Day picks rest over workout before PGA challenge
PREPARATION NEEDS TO BE PERFECT TO SUCCEED, WORLD NO. 1 INSISTS
ason Day has opted for rest over practice before defending his world number one status and his first major title when the 98th PGA Championship tees off today at Baltusrol.
The 28-year-old Australian skipped practice on Tuesday over the par-70, 7,428-yard layout and opted for another rest day after spending Monday with his family, posting an Instagram photo from a video game centre.
Day, who hosted a champions dinner on Tuesday night at the course, was planning to play a full first practice round yesterday at Baltusrol before playing the first two rounds alongside four-time major winner Rory McIlroy and five-time major champion Phil Mickelson.
American Dustin Johnson, who won his first major at last month’s US Open, would overtake Day for the top ranking spot if he wins and the Aussie finishes worse than a two-way share of second — or if Johnson is a solo runner-up and Day is 29th or worse. Fellow first-time major winners Danny Willett of England from the Masters and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson from the British Open will play alongside Johnson today and tomorrow.
Inches of rain
A field of 156 players, including 72 players from 24 nations outside of the United States, will compete for a $1.8 million (Dh6.6 million) top prize from a $10 million purse.
Day will be playing his fourth event in five weeks and third in a row. But after withdrawing from the Rio Olympics over Zika virus concerns he will have a month off before the US PGA Tour’s season-ending playoffs opener.
“The biggest thing is being able to prepare properly for the events, give yourself the best opportunity to win, and then try and do your best. That’s all you can ask,” he said last week at the Canadian Open. Two inches of rain fell on Monday night at the course and more is in the forecast tomorrow.
“The key this week is going to be on ball striking and staying patient because it’s a pretty tough start, and then just kind of hanging on,” Willett said. McIlroy, Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington have won the British Open and PGA crowns in the same year in the past decade. Before then it had been done only twice in 81 years. But Stenson likes his chances.
“If it behaves like it normally does, I think that can put me in good position,” Stenson said. “It should play into my strengths, which is mid- to long-irons. So I think it’s a good course for me.”
Mickelson, a 46-year-old US left-hander who won the 2005 PGA at Baltusrol, could become the fourth-oldest major champion in history by capturing the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday after settling for second to Stenson at the British Open two weeks ago at Royal Troon.
“It will be important to drive the ball well, and I actually am looking forward to that challenge,” he said.