AUSTIN, Texas -- Jason Day's first-ever visit to the capitol city of Texas started out with an experience he would like to forget and ended with a result he always will be able to cherish.
He owes the latter to a massage therapist borrowed from fellow PGA tour player Bubba Watson, plenty of intestinal fortitude and a deft putting touch.
Day, a 28-year-old Australian who is the new No. 1 player in the world ranking, won three of the first nine holes with birdies on the way to a dominating 5-and-4 victory against Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa in the championship match at the World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play on Sunday in blustery conditions at Austin Country Club.
Day tweaked his lower back on the 15th hole during his 3-and-2 victory against Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell in his first group round match Wednesday and had to be helped off the course and into the Tour's therapy trailer.
He nearly pulled out of the tournament Thursday morning -- five members of his team advised him to -- but he continued on, thanks to therapy sessions on his back before and after his rounds. Day even got therapy in the short time between the two matches he had to play each of the past two days.
"It was 50/50 that I was going to play when I woke up on Thursday and was hitting balls on the range," Day said. "As things went on, slowly the back got better and better. I did an incredible amount of the therapy this week -- upwards of 10 hours -- and it was needed. I was very pleased with how it recovered so quickly."
Day won this tournament for the second time in three years and became just the third multiple winner of the Dell Match Play, joining Tiger Woods (who won in 2003, 2004 and 2008) and Australian Geoff Ogilvy (2006 and 2009).
He supplanted Jordan Spieth as the top player in the world when he earned a place in this event's semifinals and Spieth was eliminated (by Oosthuizen) in the round of 16. Day went 7-0-0 in this week's matches.
The victory also gave Day back-to-back wins on the PGA Tour after he triumphed at last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational. The last winner in consecutive weeks on the PGA Tour was Australian Adam Scott at The Honda Classic and World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship earlier this year.
"Every time Louis stood up to the golf ball, I was expecting the best scenario from him, expecting him to hit it on the fairway or hit it on the green near the hole," Day said. "So that kept me going and pushing me forward."
Oosthuizen won the opening hole in the championship match with a three-putt par but conceded the par-4 third after he hit his drive in a deep bunker left of the fairway and his escape shot ended up in an unplayable native area.
From that point on, the match belonged to Day. He birdied the fourth, fifth, seventh and ninth holes -- winning three of those -- and added to his lead with another birdie from behind the green on the drivable par-4 13th. He finished the match with a 3-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole when Oosthuizen missed from 38 feet.
"I knew Day was going to be tough, and I knew I had to play really well, and I didn't," Oosthuizen said. "I didn't play bad, but I just didn't make any putts for birdies, which never helps. (Day) hit some amazing iron shots and had some amazing up and downs. And he's definitely at the moment a few steps ahead of everyone."
Rafa Cabrera Bello of Spain solved the tough layout and defending champion Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland with a 3-and-2 victory in the third-place match.
Cabrera Bello won four of the final six holes, three of those with birdies after the match was tied after the 10th. McIlroy had a devilish time with the demanding greens in his final match, missing three putts of less than six feet, including a 5-footer on the 15th.
"I told (McIlroy), when I finished playing, that it was an honor to have beaten him," Cabrera Bello said. "It's definitely something I will tell my kids whenever I have them. I played really solid, really good from tee to green, and the putter worked better, as well. I rolled some putts in, and I think that's what made the difference."
Earlier Sunday, Day holed a lightning-quick, downhill 13-foot putt on the 18th hole to secure a 1-up victory over McIlroy in a semifinal match. Oosthuizen registered an easier-than-it sounds 4-and-3 win over Cabrera Bello in the other semifinal.
"I'm not angry with my game, at all," McIlroy said. "I'm just angry that I didn't do more in the match and convert my chances when I could have. I'm disappointed with the outcome, but I feel like where my game is I'm happy with that."
NOTES: This is the second time in tournament history that four non-U.S. players reached the semifinals, joining 2010, when Ian Poulter (England) defeated Sergio Garcia (Spain) 7 and 6, while Paul Casey (England) won in 24 holes over Camilo Villegas (Colombia). ... By advancing to the quarterfinals, Rafa Cabrera Bello guaranteed himself of moving into the top 50 in the world rankings and secured a spot in The Masters, the only major championship in which he is yet to compete. Cabrera Bello has played the Open Championship four times each and in PGA Championships. His best result in a major is a tie for 21st in the 2013 Open Championship. ... Rory McIlroy has 11 career victories and was looking to join Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the only players since World War II to record 12 victories before turning 27. McIlroy turns 27 on May 4 this year. ... McIlroy won the WGC Match Play event last year.
