Jason Day chips in for birdie late in final round of AT&T Byron Nelson

Jason Day made a heck of a recovery on the 15th hole Sunday afternoon, and he couldn’t have known how important the shot would be.

With his 63 on Saturday, Jason Day put himself in position to win the AT&T Byron Nelson in Irving, Texas Sunday afternoon. The lone bogey of his final round came on the 12th hole, followed by two pars as playing partner Billy Horschel hit a 60-foot birdie putt on No. 14 to move into a tie for the lead.

Day did not start the 504-yard, par-4 No. 15 off very well, with a wayward tee shot into the trees. His second shot was about as good as he could hope for under the circumstances, avoiding a green-side bunker at least. An up-and-down for par looked like a difficult proposition from an awkward lie in the rough, and birdie was absolutely out of the question. Right?

Nick Taylor, who posted 65 on Sunday and shot -9 on the weekend to push himself into a tie for ninth place, offered a simple sentiment for Day’s miraculous birdie.

Day wound up going to a playoff with Horschel, but lost on the first hole after missing a short par putt. Horschel earned $1.35 million for his win, while Day got $810,000 as runner-up. The difference in prize money between Day and third-place finisher James Hahn, who almost made it a three-man playoff by nearly holing out an approach shot? $300,000.

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If Day had made bogey on No. 15, as looked very probable after his second shot, instead of chipping in for a birdie, that two-shot swing would have dropped him into a tie for third based on the final results. He did not win the tournament, but Day’s chip-in was clearly a money shot that at least gave him a chance to do so.