Day cuts ties with long-time mentor
JASON Day concedes he’s been his own worst enemy this year after making the call to part ways with his longtime caddy, coach and “father-figure” Col Swatton.
The sliding world No.9 said he had found himself angry at Swatton, who tamed the former tear-away teenager and has carried Day’s bag in all bar one of his professional starts, for no reason this season in which the Queenslander has struggled to play his best.
Fearing his relationship with Swatton could turn “toxic”, Day made the decision to release his caddy, mirroring a similar move by another former world No.1, Rory McIlroy who sacked his long-serving bag carrier earlier this year. But Day, who said 2017 had been a “funky” year for him having gone winless while also dealing with his mother Dening’s cancer battle, said the decision wasn’t about anything Swatton had done, and was all about plotting his own path back to the top.
“Everything is great when you win, but when you’re playing poorly, that’s when a true test of a relationship actually happens between a player and a caddy,” Day said.
“Unfortunately, sometimes the chemistry just doesn’t work. He’s been my coach since I’m 12. Obviously this is a very hard time for both of us with regards to we had a relationship for so long.
“My attitude is not good coming to the golf course because of things he can’t control, obviously, you know, it’s not a good formula for success out here.
“Unfortunately, sometimes I get in my own way.
“And, as golfers, it’s a very mentally driven game and sometimes you look for blame elsewhere and obviously I’m not trying to blame him.
“Like I said, he was an amazing caddy, amazing coach and amazing person.
“He’s done pretty much everything he possibly can to get me to where I’m going.
“Unfortunately, just didn’t work out.”
Day told a shocked Swatton last week in a 25 minute phone conversation, days out from playing the tournament which, two years ago, finished with the pair on top of the world. In 2015 Day won the BMW Championship to take over the world number one ranking for the first time.
He said Luke Reardon, a friend and former roommate at Hills International College, where Day first met Swatton, would carry his bag this week, before his US visa runs out.
Former Aussie pro David Lutterus, who has been “squatting” at Day’s house, will caddy at the Presidents Cup later this month. And Day wouldn’t rule out going back to Swatton, if he thought he had made a “mistake”.
“He’s still my coach, ”Day said.
“Like I said, it may be somewhere down the road where four months from now – I don’t even know how long it will be – but I can come back to him and say, ‘Look, man, I made a mistake and I need to come back and have you on the bag’.”
OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A VERY HARD TIME FOR BOTH OF US ... JASON DAY