Jason Day is making his first start since his win at the WGC-Accenture Match Play and met with the assembled press Tuesday at the WGC-Cadillac Championship. Day joined the PGA Tour when he was just 19 years old and is in his seventh season on tour.
When asked about his thoughts during that historic final match with Victor Dubuisson at Tucson, he answered that he had to stay patient.
Day has performed well in the big tournaments over the past few years. He finished third the at the Masters, tied for runner-up at the U.S. Open and T-8 at the PGA Championship last year. He won the World Golf Championship in November last year against a very strong field.
He likes to swing hard and when under pressure, swings even harder. With Dubuisson making miraculous par saves from the desert, Day learned he had to stay focused and keep to his game plan.
He mentioned that he has to keep reminding himself to slow down during a tight match or final round. A million things can pass through your mind between golf shots and the mind can race.
Great players learn to walk slower, breathe deeper and use relaxation techniques to calm the mind and the nerves when in contention. Even after seven years on tour, Day is still learning to relax during his round of golf.
Another issue he discussed in the interview was proper stretching before, as well as, after a round of golf. He found it difficult to sleep on Wednesday night after his first round match due to tightness in his back.
He had the fitness trainer work it out for him before his second round match and the trainer suggested he return for a post-round stretch. Day took the advice and his back felt great. He continued to visit the fitness trailer after every round of the match play for stretching.
The lesson learned is that proper stretching is just not for pre-round warm-up it is also important to maintain muscle flexibility and health post-round.
The third item he discussed also concerned fitness training. As golfers we always swing in the same direction, which constantly puts stress on a certain set of muscles, tendons and ligaments.
It is important to also reverse your golf swing to use the opposite set of muscles, tendons and ligaments to reduce the possibility of injury.
A touring professional with a swing speed of 125 mile per hour, or even an amateur with a 90 mile per hour swing speed, puts a tremendous amount of stress on his thighs, hips, lower and upper back, as well as, his shoulders. To help reduce the risk of muscles becoming too tight it is important to swing in the opposite direction.
To learn some proper stretching exercises visit Back9Report.com and view the videos in the Golf Workout section.
Jason Day has been a premier golfer for several years and he is still learning how to improve his fitness to avoid injury and win on the PGA Tour.