Day parts with caddie, keeps him as coach

LAKE FOREST, ILL. » 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-yearold 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, however, is enduring a troublesome year on and off the golf course. He 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.

Ultimately, he found his relationship with Swatton getting stale. He said the last two tournaments were particularly strained, with them hardly talking to each other.