Day fires his longtime caddie
Jason Day’s longtime coach is no longer his caddie.
In a surprising move, Day said Wednesday he has parted ways with Colin Swatton for at least the rest of the year, though he will keep him as the only coach he has ever had. It was the third split this year involving top players and their longtime caddies. Phil Mickelson and Jim “Bones” Mackay split after 25 years, while Rory McIlroy parted with J.P. Fitzgerald after nearly a decade.
“I never wanted it to turn into a toxic relationship,” Day said. “I was worried if I kept it going, it was going to head that way, and I love him too much to have him not in my life.”
Swatton was as much a life coach as his golf instructor and caddie.
Day was a 12-year-old in Australia who got caught up in drinking and fighting after his father died. His mother depleted the family savings and borrowed money to send him to Koralbyn International School in Queensland, where Swatton ran the golf program.
Swatton encountered a head-strong kid and helped him become a major champion and No. 1 in the world.
Day has fallen from No. 1 to No. 9 in the world ranking, and his FedEx Cup ranking of No. 28 means he is in jeopardy of not advancing to the Tour Championship for the first time in five years.
Except for the 2014 Tour Championship when Swatton was injured, Day has never had anyone but his coach on the bag at PGA Tour events.
Day, who won the 2015 PGA Championship, is using Luke Reardon, his roommate from a golf academy in Australia, for the BMW Championship this week at Conway Farms and for the Tour Championship next week in Atlanta if Day stays in the top 30.
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