Day resharpens game

JASON Day has undergone a pre-season boot camp with coach Colin Swatton in an effort to turn around his dwindling form ahead of his US PGA Tour season debut at the CJ Cup in Korea.

The former world No.1, who featured in the top 10 as recently as January, is desperate to climb back to the top after plummeting to 27th. Having endured his worst season since 2012, Day (pictured above) and long-time instructor Swatton made several swing tweaks during an intense few weeks of training at Day’s home base in Ohio recently.

The pair also vowed to restore the volume of physiotherapy Day received during the 2014 and 2015 seasons, when he became one of the hottest players in golf. Despite winning his 11th and 12th US PGA Tour titles in 2018, Day’s past three seasons have been marred by injuries. “A healthy Jason Day is a dangerous Jason Day,” Swatton said. “In 2014 and 2015, Jason was working regularly with a trainer, a mind coach, a physio and soft tissue [specialist].

“We’ve tried to reassemble a team that is world-class and with one purpose; to help Jason be the best golfer he can be.”

Swatton, who has coached Day since his early teens, has also implemented a couple of changes in Day’s powerful swing.

Day’s hips tend to shift laterally on the backswing instead of rotating, which increased the likelihood of poor shots and his chances of injury. Swatton also attempted to straighten Day’s left arm at the top of the backswing.

“Shifting laterally meant Jason was unable to rotate to his right hip, so his torso moved left and that can irritate the back,” Swatton said. “But now he is starting to rotate away from the ball better.”