Day seems happy to be back on Tour, records top-ten finish

When asked at last summer's Web.com event in Indiana about the differences between playing on the PGA Tour and the minor-league circuit, Glen Day did not hesitate in giving a blunt answer. He admitted that it's difficult to find motivation to compete on the Web.com circuit week in and week out, for a player who is used to the higher-echelon lifestyle that is the PGA Tour.

These days, Day is relegated to past champion status on the PGA Tour, which means that his starts are few and far between. This week's event in Tennessee, the FedEx St. Jude Classic, was one of those rare opportunities. And he made the most of it.

Day opened the week strong with a 4-under 66 on Thursday and held steady throughout the weekend, handling a steady wind and tricky conditions at TPC Southwind to post a four-day total of 5-under par, good for a tie for 10th. The effort marks Day's first top-ten finish since 2008, when he tied for 8th at the RBC Canadian Open, and it gives him entry into the PGA Tour's next open event, at the Travelers Championship in Hartford in two weeks.

After his opening 66, Day leveled out with a pair of even-par 70s on Friday and Saturday, leaving the Oklahoma alum in a tie for 18th heading into Sunday. He showed no jitters at the start of the final round, birdieing two of his first three holes and turning in 1-under 34. A 36-footer for birdie on 11 served as the highlight to a solid if not spectacular back nine, and an impressive bunker save from nearly 30 yards on the long and demanding par-4 18th preserved the top-ten finish.

The event was only Day's second of the year on the PGA Tour, with the first being a T83 showing at the Heritage back in April. He has played five Web.com events so far, making only one cut, a T47 at the BMW Charity Pro-Am in South Carolina.

Glen Day, recording a top-ten in his second PGA Tour outing of the season, after failing to notch a top-40 in any minor-league event in 2013. Yet another example of the fine line between the two tours, where essentially any Web.com pro can step into a PGA Tour field and make an impact.

Or maybe, it proves Day's sentiment that it's a lot easier to get excited for an event when the purses are large and the crowds more excitable.