Jason Day has squandered his last chance to ensure 2017 wasn't a winless year.
At the Tour Championship in Atlanta on Sunday, a final-round 74 saw Australia's world No.6 finish 10 shots back of winner Xander Schauffele at the US PGA Tour play-offs finale.
Schauffele carded a two-under-par 68 for a 12-under 268 and a one-shot win over Justin Thomas (66), whose runner-up finish was enough to clench the $US10 million FedEx Cup title from points leader Jordan Spieth.
For 29-year-old Day, the East Lake Golf Club tournament was a snapshot of a disappointing season.
Starting day four six shots off the lead and an outside chance to claim his Tour title since May 2016, Day's two-under total left him tied for 17th.
It came after he briefly held a share of the lead during the third round at the elite 30-man Tour Championship only to fade away over the last 27 holes.
It capped off a series of missed opportunities this year, which have resulted in Day drifting from a 47-week stint as world No.1.
In August, Day let slip an opportunity to bag a second career major at the US PGA Championship, when a puzzling choice to go for the green from the trees on the last hole of the third round led to a quadruple bogey and opened the door for Thomas to steal victory.
In May, the Ohio-based Queenslander lost in sudden death play-off to Billy Horschel at the Byron Nelson Classic, when he missed a relatively simple three-foot putt.
But Day hopes a first visit to Australia since 2013 in November will help reignite his golf game in the same fashion as three-time major champion Spieth.
Spieth used his 2014 and 2016 Australian Open victories as a springboard to claiming the 2015 Masters and US Open, as well as the British Open this year.
"Coming down to Australia has obviously been great for Jordan's career; both times he's won the Aussie Open he's won (at least) a major the next year," Day said.
With countryman Adam Scott also winless in 2017, it was the first year since 2012 that at least one of the two Australian big guns failed to record a Tour victory.
However, Victorian native Marc Leishman stepped up to the plate with a breakout season highlighted by two Tour titles and a whopping seven top-10s and 16 top-25 results.
"It was definitely my best year so far," said Leishman, who also recorded Australia's best finish at the majors courtesy of a tie for sixth at the British Open.
Now assured of starts to all four major championships next year, 33-year-old Leishman says it's realistic to raise his expectations.
"Yeah I think so. I'll certainly try and win more frequently; it's definitely a goal," he said.
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