Jason Day and world No.10 Adam Scott headline a whopping 12-strong Australian contingent at Memorial this week on the US PGA Tour.
The superstar duo will be joined by Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith, Ryan Ruffels, Rod Pampling, Curtis Luck, Matthew Griffin, Brett Coletta, Greg Chalmers, Steven Bowditch and Aaron Baddeley in what could be a huge week for Australian golf.
While there are several PGA Tour winners among them, one name that looks destined to join that list in time is Coletta. The 20-year-old recently turned pro and inked a deal with PING on the back of an impressive amateur career that included a victory and runner-up finish in Australian professional tournaments, a T6 finish at the Australian PGA Championship in 2016 and medallist at the 2015 US Amateur.
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He was also a long-time member of the PING Australian Elite Amateur program and recently located away his Canadian Tour card.
“We’ve gotten to know this young man very well and we like the way he approaches the game,” says John A. Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO. “He has immense talent and a terrific work ethic.”
A strong finish this week from the young Aussie will springboard his career and US PGA Tour aspirations.
https://twitter.com/brett_coletta/status/860668256973017089
Meanwhile, a reinvigorated Day has targeted victory at this week’s Memorial Tournament as the springboard he needs heading into the US Open next month.
The Australian world No.3 recently carded his best result on the US PGA Tour for 2017, finishing runner-up at the Byron Nelson Classic in Texas, where he lost in a playoff to American Billy Horschel.
The 29-year-old Day, winless since his Players Championship victory in May 2016, feels he’s turned over a new leaf after lacklustre results saw him surrender a 47-week reign as world No.1 to Dustin Johnson in February.
“(Byron Nelson) was a building block. A second and a fifth (at Pebble Beach in February) from my first 10 starts are hopefully the worst results I’ll have for the rest of the year. I’m aiming to win a couple of events coming home,” Day told AAP.
Day has set his sights this year on bagging a second career major to go with his 2015 US PGA Championship title. He believes that could be next month’s US Open, where Day’s superb record includes two runner-up finishes among five top-10s from six starts.
“It would be great to top off a win at Memorial; that’d really send my confidence through the roof and I’d take that into the US Open,” said Day.
But the Jack Nicklaus-hosted event in Ohio has typically been an unhappy hunting ground for the Columbus resident. Despite being a member of Muirfield Village Golf Club, Day has never finished inside the top-25, although he contended in 2016 before fading to 27th place with a final-round 74.
“I haven’t typically played well here but I’m looking to change that. The preparation coming into this week has been really solid. The game is great,” said Day. – With AAP
