INTERNATIONAL NEWS - Back to No. 1 in the world, beating the defending champion Rory McIlroy at the WGC Match Play Championship and thrashing Louis Oosthuizen in the final later Sunday, Jason Day is certainly the man to beat heading into next month's U.S. Masters.
And all achieved despite a back problem which plagued him throughout the tournament, ignoring pleas by his support team to withdraw with the first major of the golf season just around the corner.
"I just want to win," Day told the official PGA Tour website.
"I just want to win," Day told the official PGA Tour website.
"I wanted to win so bad that I felt with how I was playing, if I kept playing the way I was doing, I would be holding the trophy at the end of the week.
"That's what kept me going."
Day wrested top spot from Jordan Spieth Saturday when the Texan exited the match play event in Austin at the last-16 stage to Oosthuizen, while the Australian marched through to the semifinals.
It set up a titanic last-four clash with world No. 3 McIlroy, an acknowledged expert in these head-to-head encounters.
Day, who won last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, helped by texts from his friend Tiger Woods, still sidelined with long-term back problems, started strongly by rolling home a birdie on the opening hole to go one up.
But McIlroy, in fine form himself heading into the opening major at Augusta in 11 days' time, hit back with three birdies to lead one up through the turn.
