The quest isn't necessarily for perfection, for golf – as Dr Bob Rotella will tell you – is not a game of perfect. Jason Day, though, will keep on trying. He knows no other way. Obsession might be too strong a word to place on the Aussie's shoulders. But it is close.
The world number four has formed a team around him – a swing coach who is also his caddie, a performance coach, a trainer, a masseuse and an agent – with the single-minded focus of winning a Major.
“Every day they inspire me . . . all of us are pushing toward the same goal, which is to get me to number one in the world and to win the green jacket,” he said
Inside the past year, the addition of that performance coach – Jason Goldsmith – has led to Day wearing a halo-like device on his head during practice rounds and on the range. It is called a FocusBand and measures brain activity and cognitive function and the data analysis has helped Day develop mental exercises called mind-body awareness.
The goal is to reach a stage known as "mushin", a Japanese word that means "mind of no-mindedness". It is designed to help a player visualise the perfect outcome and for his body to make it happen.
Mental toughness
"I think that's what mental toughness is, is to be able to stay in the present and really focus on what you need to do to produce the result in the long run. My goal is to get to number one and to have a green jacket, and I can do that in one week. That's exciting stuff for me. Because I know there's been a lot of hard work and dedication that I've put into the game for many, many years and it could all pay off in one week."
Day has made a lot of things happen in his career, most notably – perhaps – in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyann last November which left a trail of destruction across the Philippines. Among the dead were eight members of Day's extended family, including his grandmother. In his first tournament after the tragedy, Day won the individual title at the World Cup at Royal Melbourne and teamed-up with Adam Scott to claim the team prize.
In a season when Australian players on tour seem to have taken on the baton passed to them by Scott's breakthrough Major win in last year's Masters, Day kick-started the run with a win in the WGC-Accenture Matchplay that was followed in the weeks after by John Senden (Valspar championship), Steven Bowditch (Texas Open) and Matt Jones (Houston Open).
Whilst his fellow-Aussies were emulating him on tour, Day was absent from tournaments. An injured thumb – the result of hitting thousands of balls on the range in the aftermath of his Accenture win as he determined to get even better – forced him to take a six-week break.
Last week, with the Masters in mind, he had a cortisone injection in his knuckle to enable him to return to the golf course pain-free.
Ankle injury
This week, Day, in spite of his lack of tournament play, is one of those primed to challenge. His record around here is hugely impressive. Second in 2011. Third last year. In between, in 2012, he was forced to withdraw due to an ankle injury. His is a game and an attitude made for Augusta National.
“My coach and myself, we’ve come up with a good gameplan over the last three years that has worked pretty well. For me, it is just about going out there and executing the plan . . . . I’ve just got to go out there and do the work.”
