AUGUSTA, Ga. – Jason Day spent Thursday afternoon at the Masters gritting through back pain on his way to a 2-under 70.
The former world No. 1 grimaced throughout his round, often when he bent down – to plant his tee, to read a green, to grab his ball from the hole – apparently feeling the effects of back injury he re-aggravated earlier Thursday. ESPN reported Day did so picking up his daughter on the practice green before he teed off.
But a round that could’ve spiraled south ended as a testament to Day’s toughness. He looked at times like a 65-year-old out there, and still finds himself four shots off the lead heading into Friday’s second round.
In visible pain and moving very gingerly, he retreated during the second hole and again before he teed off on the fourth to work with a trainer, laying on his back, under the pines at Augusta National, trying desperately to loosen up.
Day was forced to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March with back pain, but rebounded nicely at The Players to tie for eighth. The back also forced to withdraw from two tournaments late in the 2016 season when he was No. 1 in the world.
“If (my back) starts to hurt I’ll have to tough it out,” he said earlier this week.
So far, that’s what he’s doing.
