BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS

After a tough few years both on and off the course, Jason Day is working harder than ever to recapture the form that took him to World No.1

- GARRETT JOHN STON

In 2015, Jason Day was playing golf of an almost unfathomably high standard. In February, he won the Farmers Insurance Open, before a remarkable three-month stretch from July to September that saw him claim the Canadian Open, the US PGA Championship in record-breaking fashion and two FedExCup playoff events. His triumph at the BMW Championship, the penultimate event of the season, also propelled him to World No.1 for the first time. He picked up where he left off in 2016, winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the WGC Match Play and the Players Championship, a run of form described as “Tiger-esque” by compatriot Adam Scott.

Unfortunately for Day, the following years would be filled with injury and off-course concerns, despite a two-win season in 2018. Chronic back issues and his mum’s illness, which led to her untimely passing earlier this year, combined to facilitate a fall down the world rankings. But he’s now in a more optimistic frame of mind, a result of countless hours of physical rehab and being able to dedicate more time to the game again. It remains to be seen whether he’ll return to the heady heights of 2015-16, but he certainly intends to try…

How do you reflect on your days as World No.1?

I realise that my World No.1 days were good times for sure, but to be honest with you, I don’t really think about the past that much. And I’ve got a really bad memory, so I can’t really think about the good and the bad from the past, which is probably a good thing. I’m just trying to stay as present as possible. Every single year I see new faces, new young guys on the tour that hit it an absolute mile. I also know that everyone is going through something, whether that’s an injury or there’s something going on personally.