For the second straight tournament, world’s No. 1 Jason Day has withdrawn with a bad back.
He pulled out of the season ending Tour Championship Friday, after hitting a driver out of the East Lake Bermuda rough on No. 8. He was tied for fifth, just three back of the lead at 3 under, and even par for the day, at the time.
Day declined to speak before leaving East Lake. A statement issued by Day’s management was brief: “Jason has a strained ligament in his lower right back with muscle spasm. He withdrew as a precautionary measure. Jason should be fine with some rest after a long break in the offseason.”
There is a wide range of causes for Day’s back issues. As he said coming into East Lake, “I put the tee in the ground at the BMW Championship (two weeks ago) and my back went out. Last time it went out, I was changing a diaper.” This time, after hitting his tee shot in the water at No. 8, he dropped in the rough and pulled out his driver again. That was his last swing of this tournament.
Thursday Day had spoken of back discomfort as he uncoiled on some of his drives. He very possibly won’t hit another in competition until 2017.
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