Jason Day – why Chris Como?
Jason Day – file photo
Following his emotional and much anticipated return to the winner’s circle in Dallas on Sunday, Jason Day took time to talk to several of the Australian golfing media about a range of topics including, of course, his second AT&T Byron Nelson victory, but also his return to near the elite of the game once again.
I was part of that group and having witnessed Jason’s development from his amateur days in Queensland and being a long time admirer of him as a golfer and an individual, I was delighted to have him heading back in the right direction after a period wondering just where his future lay.
Ten months ago, Day had fallen outside the top 160 in the world but as a result of his win he is now 20th and while the relative merits or otherwise of the current world rankings could be brought into question, there is little doubt that his elevation in standing is totally justified.
His sharp progress since reaching a point where he was considering the possibility of even giving up the game has been remarkable and comes as a result of swing changes to overcome the significant injury issues that have plagued so much of his career, dedication to the cause and the assistance of a team of supporters including the role his relatively new coach Chris Como has played.
Como was mentored by the likes of David Leadbetter, Mac O’Grady and Hank Haney during his formative years as a coach but since establishing his own business he has achieved a huge profile through his involvement as a teacher of Tiger Woods, Bryson DeChambeau and now Jason Day.
It was through his friendship with Tiger Woods that Day would meet Como and the Dallas based coach has been a key player in Day’s return to somewhere near the level he was at five years ago and more significantly the form he displayed when winning the PGA Championship and reaching the world number one position in 2015.
I was keen to find out just what it was about Como that had appealed to Day. Day had been blessed with a long time coach, mentor and caddie in fellow Australian, Colin Swatton, since his school days in Queensland but that player caddie relationship ended in 2017 and in 2020 they parted ways as coach and player and Day had been considering options since.
“When Tiger was going through the chipping yips, he invited me out to his place just to go over chipping techniques and stuff like that,” said Day. “Chris had seen a ton of 3D Bio testing of my chipping and was keen to investigate what I thought about in regards to chipping.
“I remember coming out of that meeting with Tiger and Chris thinking there is something about Chris – he was very quiet and listened very intently. You could tell he knew a lot about the game and knew it on a deeper level especially in regards to his thoughts about what the club should be doing and how the body works.
“At the time he wasn’t really working with a lot of guys other than Tiger and a couple of other guys but there was just something about him that drew me to him and that when I talked to him about the golf swing he was very switched on.
“He was really the only guy I reached out to in regards to the golf swing and I think I made the right call in that sense.”
Clearly having worked with essentially one guy since his early golfing days the importance for Day to engage someone with whom he had confidence and the very important player coach chemistry was crucial.
Day’s career has already been significant given his now 13 PGA Tour titles and more than US$56 million in PGA Tour earnings.
The milestones he achieved along the way in addition to the wins have also been a highlight of his career to date. He was runner-up at both the Masters and US Opens on debut, became the youngest player to win on either the then Nationwide or PGA Tours when he won an event on the Nationwide Tour in 2007 and one can only wonder where things might be now if it wasn’t for the injury and, at times, illness issues he has faced.
One can’t but help admire Day’s determination and preparedness to work so hard in order to return to his winning ways but the assistance of a fine team around him including Chris Como in achieving that rebound cannot be underestimated.
