Tied for the lead with a fellow Aussie in Matt Jones when play was suspended Friday due to thunderstorms, Jason Day knew he had to continue to be strong mentally to stay atop the leaderboard with four holes remaining in his second round.
"The last bit of the puzzle is all up here," Day said Friday, pointing at his head, according to Alan Shipnuck of Golf.com. “Having the belief and confidence that you can do the stuff that other guys do on Sundays. I mean, that's really inside your head. And it's just amazing how the more and more I stay out here over the years, the more it's all about the head, rather than the whole game itself."
The 27-year-old made par at the 15th and birdied the par-5 16th to grab a brief solo lead at 10-under. After Jones moved to 10-under, Day's approach on 18 led to a three-putt from 107 feet for bogey, dropping him to second place. He finished with a round of 67.
Happy to be in the mix again. Rest up now until fun group with fellow Aussie @mattjonesgolf later today.
— Jason Day (@JDayGolf) August 15, 2015
With Justin Rose also finishing with a second-round 67 on Sunday to sit at 8-under and Jordan Spieth lurking at 6-under, Day realizes he'll need to continue to score low if he hopes to grab his first major victory.
"I think the more times that I keep putting myself there, the more opportunities that I give myself, sooner or later it's going to happen," he said. "I know that."
Day has nine career top-10 finishes at majors, including his T9 finish at this year's U.S. Open at Chambers Bay and a T4 at the 2015 Open Championship at St. Andrews.
