With baby No.5 only a month away, Jason Day says he’d love to make September even more special by becoming the first Australian to win the PGA Tour’s season-long FedEx Cup.
The 17th edition of the PGA Tour’s post-season begins August 10 following this week’s regular season-ending Wyndham Championship in North Carolina. It begins with the top 70 on points playing the FedEx St Jude in Memphis, Tennessee (August 10-13), and then the top 50 advancing to the BMW (August 17-20). After that, the top 30 progress to the Tour Championship finale in Atlanta (August 27-30).
Former world No.1 Day, coming off a tie for second at the Open Championship, is hoping to end the apparent hoodoo for Australians in the playoffs. Day, Adam Scott, Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith, Geoff Ogilvy, and Aaron Baddeley have contended in the post-season but never taken out the lucrative race. The FedEx Cup winner now receives $US18 million from a $75 million bonus pool. Jon Rahm leads the standings courtesy of four wins this season including the Masters.
Day has had several golden chances in his career to claim the season-long honour, including in 2010 (when he finished eighth in the FedEx Cup), as well as 2014 (10th), 2015 (3rd) and 2016 (6th).
From 2017 to this current season, Day was not not in any position to win the FedEx Cup. He fell into a slump that saw his world ranking plummet to No.175 last October. But the 35-year-old fought his way out of the funk, rejoining the PGA Tour winner’s circle at the Byron Nelson in May, his 13th career victory.
Now, Day is primed for a playoffs run in 11th on the FedEx Cup standings. He’s been working hard at home in Columbus, Ohio with swing coach Chris Como to ensure he can continue his stellar record in the playoffs. The Queenslander has won two playoffs events (the 2015 Barclays and BMW championships) as well as registering two runner-up results and a third in his career.
“The FedEx Cup playoffs are three big events, and historically I’ve played them well,” Day told Australian Golf Digest Monday.
Day said he was inspired by the looming birth of his and wife Ellie’s fifth child, which is due in September. The Days are already parents to Dash, Lucy, Arrow and Oz. A dedicated father, Day has typically skipped tournaments for the birth of his children, including the 2012 Open Championship during Dash’s birth. However, baby No.5 is due after the playoffs have finished.
“I’d love to be the first Aussie to win it all [the FedEx Cup],” Day added on Monday speaking from Ohio. “It’d be a nice milestone before our family grows again in September.”
The other Australians on tour have work remaining to advance to playoffs.
Cameron Davis snuck into the top 70 who make it to the finals, which starts in Memphis Tennessee with the St Jude event. The Sydney native birdied five of his last 10 holes during Sunday’s final round at the 3M Open to shoot 65 and tied 10th. His fourth top-10 finish of the year moved Davis to 69th in the FedEx Cup standings.
Further down the list at 81st is Adam Scott, who will need a strong finish at this week’s Wyndham Championship to get back inside the top 70. After Scott, Aaron Baddeley is 92nd in the FedEx standings, last year’s Korn Ferry Tour graduate Harrison Endycott is 127th, Cameron Percy is 148th, Lucas Herbert is 149th, and Greg Chalmers 216th.
The trio of Scott, Davis and Endycott are teeing up at the Wyndham Championship while Baddeley and Percy are listed as alternates for the field.
