Jason Day endured a fairly underwhelming PGA Tour season on the whole in 2025.
Day will be keen to rediscover his best form on the PGA Tour in 2026 and he’ll be determined to return to the winner’s circle for the first time since May 2023.
Back in 2015, Day was one of the PGA Tour’s biggest three stars, alongside Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy.
He won the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits 10 years ago but due to a multitude of different reasons, including injury problems, he hasn’t truly fulfilled his potential since then.
However, Day was highly respected by his competitors, and he is a match for anyone on his day.
It will certainly be possible for the Australian to bounce back next season, if he manages to remain injury-free, of course.
Jason Day made bizarre decision ahead of the 2026 PGA Tour season
The last time Day played a tournament was way back in October at the Bank of Utah Championship, where he finished in 20th place.
Now the man from Beaudesert, Australia, won’t be playing competitively again until late January at the earliest.
So the question has to be asked: why on earth is the 2015 PGA Championship winner not teeing it up at the fabulous Royal Melbourne this week?
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It will now be extremely hard for him to hit the ground running at the start of the 2026 PGA Tour season.
As they say, there is nothing like competitive golf.
You can simulate it all you want at home, but getting out on the golf course with a scorecard in your hand trying to win a tournament is a different animal altogether.
It’s fair to argue that Day missing out at Royal Melbourne this week was a truly bizarre decision from him.
The fact that he has failed to support the Tour in his home country is genuinely baffling and there are surely questions being asked in his homeland about the Queenslander’s absence.
Jason Day may regret Australian Open decision
It will be hard for Day not to regret his decision to skip the Australian Open while he’s sitting at home in Westerville, Ohio, right now in the freezing cold temperatures.
The 38-year-old Australian may well be looking on at the incredible crowds at Royal Melbourne with more than a tinge of envy.
Rory McIlroy has spoken very highly of the crowds in Australia this week already.
“It was amazing, I couldn’t believe how many people were there at 7am when we teed off,“ he said.
“It’s absolutely incredible. There are events in golf that mean a little bit more. I think everyone in Australia takes so much pride in their national open and you can really see and feel that.
“It’s a pleasure to be here again. It was great to play with Adam and Min Woo, they played really nicely and I’m looking forward to getting out there again tomorrow.“
For McIlroy to speak of the Royal Melbourne fans like that proves just how good the atmosphere has been this week.
Surely Jason Day would have loved to be walking around the links in the Australian Open this week.
Perhaps he is carrying a slight injury. That would be the only fathomable reason why he chose not to play in Melbourne this week
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