Keegan Bradley won in the US PGA Tour event in a sudden death play-off from fellow American Ryan Palmer while young Australian Day's final round heroics - and double bogey mishap - left him with outright fifth place, two shots off the pace.
Despite wind gusts of around 60km/h, Day made seven birdies in his final round as he posted an impressive 3-under-par 67.
But it could have been so much better.
The clutch play for the Queenslander came on the 14th hole, a difficult downhill par four.
With his tee shot burying itself deep in the right rough and trees and water between his ball and the green, Day thought he could pull off a miracle and find the putting surface.
Instead of playing safely back to the fairway, he went for it but his wedge shot come out soft, hit a branch and dropped into a watery grave well short of the green.
The resulting double bogey dropped him out of contention even though he bounced back with back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16.
The result was still good enough for Day's sixth top 10 placing of the season and a healthy $242,695 cheque.
"If I had one shot to replay it would be the second shot on 14 today, I should have chipped out but I felt I had to go for it," Day said.
"Sometimes when you feel like you've got all the shots. That can hurt you sometimes, because I felt like I could get over the water there, but I couldn't.
"Unfortunately I took that risk and it didn't pay off but overall I am still very happy."
Earlier Day shot out of the blocks with four birdies in the opening 10 holes to be in third place just two off the lead.
But a bogey on the 11th hole, his nemesis, and another on 12 slowed his run before things came apart at the 14th.
Bradley posted a 2-under 68 to finish at 3-under 277 while Palmer, the overnight leader, battled to a 72, making a clutch six foot birdie putt on the last in regulation to force extra holes.
When both men returned to the 18th tee for sudden death Palmer could not repeat the magic.
Both men hit their tee shots into the right trees but Bradley recovered to save par while Palmer's second shot found the water on the left, ending his chances in the fifth play-off over the last six weeks on tour.
American Joe Ogilvie and Ryuji Imada from Japan tied third at 2-under par 278.
Rod Pampling was the second best Australian in a tie for eighth, grabbing his second straight top 10 finish and $157,752.
It bumped him up to 105th on the money list as he battles to regain a full Tour card for next season.
Tags: sport, golf, australia, united-states
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