Is Jason Day in the middle of the comeback season?
Well, after being in contention with three holes left last week in the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open, where he posted his best finish since the spring of 2018, the 34-year-old fired 68-66 on Days 1 and 2 at Pebble Beach and sits T-7 at 9 under.
However, Day is still seven shots off Seamus Power’s lead at 16 under, but the Aussie isn’t sweating it.
“We still have two days left,” he said following Round 1.
And if he can emerge and notch his first win since the 2018 Well Fargo Championship after the next two days, the world No. 82’s comeback would be more than just seven shots.
The former world No. 1 has suffered a slew of back injuries the past few years and his glory days looked to be in the rearview. But Day worked with swing coach Chris Como this offseason and once again is fully healthy, putting his name near the top of leaderboards in consecutive weeks like it’s 2015 when he had five victories including the PGA.
Full-field scores from AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
“The last couple years have been a bit of a struggle, but I think more so it’s a real positive,” he said. “not only personally with my back and then when I get on the golf course I feel good.”
The fact that Day’s feeling good again has him soaring in the world rankings. He jumped 46 spots after last week’s T-3 at Torrey Pines and if he can continue the climb, he may find himself back within the world’s top-50 with another chance at a green jacket. But even though a trip to Augusta is on his mind, Day isn’t looking that far ahead.
“I just got to be really patient with that stuff, I know that it’s just around the corner,” he said. “If do I end up taking [the Masters] off because my ranking is not good enough, so be it, but I’m thinking about long-term. Trying to get myself climbing that ladder again.”
And after being out of the winner’s circle for so long, he feels it’s only a matter of time before he gets back there, however, he sees a grand opportunity to knock the weight off his shoulders sooner rather than later despite a seven-shot ladder to climb and a Saturday on the daunting Spyglass course.
“I think I’m very due [to win],” he said. “I played some really solid golf over my lifetime here (at Pebble Beach). So I’m just not going to try to think about it too much, hopefully it falls in my lap.”
And if his 13th Tour victory does fall in his lap to end a four-year winless drought, he’ll still be hungry for more.
“I’m not looking at it as like a comeback season, I’m just looking at it like every day what can I do to try to get better,” he said. “And I’m super, super obsessed with the golf swing right now, which is either a good thing or a bad thing, I don’t know how to take that. But I’m always talking to my coach every day and I’m always constantly working on it.”
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