See that? Did you see that Nick Kyrgios? Did you see Jason Day standing over the final putt, on the final hole, of the final round, with tears rolling down his cheeks as he tapped in and won the US PGA Championship? d you see his son, Dash, run out on to the green, leaping into his father's arms, followed by his wife, Ellie? Did you notice how his arms weren't outstretched, like he was the king of the world, as if to ask, "How freakin' good am I going?" Advertisement Did you hear him, Nick? Did you, Wild Thing? Did you hear him talk with affection about his caddie and father figure, Col Swatton, who took up the slack when Day's father, Alvin, died of stomach cancer when Day was 12? If you took off those oversized fluoro headphones for a moment – or better still stopped listening to your brother and the rest of your entourage – you'd have heard Day answer questions about his hitherto inability to seal the deal in majors. Like you, Day's had his knockers. He's finished runner-up at the Masters and US Open, and blown leads heading into the final round at St Andrews. Every time he's had the chance to win a major, he hasn't. Instead of using this moment of glory to tell every critic to jam something large somewhere small, he said with trademark toothy smile and self-effacement: "I guess you can take me off the 'best players without a major' list now … It's good to be a major championship winner." Day's victory – three shots ahead of newly minted world No.1 Jordan Spieth – was one for the good guys. It should send a reminder to every brattish, self-absorbed sportsperson who is defined and driven by the next fat contract, the next fat endorsement, the next Instagram follower, that a place remains for dignity and style. It should also send a reminder to Kyrgios, who gained further notoriety last week when he was caught out telling Stan Wawrinka during a match, "Kokkinakis banged your girlfriend. Sorry to tell you that, mate", that it's not too late. Because I'm sorry to tell you, Nick, you can only hide for so long behind the fact you're 20, you're badly advised and you bring personality and character and headlines to your sport. Kyrgios might bring a hot pink mohawk to tennis, but humility is the new black for sport. He could do worse than watch the final stages of this tournament, as Day and Spieth brutalised each other as golfers but remained human and sportsmanlike as men. On the 17th hole, as the first of Day's putts purred to within a foot of the hole, Spieth gave him the thumbs-up, despite knowing the tournament was truly beyond him. Now there's respect for your sport and your opponent. It wasn't contrived, because Spieth did something similar when Justin Rose made a shot at the Masters that threatened to stop him from eventually claiming the green jacket. After Day had won, Spieth didn't talk about his near-misses but pushed all praise to the winner. "That's the best loss I've ever had," he said, adding of his thwarted comeback: "He just shut the door." Even before Day started to shed tears on the 18th, commentators were speculating if he was about to join Spieth and Rory McIlroy as the new "Big Three" of world golf. Day's humility masks an aggressiveness on the course. As Adam Scott waved goodbye to his anchored putter at the last major for the year – and possibly the chance to ever win another altogether – many believe Day has the required intensity to win multiple championships. While he's morally correct, he's described by those on tour as guarded and calculated. A smiling assassin. His story is layered in fairytale: the death of his father at age 12; a descent into alcoholism in his early teens; his mother taking out a second mortgage on the family home to send him to Kooralbyn International boarding school to drag him out of the mire; the Tiger Woods book that inspired Day to grind through long hours of practice, to the point that many thought he would burn out before he made it. His father's death has defined his career and driven him, but it was Swatton who moulded him. And this is where the lesson comes for Kyrgios, who more than ever needs the right people moulding him, instead of defending him and digging him deeper into the hole. "F--- off," Day told Swatton on the practice fairway, early into their time together. Days later, the brash young Queenslander apologised in front of a group of fellow golfers, and they have been close ever since, with player affectionately punching his caddie in the chest after his superb second shot on the 16th at Whistling Straits. Said Day: "I used to be a bit of a punk."

• published: 17 Aug 2015
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