[Photo: Getty images]
A stomach bug has crippled former world No.1 Jason Day’s hopes of a second Players Championship victory after withdrawing from the tournament Thursday morning, hours before a superstar grouping.
The winner at TPC Sawgrass in 2016 was set to play alongside Jordan Spieth and Wyndham Clark at 8.46am local (11.46pm AEST). However, Day, 37, pulled out two hours before his tee time, the PGA Tour announced, citing illness.
When contacted by Australian Golf Digest, Day said a severe stomach bug had taken down the in-form Australian who only last week was in contention at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he stumbled late for a T-8 finish.
Day’s family had been dealing with the bug all week and it hit the 2015 PGA champion overnight before he withdrew about two hours before his tee time.
World No. 33 Day is in form in 2025 and his results include a T-3 at the American Express in January. Recently, Day revealed he had reunited with swing coach Colin Swatton, the guru who took the teenage prodigy from high school to world No.1 and major champion. The pair parted ways in 2020 but are working together again, with Day feeling reinvigorated with the putter – a club he was prolific with in 2014 through 2017.
Day was replaced in the Players field by 29-year-old rookie Danny Walker.
