Day irons out approach to top Masters tune-up

THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019 themercury.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS 1300 696 397 JASON Day believes the demanding approach shots at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead course will be a muchneeded test of his iron play, three weeks out from the Masters at Augusta National.

Like Augusta, the Copperhead course — home to this week’s Valspar Championship on the US PGA Tour — places a premium on accurate sharp iron play, convincing Day to add the event to his pre-Masters schedule.

Though Day boasts a powerful driver and worldclass short game, the former world No.1 has admitted his approach play needs improvement. Last season, the Queenslander ranked a lowly 142nd on the PGA Tour for strokes gained in approach play — despite winning twice. However, the 31-year-old Day’s irons have improved and helped him tie for eighth at last week’s elite Players Championship.

He welcomed another test at the Valspar, which is the second of three straight PGA Tour events for Day.

“It is definitely a different test of golf — you don’t need as much power as you do at other PGA Tour courses,” Day said.

“The course asks a lot about how accurate you are with your tee shots. You have to hit landing areas in the fairway and, from there, solid irons.

“What I need to see are good drives on the holes I can hit driver, a lot of nice threewoods off the tee and iron play similar to what I saw from myself at the Players, but with better proximity to the hole.”

Joining Day at the Valspar are fellow Australians John Senden, the 2014 champion, as well as Matt Jones, Cameron Davis and Rod Pampling.

Though big guns such as world No.1 Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm headline the field, plenty of eyes will be on 17-year-old Akshay Bhatia. Bhatia, from North Carolina, is the topranked junior in the US and is making his PGA Tour debut.

The Copperhead course has seen a variety of winners because of its narrow fairways and strategic layout, which includes double doglegs on two of the par fives.