Hole-in-one hero Day relaxed amid FedEx Cup charge
Cool, calm and collected. Former world number one and FedEx Cup hopeful Jason Day is not feeling any pressure as he remains hot on the heels of Marc Leishman at the BMW Championship.
It has been a difficult season for Day but the Australian has clicked into gear at this week's play-off event in Illinois, heading into the weekend just three shots behind countryman Leishman.
Day provided the highlight of the second round en route to a six-under-par 65 – a hole-in-one at the par-three 17th on Friday.
It was further proof that 2015 BMW Championship winner Day is close to his best and the 29-year-old feels at ease within himself, which has not always been the case in 2017.
"At the start of the year, I felt like I was kind of fighting an uphill battle with myself, trying to force things too much," said Day, who won a car courtesy of BMW after his ace but donated it to a foundation instead.
"I feel like I'm just kind of relaxed out there right now. Even after the hole-in-one, I wasn't even amped. I felt like my heart would be pounding more, but I kind of went about my business. That tells me my mind is in the right spot."
Hop, roll ... ACE!#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/ek0MMtROdn
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 15, 2017
Having climbed to the summit of world golf and won three titles in 2016, Day has failed to reach those lofty heights this year as he still searches for his first win of 2017.
Day – who was not assured of a spot at the 30-man Tour Championship before this weekend's event – lost a play-off at the AT&T Byron Nelson in May, while he finished tied for 25th at the Dell Technologies Championship after his T6 at the Northern Trust.
"I think at the least you need to win at least once to have a successful year," Day said. "If you won, that means you've done something good to keep things going.
"I mean, it's not weighing heavy on my mind. I just know that I kind of need to focus on what I have done. I know that I can do it."
Day has company in second position, with American Rickie Fowler also three shots off the pace heading into Saturday's third round.
"You definitely can’t play this game I would say for a long period of time stressed out, or not being relaxed, just because of how much we do play, how much pressure there can be," Fowler said. "The more you can be mentally relaxed or rested, it takes a lot of stress and kind of pressure off of your game."