MELBOURNE, Australia -- After nearly withdrawing due to a family tragedy, Jason Day made an emotional return to golf at the World Cup to win his first tournament in more than three years at Royal Melbourne on Sunday.

After nearly withdrawing due to the deaths of eight relatives in the devastating Nov. 9 typhoon in the Philippines, Jason Day won the World Cup for his first victory since 2010. Michael Dodge/Getty Images

His 7-foot putt to save par on the 16th hole held off a faltering Thomas Bjorn. Day had a 70 for a 10-under total of 274. That was two strokes better than Denmark's Bjorn, who finished with a 71 after two late bogeys.

Day's last victory came at the Byron Nelson Championship on the PGA Tour in 2010, although he's had four top-five finishes in majors since 2011.

The World Cup was Day's first tournament in five weeks and came less than two weeks after he learned that eight of his relatives, including his grandmother, died in the devastating Nov. 9 typhoon in the Philippines.

His mother, who immigrated to Australia from the Philippines 30 years ago, and sister were just off the green on 18 at Royal Melbourne. They both hugged him as he walked to the scoring tent to sign his card.

"It's just been an amazing tournament for me," Day said. "My mother, my family, coming down to support me. I'm just so happy the hard work has paid off, and I'm glad it happened in Melbourne.

"It would have been the easiest thing for me to just go ahead and pull out of the tournament with what has been going on over the last week," he added. "But I really wanted to come down here and play."

Day's situation wasn't lost on Bjorn.