Back injury forces Jason Day to dump Open, World Cup

Australian Open organisers are likely to approach American Rickie Fowler after Jason Day’s return was put on hold.

A back injury has forced Jason Day to withdraw from his commitments in Australia this summer.

Australian Open organisers are likely to approach some of the sport’s biggest names, chief among them American Rickie Fowler, after Jason Day’s return to his homeland was put on hold for another year due to ongoing back issues.

World No 1 Day released a statement yesterday morning confirming he had withdrawn from the World Cup in Melbourne and Open in Sydney on the advice of medical specialists due to the back injury he sustained in the latter stages of the USPGA Tour.

The news is a sledgehammer blow to Australian golf, although not entirely unexpected. Day was forced to withdraw from the BMW Championship and Tour Championship last month with back problems and was advised that he needed rest if he wanted to be fit for the 2017 season.

The result is that World Cup and Open organisers are on the lookout for replacements. Former world No 1 Adam Scott will have the right to choose Day’s substitute on the Australian World Cup team for Kingston Heath and Marc Leishman is the obvious choice given he is the next best player in the world rankings.

Open organisers are also likely to scour the market for more big names. Scott and Jordan Spieth are committed to the tournament, at Royal Sydney, but Golf Australia is keen to strengthen the field.

Fowler will be in Australia for the World Cup, which will be played the week after the Open, and the world No 10 looms as an obvious target given he and Day are represented by the same management company.

“Our view even before this happened was that we were still looking to bolster the field,” Golf Australia chief executive Steve Pitt said. “Now that Jason is not here it has heightened the desire we have to bring in some additional players. It’s disappointing because Australian crowds would have loved to have seen him.

“We only became aware of Jason withdrawing this morning but I guess we had been worried — we knew it wasn’t just a small thing. ”

Day last played in Australia in 2013, when he won the World Cup. His ascent since then has continued, culminating in his elevation to world No 1 earlier this year. He has been in top spot for more than 30 weeks.

“I regret that I will be unable to come home to Australia this year,” Day said in a statement.

“I was looking forward to playing in the Australian Open and teaming up with Adam Scott on one of my favourite courses Kingston Heath the following week at the World Cup in Melbourne.’’

Day has also been forced withdraw from a charity match against Rory McIlroy, set for the Philippines on November 29 to raise money for his mother’s homeland. Three years ago, Day lost eight relatives when a typhoon hit the Philippines.