Jason Day in action this week – image courtesy of Getty Images
Jason Day’s share of 9th place at this morning’s Genesis Invitational, his third top ten in his last three PGA Tour starts, has the former world number one now back inside the top 50 in the world ranking and on track for a start at the Masters should he remain inside the top 50 by the week preceding the event in early April.
Day’s position in today’s revised rankings is now 46th after beginning the year just outside the top 100, a reflection on the tremendous strides his game has made since adopting swing changes to accommodate his ongoing back issues.
Day improved 17 places from his overnight share of 26th with a final round of 65 at the Riviera Country Club, the second best of the day, and continues an impressive run which has moved him inside the top 50 for the first time since missing the cut at the Masters two years ago.
“I feel like some weeks the body is reacting perfectly to what I’m trying to do in regards to changing certain patterns in the golf swing,” said Day at last week’s event in Phoenix.
“Then there’s just been pretty much like a learning curve with regard to changing. It’s been really difficult to change the swing and compete out here. I would love to have a swing like a Rahm or Rory that is tested over time and it’s been successful.
“But for me I’ve had to make those changes because of my body. Unfortunately, I’m just through that, I’m going through the testing phase right now of trying to change that as I compete. That can be difficult.
“Because you wake up some days it’s like absolutely good and perfect and some days it’s just, you know — like, I mean, first round to second round here, it’s just totally different. It’s amazing. But I’m just grinding away trying to do the best job I can.”
Clearly, for Day, it is very much a work in progress but that he is putting himself in the contest on a more regular basis can only do wonders for his confidence and the 35 year old, who was so regularly contending in major championships earlier in his career, is regaining some of that same consistency.
Ten top 5 finishes in major championships including his PGA title in 2015, highlights a man with the capacity to, when fit, compete at the very pointy end of the toughest tournaments in the world and against the game’s best players.
