Day ready to chase Presidents Cup captain’s pick

When the International Team’s top eight qualifiers for the 2019 Presidents Cup were finalized during the FedExCup Playoffs, there was one glaring name missing.

Jason Day.

The 12-time PGA TOUR winner was essentially the victim of a new qualification system fought for by International Captain Ernie Els – to guard against players out of form being automatic selections.

Instead of just having the top International players via the world rankings at a cutoff date – a two-year rolling points system – Els instead instituted a one-year points earning system.

And so it came to pass that a player who has been in the past four Presidents Cups and who was the top Australian in the world rankings for more than four years until mid-2019 failed to make a side that already has three other Aussies.

Automatic spots went to Marc Leishman, Louis Oosthuizen, Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott, Haotong Li, Abraham Ancer, C.T. Pan and Cameron Smith. By the previous system, Day would have been the third qualifier and Byeong Hun An would have been the eighth player in, replacing Li and Pan respectively.

Now Day, An and a plethora of other hopefuls must rely on Els to pick them as one of four captain’s picks. It is expected Day will get that call, but he is not resting on any laurels.

“It is certainly disappointing not to make the team on my own merits. But it is a reminder that nothing is given to you in this game. You have to work hard for the rewards,” Day said as he gears up to begin his 2019-20 PGA TOUR season this week at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES in Korea.

“I certainly want to be on the team and believe I can be an asset to the Internationals. Being in my home country certainly gives me an edge and I’ve had some success on the sandbelt and Royal Melbourne in the past.

“But I don’t just expect a pick to be handed to me and hopefully my play will give Ernie plenty of reason to add me to the team.”

Day started the qualification period with some decent results and looked a lock for the team after a T5 at the Masters, but his game then trailed off.

In his last 11 starts of the 2018-19 season, he had just one top 10, a T8 at the Travelers Championship. It saw him miss the TOUR Championship for the first time since 2012.

Throughout that period, he changed caddies, giving veteran Steve Williams a shot before they parted ways in the Playoffs. He also worked through finding a new trainer.

As it stands, Day is hoping everything has settled during his offseason where he hit the reset button. After some solid time with his family, he feels refreshed for Korea and Japan, as he’s set to play the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP.

He’ll skip the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, then take his clan to the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico for a working holiday. He hopes they’ll also be celebrating a pick from Els, who will announce his selections after HSBC.

The 31-year-old Day is also looking to recapture the magic from 2015 and 2016 when he won seven events in 17 starts on the PGA TOUR and was a dominant force in rising to world No. 1.

“Last season ended up being a learning curve for me. I made some changes, tried some things, and am now putting all I’ve learned together to try to map out the best path to success going forward,” Day said.

“I’m excited to get things going again after recharging my batteries a little. I want to get back to my best and know it will take dedication and work to do so.”

Captain Els has stopped short of guaranteeing Day a spot on the squad but certainly admitted he was the first guy to look at. He was after all the next guy up on the points list also.

“There's a bit of time to go, but Jason is obviously one of my favorite guys. We've obviously got to look at Jason. … The Australians will play a huge part getting the crowd behind us,” Els said.

“Obviously we'd have loved to have seen him qualify in the top eight, and I don't want to give away all my cards here, but Jason is always going to be on the list of guys we're going to absolutely look at for the top 12. He didn't have a terrible year; he just didn't have a year like we're used to from Jason.”

While Day still appears a lock for a pick, he also knows his performances in the last four Presidents Cups does not make for great reading. Day is 5-11-4 overall and has yet to be part of a winning Foursomes team in eight tries (0-5-3).

In 2011, the last time the competition was played at Royal Melbourne, a young Day went 1-3-1.

To be fair, he’s not alone as an International with a tough record with the U.S. team having a 10-1-1 overall record in the competition. The Americans’ only loss came in 1998, coincidentally at Royal Melbourne.

Of the four players already qualified Internationals who aren’t rookies, only Oosthuizen (7-5-3) has a winning individual record in the competition.

But Day counters his Presidents Cup numbers with his experience at the highest level, having won a PLAYERS Championship and a major championship, not to mention two World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play titles.

He also won the 2014 ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf individual title as well as the team title with Scott at Royal Melbourne. There is a good chance the two will pair up this time around.

Given the recent U.S. dominance in the event, Day senses the chance to leave a legacy that would not be forgotten in his homeland should he be part of a winning team.

“I’d like to improve my record in the event for sure. We always come up against a great U.S. team but there is no reason why we can’t put it together for four days in front of what will hopefully be great local support,” Day adds.

“It is an opportunity for us as a team to make some history. All successful streaks eventually come to an end and if I was part of the group to be able to do that it would certainly be something we’d take with us forever.

“It’s going to be a great side. The eight guys who are already in all have great strengths to their games and Ernie will certainly have everyone up for it. He has some interesting ideas and plans also that I’m excited to be part of. Hopefully I can get there.”