Hyundai Tournament of Champions: Leaderboard, TV Times
THE first event of the US PGA Tour’s new year will see Jason Day hoping to reclaim his world No.1 spot from Jordan Spieth in Hawaii this week.
Day, currently ranked second in the world standings, not only wants to reclaim the top ranking – which he held for a mere four weeks last year – but he wants to stay there and dominate the sport like a Tiger Woods or Greg Norman.
Not an easy task in an era that includes the likes of Spieth and Rory McIlroy but the 28 year old Aussie has always been long on ambition.
As a youngster people sniggered when Day said he wanted to be world No.1 but they had to eat their words last year after his incredible Major-winning season.
Fresh from a three month layoff Day will tackle the limited field “winners only” Tournament of Champions this week that includes Steven Bowditch as the only other Aussie.
“I would love to become a dominant No.1 player in the world,” Day told AAP this week in the US.
“That’s the ultimate goal to stay No.1 for a long stretch like Tiger Woods did, like Greg Norman did,” he said.
“I am excited and nervous at the same time, because coming off such a great year last year, there is a lot of expectation that I have put on myself to play better this year.
“The only way I can keep things moving that way is if I want it just as much, or more, and I keep working as hard or harder than I have before.”
Day fronts the Plantation Course at Kapalua in Maui after apparently only playing four holes of golf since his last competitive round at the Presidents Cup in October. The layoff period included the birth of his second child with wife Ellie.
The championship is reserved for winners of PGA Tour events since and including the last Hyundai Tournament of Champions, won by the cute and cuddly Patrick Reed.
Spieth and Day headline the field of 32 and together hog wins at 10 PGA Tour event last season. Combined with fellow competitor and a former Kapalua winner in Zach Johnson, they also account for all of the 2015 major winners.
Four big name winners missing from the field are Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jim Furyk and Shane Lowry. Among the leading lights are Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson.
Hyundai Tournament of Champions Australian TV Times
Live coverage on Fox Sports begins Friday 10am – 2pm. (Check times as initial guides were incorrect)
Hyundai Tournament of Champions Leaderboard
Tournament of Champions Leaderboard