McKINNEY, Texas – As the defending champion of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, Jason Day smiles widely when asked to name his fondest memory of winning here for the first time in more than five years.
“Obviously everything,” said Day, who won for the 13th time in his PGA Tour career.
He also marvels at the 13-year span between his first victory in 2010 at this event and his most recent time lifting a trophy.
“I always wonder where the time went,” he said.
Back in 2010, Day, 36, was one of the PGA Tour’s young hotshots, but his maiden victory was in some ways overshadowed by a 16-year-old local junior golfer, who set the tournament on fire that week.
“I just remembered like being in my own little world but I’m like who is this amateur, junior, that’s playing this week and playing really well?” Day recalled.
That would be Jordan Spieth, who finished T-16, and would become Day’s chief rival in his pursuit to become world No. 1.
“He doesn’t look too different to what he looks now, to be honest,” Day said. “Still a baby face.”
CJ Cup: Picks to win, odds | Thursday tee times | Photos
Between 2015 and 2017, Spieth collected three majors and reached world No. 1. Day, who edged Spieth to win the 2015 PGA Championship had his own stint at world No. 1, but it seems a long time ago that either of the former worldbeaters were at their peak. Day, for one, is looking forward to a friendly pairing with Spieth in the opening two rounds of this week’s CJ Cup.
“I’m excited about that because it reminds me of old-school times playing in ’14, ’15, ’16 against him when he was the top – he was No. 1 in the world and was really tough to beat that guy,” Day said.
Day enters the week at No. 22 in the Official World Golf Ranking, just behind Spieth, who has dipped back to No. 20 after a pedestrian stretch, which included a missed cut at the Masters.
Spieth is set to make his 12th appearance at this event, including a runner-up finish in his last start here in 2022. (He withdrew prior to the start of last year’s tournament citing a wrist injury.)
Spieth still is struggling with the injury, and has previously said that in January during Hawaii and on the Monday at the Players and the Valero Texas Open he experienced a 24-hour flare up of his ECU tendon issue.
“Constant TLC,” he said has been the best medicine and eventually it will require extended rest to heal. But that wasn’t the reason Spieth took off last week. He said he needed…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golfweek…