Fingers crossed the 146th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale starting tonight will prove Jason Day’s chronic back problems aren’t career threatening.
Right now, that’s a reasonable question.
The 29-year-old Australian has only played 12 tournaments this year and has missed the cut in his last two starts because of the problem.
That makes three missed cuts in 12 starts, when he only missed four in the previous four years.
Day isn’t a whinger, and he suffers in silence, but the next four days will be the litmus test.
Interestingly, in a total of 205 weeks Day, compatriot Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, and Dustin Johnson have played musical chairs as the world number one golfer.
Scott had 11 weeks at the top, McIlroy has had sevens stints as number one for a total of 95 weeks, Spieth four stints for 26, Day three for 51, with Johnson the incumbent for the last 22 weeks.
But McIlroy and Johnson have been like Day of late – missing cuts.
McIlroy has missed the US, Irish, and Scottish Open cuts, while Johnson has missed his last two, including the US Open.
The golfing world was stunned when Johnson, McIlroy, and Day missed the US Open cut, that three in the top five missed out in such a huge major created history.
With Scott it’s a lottery as to how well he’ll perform.
If he can keep triples and doubles off his card, he may well be in contention on Sunday.
That leaves Jordan Spieth, who along with Brookes Koepka (US Open), Jon Rahm (Irish Open), and Bryson deChambeau (John Deere Classic), are last start winners.
Spieth said he’s felling great, McIlroy reckons this was a good time to back him, while Day’s very disappointed in his game.
The next four days, with bad weather the forecast, will be demanding.
The marquee groups:
Defending champion Henrik Stenson will be with Spieth, and South Korean Si Woo Kim.
Like the look of Jason Day, Sergio Garcia, and Zach Johnson.
So too Adam Scott with Rickie Fowler, and Paul Casey.
Australia’s most in-form golfer Marc Leishman will have Phil Mickelson and Francesco Molinari for company.
Dustin Johnson will have Rory McIlroy, and Charl Schwartzel.
World number two Hideki Matsuyama will be with Koepka, and Tommy Fleetwood.
Former champion Louis Oosthuizen will join Justin Rose, and Justin Thomas.
Two-time former champion Padraig Harrington will be joined by Pat Perez and Thomas Pieters,
But I’ve left my pick Jon Rahm until last, and he’ll be pressed over the first 36 holes by Patrick Reed, with Lee Westwood fronting in a major for the 78th time.
"It looked like it was gonna go for miles - and then it went nowhere!"
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