Jason Day defeats Louis Oosthuizen in Match Play to regain No. 1 ranking

Jason Day made his return to No. 1 in the world feel even sweeter Sunday by winning the Dell Match Play.

Day outlasted Rory McIlroy in an epic battle in the morning semi-finals by making a 12-foot par putt on the 18th hole. The championship match against Louis Oosthuizen turned into a victory lap at Austin Country Club.

And to think Day thought about pulling out Thursday morning when his back seized up on him. Three days later, he looked better than ever.

"It's been a memorable week, not only to win the Dell Match Play, but to get back to No. 1 in the world," Day said.

Day pulled ahead with a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-three fourth hole, stretched his lead to 3-up at the turn and was relentless with his power and short game the rest of the way. He closed out Oosthuizen with a wedge to three feet for a conceded birdie on the 14th hole and a 5-and-4 victory.

It was the largest margin in the championship match since Tiger Woods beat Stewart Cink, 8 and 7, in 2008 at Dove Mountain in a 36-hole match.

Day was assured of the No. 1 ranking when Jordan Spieth lost Saturday morning in the fourth round and Day won his quarter-final match that afternoon. But he said it would have felt hollow without leaving town with the trophy.

Oosthuizen, who knocked out Spieth, won the opening hole with a par and that was it. His only birdie was an eight-foot putt on No. 5 after Day had stuffed his wedge from the rough into two feet.

Day joined Woods and Geoff Ogilvy as the only multiple winners of the Match Play. Along with replacing Spieth at No. 1 in the world, the 28-year-old Australian figures to be the favourite when he goes to Augusta National next week to start preparing for the Masters on April 7-10.

Day, coming off a victory last week in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, has won six of his past 13 tournaments dating to the PGA Championship.

Canadians in top group at PGA tourney

Tony Finau won the Puerto Rico Open on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title, beating Steve Marino with a birdie on the third hole of a playoff at windy Coco Beach.

The 26-year-old Finau won with his third successive birdie in the playoff on the par-five 18th, blasting out of the back bunker to three feet. Marino was just off the back edge of the green in two, but left his putt from the fringe 4 1/2 feet short and missed his birdie try to the right.

Finau and Marino each shot two-under 70 to finish at 12-under 276. Marino birdied the 18th to tie Finau, and got into the playoff when Finau missed a six-foot birdie putt.

Finau and Marino each birdied the 18th on the first two playoff holes.

On the first extra hole, Marino got up-and-down from the left bunker, blasting to eight feet. Finau pitched to a foot from left of the green. On the second, Marino hit a flop shot over the right-side bunker to 10 feet, and Finau pitched to six feet from in front of the green.

Marino is winless on the PGA Tour. He also lost in a playoff in the 2009 Colonial.

Andres Romero (67), Canadian Nick Taylor (70) and Scott Brown (71) tied for fifth at 10 under. Puerto Rico's Rafael Campos, the leader after each of the first two rounds, was another stroke back after a 72.

Taylor, of Abbotsford, B.C., shot a 70 on Sunday. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., was tied for 11th at eight under while Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., shot a two-under 286 to finish tied for 47th.