UNIVERSITY PLACE, Washington — Australian golfer Jason Day sent a scare through the U.S. Open when he collapsed on his final hole of the second round, before getting to his feet, completing his round and collapsing again on Friday.
One of the favorites for the tournament, Day dropped to the turf in front of a packed grandstand and laid on his back, covering his face as his caddie came to his aid.
Day’s wife Ellie told reporters on the edge of the par three ninth green that her husband had felt dehydrated and suffered a dizzy spell as he approached the putting surface.
Day’s playing partner and Masters champion Jordan Spieth told host broadcaster Fox television, “I turned around and he was laying down there. All I heard was that it was dizziness.
“I think coming into the week he was a little under the weather. For him to go finish the round, he could barely walk when he got up, so it was pretty strong of him.”
Day had been concerned with his occasional problems with vertigo while heading into this week’s tournament.
He had suffered from dizziness during the final round of the Zurich Classic in New Orleans in late April and withdrew from last month’s AT&T Byron Nelson after not being able to complete the pro-am competition due to further dizziness.
It first appeared the world’s 10th ranked golfer had turned his ankle on the treacherous Chambers Bay links-style layout but later television said the Australian had suffered a dizzy spell.
Day was helped to his feet by medics and after a discussion with officials, completed the ninth hole, his last of the day, firing an even par 70, before dropping to his knees again as medics came onto the green.
The 27-year-old, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, was immediately hooked up to IV drip and helped to a waiting van after signing his scorecard.
During the round, Spieth used brilliant putting and ice-cool nerves to contend for the U.S. Open title.
Mindful that the season’s second major is the most exacting because of its traditionally difficult course set-up, the 21-year-old American has maintained composure after every setback to reach the halfway point with a five-under total of 135.
Tiger Woods struggled for the second straight day, finishing with a 76 for a 16-over par that missed the cut.
Patrick Reed was at 6-under through 16 holes while Branden Grace and Dustin Johnson both completed their rounds and trailed Spieth by one stroke.
Spieth double-bogeyed his ninth hole, the tricky par-four 18th, after hitting his drive and third shot into bunkers.
Unflustered, he rebounded to cover the daunting homeward nine in one-under 35.
“The front nine, I believe, is the harder of the two nines,” world number two Spieth said after carding a three-under-par 67 on a fast and firm layout in bright sunshine.
“I told (caddie) Michael (Greller) when we were walking down that hole (the first), let’s try and get one birdie on this nine, there’s not many chances.
“Just grind it out to shoot one-under on this nine, and accept three-under is about the lowest score that was possible. And that’s what we did. We ended up shooting it. A couple of missed opportunities, but I also made quite a few putts today.”
Spieth birdied the first and the ninth, where he sank an eight-footer, while recording his only bogey at the brutal seventh.
Heading into the weekend at Chambers Bay where he expects the links-style course with its challenging greens to play even tougher, Spieth plans to use his experience from Augusta National when he won the Masters by four shots.
“I’ll probably draw a significant amount off of it,” said the three-times PGA Tour winner. “It’s playing different, and I’m in a very different position. I’m not going to have whatever it was, a five-shot lead.”
Spieth set a Masters record for the lowest 36-hole total to lead by five strokes after two rounds at Augusta before completing a sensational wire-to-wire victory.
“I know that it’s going to get tougher and tougher now that Saturday and Sunday hits, so I’ll draw some on Augusta, but at the same time my patience level has to be even that much higher,” said Spieth.
“I’m not quite putting myself in the same positions off the tee, so I’ve got to be a little more methodical.”