands – leading the US combination by eight shots – the home-town crowd was stunned. Even the ever-raucous Fanatics had briefly lost their voice.

Bjorn then stepped up a gear. Birdies at 11 and 13 drew the Dane into a tie for the lead with Day and the 2013 Omega European Masters champion looked like spoiling the party for Australia.

Adam Scott continued to put pressure on Day and Bjorn with a fabulous birdie at the 16th but 5-under 66 included a three-putt bogey at the final hole, which effectively ended any chance the Masters champion had of claiming three tournament wins in a row.

Bjorn needed to make up a shot on Day at the final hole but in an attempt to get close to the flagstick, Bjorn found the bunker and took two shots to get out, leaving Day to two-putt for par and claim a two shot victory.

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