Day hits reset button before PGA playoffs
JASON Day has admitted he burdened himself with heavy expectations of quickly reclaiming winning form by hiring Tiger Woods’ former caddie Steve Williams.
But former world No.1 Day has hit the reset button and hopes his realisation leads to a fruitful run through the US PGA Tour’s playoffs series — starting with this week’s Northern Trust event.
Day hired New Zealand’s Williams — who caddied for Woods during 13 of his 15 major wins as well as Adam Scott’s 2013 Masters victory — at June’s US Open at Pebble Beach but has had little success since. In the five events Williams has caddied for Day, the Queenslander has had one top-10 result and he missed the cut at the British Open.
Having once held the No.1 position for 47 straight weeks, world No.21 Day is no longer Australia’s top-ranked golfer with Adam Scott one spot higher. Day concedes he set the bar too high for himself after what was a serious change for an elite golfer.
“I may have put a bit too much pressure on myself with regards to trying to play too well,” an honest Day said at host venue Liberty National in New Jersey yesterday.
“Having a new caddie on the bag is a change and I’m trying to work everything out.
“I just haven’t pieced everything together at an event and I need to get on top of that.”
But the 31-year-old said there were plenty of positives of his partnership with Williams, most importantly that his work ethic has increased dramatically.
“You want it to be successful and it is in the sense I wanted to work harder and Steve is certainly making me do that,” Day said.
But Day is hoping the intensity of the US PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs, in which 125 contestants are vying for their share of $116 million prize pool, can reignite a spark.
Day was once a perennial contender at the playoffs, particularly the Northern Trust, winning in 2015 event in addition to four top-six results at the finals opener.
Day is joined in the field by Australians Scott, Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith, Aaron Baddeley and Matt Jones.