UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. — Jason Day was overcome by dizziness and collapsed on his final hole at the U.S. Open on Friday, raising doubt about whether he will be able to continue this weekend.
Day, who has dealt with vertigo in the past, was 3 under par for the championship when he was approaching his ball in the greenside bunker on the ninth hole, his last of the second round.
Suddenly, Day fell over to his left, attempting to brace his fall with his hands. His head bounced off the hard ground, and Day lay nearly motionless for several minutes.
“I was walking with him, the next thing I know, I turned around, and I think he got dizzy and slipped and fell,” said Jordan Spieth, one of Day’s playing partners. “So at that point, how can we help him out and kind of clear the scene and try to keep the cameras off.”
Day remained flat on his back while medical staff tended to him. He finally got up with their help, still a bit shaky, and chose to finish his round.
The popular Australian gingerly climbed into the greenside bunker, where his hands were visibly shaking. Day splashed out of the sand as the gallery cheered, then two-putted for bogey to finish at 2 under, at the time three shots off the lead.
“He seemed chirpy, buoyant all day,” said Justin Rose, Day’s other playing partner. “That was out of the blue, for sure.”
Day was helped onto a cart and driven to the scorer’s tent to make his round official, then helped into a waiting van. Day is staying on the property in a large motorhome.
“Jason was diagnosed to have suffered from Benign Positional Vertigo,” his agent, Bud Martin, said in a statement. “He was treated locally by Dr. Robert Stoecker and Dr. Charles Souliere and is resting comfortably. His condition is being monitored closely and he is hopeful he will be able to compete this weekend in the final rounds of the U.S. Open.”
His caddie, Colin Swatton, said it was similar to an episode that Day had at last year’s World Golf Championship event at Firestone in Ohio. Day had completed two holes Sunday when he had to withdraw because of dizziness that later was diagnosed as vertigo.
Day, who won the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year, went through a procedure that was supposed to alleviate the problem, but issues with his equilibrium have continued. Day was forced to withdraw from the Byron Nelson last month after getting dizzy during the pro-am.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@1001ptsAU
