Jason Day was the big winner of MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins, taking home $210,000 in the inaugural GOLFTV event. He also provided the most jaw-dropping highlight from a fun day in Japan, by getting up and down from a greenside bunker with a 6-iron. And only a 6-iron.
RELATED: Jason Day, Tiger Woods the big winners in Japan
The shot was made possible by one of three challenges throughout Monday’s 18-hole competition. On the par-5 14th at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, the four players could only use one club. Day selected a 6-iron, as did Hideki Matsuyama, while Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods chose a 5-iron and 4-iron, respectively. Remarkably, all four nearly parred the hole with only Matsuyama making a three-putt bogey after finding the green in regulation. But none did it with the flair of Day, who found a deep bunker with his third shot—and then did this:
Moments later, Day rolled in the six-footer with that 6-iron to cap one of the pars of the year.
“I haven’t hit a bunker shot with a 6-iron in probably eight years,” said Day, who choked down on the club and squatted low to pull off the remarkable shot. “I felt like I was sitting on the sand.”
RELATED: Everything you missed from The Challenge: Japan Skins
Day got up and down from another bunker on 18 for birdie to win the final skin for $100,000 and emerge victorious in this inaugural event:
That more conventional shot using a lob wedge obviously didn’t draw quite the attention as the earlier one. Considering the stakes, though, that was pretty impressive, too.
RANKING: All 23 of Tiger Woods’ made-for-TV golf appearances