Jason Day says putting four rounds together will be the key to contending for a second PGA Championship victory when the year’s second Major kicks off at Oklahoma’s Southern Hills course.
Day has done some soul searching and swing rebuilding after struggling the past three years, a slump that has caused his world ranking plummeted from world No.1 to No.124. But the Queenslander has started to compile some good results as he chases an elusive second Major victory to go with his 2015 triumph at the PGA Championship.
The 34-year-old showed glimpses of his brilliant best at the PGA Tour’s Wells Fargo event recently, where he rocketed into the 36-hole lead only to fade to a share of 15th.
Day looked poised to win the Wells Fargo and break a four-year drought on the PGA Tour but a third-round 79 crippled his chances. Day says if he can piece together four decent rounds, he’ll be in with a chance.
“I’ve been having three good rounds at tournaments but there’s been that one day that lets me down,” he told Australian Golf Digest at Southern Hills. “I feel good about the game and what I’ve worked on with the swing. If I can have four consistent rounds, there is a lot of potential for winning a tournament.”
Day, a 12-time PGA Tour winner, relished tough setups and conditions during his world-beating period between 2011 and 2016. He finished second at two US Opens (2011, 201, which are seen as the most brutal examination in men’s professional golf.
He welcomed the challenge of the tough approach shots he’d seen in practice rounds at Southern Hills this week.
“It’s a great test and I’m really excited because you can’t hide on this course; every part of your game has to be good,” Day said. “The front nine is tough and even par could be a good score on that side all week. On the back nine there are a few opportunities and hopefully I can take enough this week to get myself in contention.”
Day will be joined in the field at the PGA by seven other Australians, including world No.4 Cam Smith, Adam Scott, Cam Davis, Lucas Herbert, Matt Jones, Min Woo Lee and Marc Leishman. New Zealand’s Ryan Fox is in the field, fresh off finishing third at the DP World Tour event in Belgium last week.
AUSTRALIAN TEE TIMES RD 1:
Cam Davis, Matt Kuchar, Rikuya Hoshino: 7.55am Thursday/10.55pm AEST
Cam Smith, Viktor Hovland, Will Zalatoris: 8am Thursday/11pm AEST
Matt Jones, Richard Bland, Garrick Higgo: 8.28am Thursday/11.28pm AEST
Min Woo Lee, Ryan Brehm, Wyatt Worthington II: 12.30pm Thursday/Friday 3.30am AEST
Adam Scott, Shane Lowry, Brooks Koepka: 1.03pm Thursday/Friday 4.03am AEST
Marc Leishman, Martin Kaymer, Keegan Bradley: 1.20pm Thursday/Friday 4.20am AEST
Jason Day, Rickie Fowler, Harold Varner III: 1.25pm Thursday/Friday 4.25am AEST
Lucas Herbert, Chad Ramey, Austin Hurt: 2.15pm Thursday/Friday 5.15am Friday AEST
