Australian golfer Jason Day eyes more Major glory after resurgence
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Jason Day playing a shot during the Pro Am at the Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane, Australia, on Nov 20.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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BRISBANE – Former world No. 1 Jason Day said on Nov 20 that his recent resurgence has lit a fire inside him to chase a second Major in 2025, a decade after the Australian smashed through the barrier at the PGA Championship.
Day won seven PGA Tour titles in 17 starts across 2015 and 2016. At the time, some predicted the next Tiger Woods may have arrived.
But since capturing his maiden Major at Whistling Straits in 2015, he has failed to again taste success at golf’s four biggest events, with back injuries severely hampering his career.
The 37-year-old enjoyed a resurgence in 2023, fuelled by swing changes designed to relieve pressure on his lower back.
Day won his 13th PGA Tour title and tied for second at the British Open at Royal Liverpool. He has posted four top-10s on the tour in 2024 and said at Royal Queensland in Brisbane ahead of the Australian PGA Championship: “I feel good about my game.
“A goal (for 2025) is to try and win a Major and another goal is to win an elevated (PGA Tour) event.
“The goal for me has always been trying to win all four (Majors). I know I definitely have the game to win Majors.
“It’s just being able to be healthy first and foremost, and then have the swing and the technique to back it up.
“I know that on my day, I’m the best putter in the world and my short game is (great).
“I just need the ball striking to match that. If I can do that, then I definitely have a shot at winning more majors than just my first one.”
Day is teeing up this week in the Australian PGA, which is co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour, alongside fellow Australian stars Cameron Smith and Min Woo Lee.
It is Day’s first appearance in his homeland since 2017.
He has faced criticism in the past for only competing domestically twice since 2013, when he won the World Cup of Golf and four years later at the Australian Open.
“I’ve always wanted to win in Australia and I haven’t won as a professional,” said the Queensland native.
“I’ve seen Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy come down and win Australian Opens. It’d be nice for me to do that, especially in Brisbane, where I grew up playing some tournaments at Royal Queensland.”
Meanwhile, on the PGA Tour, Ludvig Aberg is eager to defend his RSM Classic title in Sea Island, Georgia from Nov 21-24.
The Swede broke through for his first PGA Tour title there in 2023, the apex of his fast rise to stardom.
Less than 18 months ago, Aberg had just finished a successful collegiate career at Texas Tech and received a tour card through the PGA Tour University pathway. He won on the DP World Tour in September 2023, made the European Ryder Cup team and then finished his year by capturing the RSM Classic.
He has not won an event since, but the highlights of his 2024 season included a second-place finish at the US Masters and a tied-second finish at the BMW Championship, the penultimate leg of the FedEx Cup play-offs.
“I’ve had some time off, it’s been quite nice,” Aberg said on Nov 19. “I had surgery on my knee, so I had about four weeks off from golf.
“The first two weeks I did not miss it at all, I’m not gonna lie, but last couple of weeks it’s been itching in my fingers quite a bit. So it’s been nice to get back into practising, playing a lot more.” AFP, REUTERS
