Jason Day says he’d love to end his PGA Tour drought before next week’s PGA Championship and feels his trusty old putter could blow the Byron Nelson tournament wide open.
The former world No.1 was trending towards a first PGA Tour win in four years at last week’s Wells Fargo event in Washington, DC, where he battled heavy rain and cold temperatures to lead by three shots after two rounds.
Although Day imploded in the third round, he said he saw enough with his ball-striking and putting to feel good about the Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in Texas – the site of Day’s first win on the PGA Tour in 2010.
Day ranked fourth for strokes gained: tee to green last week and despite not holing many putts on the weekend, he felt the short stick was heating up in time for next week’s PGA Championship.
The Queenslander recently put the TaylorMade Spider Limited Red putter back in the bag having used it during his record-setting Players Championship win in 2016 when he was world No.1.
“There is a lot of potential behind the putting; a lot of positives,” Day told Australian Golf Digest. “A lot can happen when I’m putting well; look at the first two days (at the Wells Fargo). “It’s close to being really good again. I just ned to nail down the speed, because I’m actually putting really good and I’m starting putts on the lines I need to but the speeds aren’t quite there. I’m excited about where things have progressed.”
Day’s 12th and most recent PGA Tour win came in May of 2018; part of a slump that has seen him plummet to world No.119. As such, the only Major he is currently eligible for is the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Oklahoma next week.
The 34-year-old is hungry to arrive at Southern Hills with a win under his belt. “It’d be nice to get a win going into the PGA and keep that confidence moving forward,” he said. “I’m looking forward to playing this week in Texas. “It’s going to be nice and warm in the 30s (celsius) which will prepare us for a warm week in Oklahoma after that. I need to tidy things up; really commit to shots and get the pre-shot routine correct.”
Day will be joined by fellow Australians Adam Scott, Marc Leishman and Brett Drewitt at the Byron Nelson. Despite a missed cut at the Wells Fargo, Leishman says his game feels good and has been picked by PGA Tour betting experts within the top 15 contenders to look at. Leishman finished tied 21st at last year’s Byron Nelson.
“My game has been really solid, but I just haven’t been getting the results and although the past couple of months have been frustrating, it feels close to clicking and if I stay patient I know I’ll get a big result soon,” he said.
Scott will use the Byron Nelson as a tune up for the PGA at Southern Hills, the course where he finished tied 12th at the 2007 PGA won by Tiger Woods.
A stacked Byron Nelson field will welcome superstars Scottie Scheffler, the recent Masters winner and world No.1, as well as Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, and Dustin Johnson.
