World No .1 under par as Major jinx strikes again
WORLD No.1 Jason Day admits he is running on empty ahead of his US PGA title defence after completing an unwanted grand slam of disrupted preparation for this year’s Majors.
After suffering with a back problem before the Masters, a cold at the US Open and a rib injury scare at the Open, Day arrived at Baltusrol feeling under the weather and then spent Tuesday evening in hospital after his wife suffered an allergic reaction.
The 28-year-old will therefore defend his first Major title after just one practice round yesterday and could lose his position at the top of the world rankings if he finishes 29th or worse and Dustin Johnson is outright second or better.
“I was always going to take Monday off and Dash and Lucy [his children] are sick right now and Dash passed that on to me,” Day said. “I am just a little bit under the weather.
“Then Ellie had an allergic reaction last night and had to go to the hospital. We were there until 2am or something like that, so I am kind of running on E [empty] right now.
“She was kind of freaking out, which is understandable, because she got all red.
“I have been in that situation before when I first ate seafood so I was calm about it, and she is like, ‘Call 911, call 911’. We suffered a little loss of sleep but she is fine now.
“I have not seen the course. I do not know what it looks like. I was with Doug Steffen, the head pro, last night at the champions’ dinner. I went through pretty much every hole with him for about 20, 30 minutes.”
Day’s victory in the Players Championship in May was his seventh success in 17 events, a phenomenal run of results which included winning his first Major title at Whistling Straits with a record total of 20 under par — recently matched by Henrik Stenson in the Open at Troon.
Although his worst finish in five appearances since then is a tie for 27th, Day acknowledges the pressure is on to maintain his high standards.
“I think the bar has been raised ever since Tiger Woods came around,” said Day, who will play the first two rounds at Baltusrol alongside Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy.
“I think if you are in the lead or if you are a favourite to win, they expect you to win, and if you do not, then you are in a slump. Unfortunately, it is not the case.
“It is very, very difficult to win golf tournaments. Everyone just has seen it all before and expects it to happen every single time. It just does not work out that way sometimes. Golf is a very difficult game, on top of trying to manage all the mental part of the game, as well.
“When I first came out in 2006, some of the cut lines were plus one and plus two, and now most of the cut lines are under par.
“It just goes to show how stiff the competition has got — and then on top of it, the guys are younger and stronger and fitter and faster.
“If you do not stay one step ahead of the young guys, it is easy to get left behind. I am kind of coming into my prime now and I am hoping to stay there for a while.”
Despite problems with his preparation, Day finished 10th in the Masters and eighth in the US Open, while being on the “wrong” side of the draw at The Open contributed to a tie for 22nd.
“I think if you try a little bit too hard sometimes, you can shoot yourself in the foot. I think that is what I did in the first two Majors,” said Day.
“I have got to really try to manage my patience out there, because I have very little patience right now. For some reason, every time I get a little bit under the weather, I have got zero patience.”
Meanwhile, European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke has named Sam Torrance his fifth vice-captain for September’s contest at Hazeltine.
Clarke said he was delighted that 2002 skipper Torrance had agreed to join Ian Poulter, Paul Lawrie, Thomas Bjorn and Padraig Harrington on his backroom staff.