ARDMORE, PA. – As long as he keeps knocking on the door, Jason Day says, he will soon win a major.
For a moment Sunday on Merion's back nine, it seemed soon would be now.
Day took his turn as the hottest player of the round with spectacular shots on the 10th and 11th holes. But the demanding final stretch of holes took its toll, and he had to settle for a place he knows well in a major — second.
Day finished the tournament in a tie with Phil Mickelson at 3 over par, two strokes back of winner Justin Rose.
"You've got to understand that late Sunday of a U.S. Open and U.S. Open courses are very hard," Day said. "You can't do anything but kind of grind it out."
It was his fourth top-three finish in a major since 2011. Day finished second in the U.S. Open and Masters in 2011 and he was third in the Masters this year, a tournament that he also led in the final round.
Day moved into a share for the lead Sunday with Rose by deftly navigating his way from the rough to card an unlikely birdie on the par-4 10th.
All seemed set to crumble when he flew his second shot on the par-4 11th into Cobbs Creek. He took a penalty stroke, and then chunked his shot from the drop zone, leaving the ball in thick rough in front of the green.
