Golf-Former No. 1 Jason Day pain free at last

(Reuters) – Former world primary Jason Day says he’s ache free finally after a number of aggravating years and hopes to finish an almost three-year victory drought on the Farmers Insurance coverage Open in San Diego.

Equal chief with Will Zalatoris after Friday’s third spherical at Torrey Pines, Day spoke of the difficultly of coping mentally when harm knocked him from not solely the highest perch in world golf however exterior the highest 100 within the rankings.

“A giant ball of stress,” the 34-year-old Ohio-based Australian informed reporters when requested to explain the final three years of his profession.

“It’s simply that you simply come from being the highest of the world after which hastily it type of falls out beneath you.”

Day was a category aside throughout a 10-month purple patch in 2015-16 when he gained seven instances in fast order, together with his first main title on the PGA Championship and one other big scalp on the Gamers Championship.

However a longstanding again harm and spasms that flared up periodically took their toll, not solely bodily however confidence-wise.

He additionally needed to cope with the information his mom Dening had lung most cancers, for which to this point she has obtained profitable remedy.

“I really feel like I’ve by no means had an harm, which is bizarre,” mentioned the 12-times PGA Tour winner.

“After I was a child, besides the beginning of my profession I used to be in a whole lot of ache … Truthfully, I felt like I’m like possibly if I made 35, that will be good.”

Day has targeted on refining his swing to place much less stress on his backbone, and appears to have a brand new lease on his skilled life, whether or not or not he wins on Sunday.

“That’s the final word aim is to place myself within the place the place I can win tournaments,” he mentioned.

“For me it’s taken some time and (I have to) simply keep affected person with myself and simply keep optimistic as a lot as doable as a result of ultimately it’s going to occur.”

(Reporting by Andrew Each in Melbourne; Enhancing by Stephen Coates)