Driven Day plans to stick with irons at Open
Australia’s Jason Day plans to take a leaf from Tiger Woods’ playbook by 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 commentator and three-time champion 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 says he is likely to copy Woods’ blueprint.
“It’s definitely, by far, the driest (Open I will have 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.
“So I’m excited in that regard, 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 lowpunching
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.
“But you’re just wanting to get it low and get it running.”
Day has arrived for his Open tilt in a far more positive head space 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, a two-time winner on the US PGA Tour in 2018.
“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 heading into this week.”