Jason Day tweaks swing ahead of his PGA return
Jason Day has undergone a pre-season bootcamp with coach Colin Swatton in an effort to turn around his dwindling form ahead of his US PGA Tour season debut at the CJ Cup in Korea.
The former world No.1, who featured in the top 10 as recently as January, is desperate to climb back to the top after plummeting to 27th in the rankings.
Having endured his worst season since 2012, Day and long-time instructor Swatton made several swing tweaks during an intense few weeks of training at Day’s home base in Ohio recently.
The pair also vowed to restore the volume of physiotherapy Day received during the 2014 and 2015 seasons, when he became one of the hottest players in golf.
Despite winning his 11th and 12th US PGA Tour titles in 2018, Day’s past three seasons have been marred by injuries.
“A healthy Jason Day is a dangerous Jason Day,” Swatton told AAP.
“In 2014 and 2015, Jason was working regularly with a (personal) trainer, a mind coach, a physio and soft tissue (specialist).
“We’ve tried to reassemble a team that is world class and with one purpose; to help Jason be the best golfer he can be.”
Swatton, who has coached Day since his early teens, has also implemented a couple of changes in Day’s powerful swing.
Day’s hips tend to shift laterally on the backswing instead of rotating, which increased the likelihood of poor shots and his chances of injury.
Swatton has also attempted to straighten Day’s left arm at the top of the backswing for more control.
“Shifting laterally meant Jason was unable to rotate to his right hip, so his torso moved left and that can irritate the back,” Swatton said.
“But now he is starting to rotate away from the ball better; that should improve not only power and accuracy, but protect his body long-term.
“Swinging better and preventing injuries, I think Jason will increase the number of opportunities he has to win on Sundays.”
The CJ Cup is an elite, $US9.75 million event featuring 78 players and no 36-hole cut which kicks off the US PGA Tour’s three-tournament swing through Asia.
Day will be joined in the CJ Cup field at Nine Bridges Golf Club, on Korea’s Jeju Island, by fellow Australians Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith and Matt Jones.
Multiple major winners Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka are among the event’s big names.
