When someone strikes a vein of form as rich as Jason Day has in the last few weeks, all you can do is sit back, say ‘wow’ and enjoy the ride.
No professional golfer has made more visits to the hospital this season, and by the time the year finishes I have a feeling that nobody will be able to match his number of podium visits too. Three wins in his last four starts is just sensational golf and, on the basis of what I saw at The Barclays last week, the Aussie is yet to make the full use of his momentum.
It all started with the heartbreak at St Andrews, when he failed to make that one extra birdie that would have pitched him into the play-off. Given how well he played over the last two rounds, in which he was bogey-free despite the tough conditions, Day would have felt there was no justice in the world.
There were a couple of ways he could have reacted. He could have become frustrated and nobody would have had any reason to complain if he took it easy. After all, his vertigo issues this year are well documented, including that scary moment on the second day of the US Open, when he collapsed on the final green.
But Day chose to take the positives out of it. His form has always been consistent these last few years, but some switch in his mind must have got flipped that evening. Since then, he has won the Canadian Open, the PGA Championship and now The Barclays, and was one shot away from a top-10 finish in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. That is seriously hot golf.
The most impressive thing about Day is the effectiveness and the fearless manner with which he is using his driver. He is in the Rory McIlroy mode right now — hitting it straight and scary long. And his short game is as good as Jordan Spieth’s. He is scrambling brilliantly on the rare occasion when he misses the greens, and he is putting with a lot of confidence.
And, while hitting the ball like him may not be possible for the everyday club golfers, I would urge them to see how Day has a very set routine every time he hits a shot. It never changes, whether he is under pressure or not. To have a set routine is key to playing good golf. I’d say it is as basic as your stance, grip and alignment.
The only way Day can be stopped right now is injury. He did get a back scare before the start of the tournament and not only opted out of the Barclays pro-am, but appeared to be in some discomfort during the first round.
With him in such stunning form and contending for the No. 1 spot with McIlroy and Spieth, these FedExCup play-offs could just become the best in its history.
— Jeev Milkha Singh is a four-time champion on the European Tour
