Day to follow Tiger’s method
Aussie to leave driver in golf bag as he takes a swing at British Open
JASON Day plans on taking a leaf from the Tiger Woods playbook and trying to win the British Open without a driver.
Woods famously pulled out the big dog only once while winning the last bone-dry Open in 2006.
His breathtaking display of control at Royal Liverpool left three-time champion turned commentator Nick Faldo gushing over the“sheer perfection” of the American’s ball-striking.
With Day claiming Carnoustie’s “fairways are faster than the greens” after a summer without rain, the Australian No.1 said he was likely to copy Woods’ blueprint.
“It’s definitely, by far, the driest (Open I’ve played),” Day said after playing his first-ever nine holes at the course on Tuesday.
“It takes out the bigger clubs and I think I’m long enough to be able to hit it. I feel like I play my long irons pretty well. I hit them nice and high. I can hit them low too.
“So when the conditions are nice and dry like this, I can use the whole golf course to my advantage with my length.
“But I’ve still got to go and play the front side tomorrow and see what I’m going to do there because I haven’t even touched my three wood or my driver yet.”
Nor did Woods touch his driver during the last three rounds in 2006. Yet the former world No.1 still managed to finish 18 under par to claim his third Claret Jug and the 11th of his 14 career majors.
“For Tiger, he had that low, punching stinger two iron. He used that to his advantage,” Day said.
“If you get it on line, it should run pretty dang straight unless you get unlucky with some of the bounces.”
Day has arrived for his latest Open tilt in a far more positive headspace than last year, when the burdens of holding down the top ranking – then losing it – and his mother’s cancer scare weighed him down at Birkdale.
“I feel much better,” said the world No.9. “Me and (wife) Ellie just came from Wimbledon. That was a lot of fun to go there for the first time, so I’m a lot more relaxed.”
IF YOU GET IT ON LINE, IT SHOULD RUN PRETTY DANG STRAIGHT UNLESS YOU GET UNLUCKY WITH SOME OF THE BOUNCES JASON DAY