Jason Day, the former world No.1, has been turning heads with his performance and, interestingly, his fashion sense. Despite struggling in performance, the Australian professional was constantly in the headlines for his unique apparel at the course. Take the example of the 2024 Masters, where Day wore the Malborn baggy sweater vest at the course. The outfit got the attention, but was later asked to tone down in the second round.
Well, this was just an instance where his move raised eyebrows. The fact that the golfer reunited with his childhood coach has also left the golf world amused. Surprisingly, it was Jason Day who parted ways with the coach despite his successful career. However, now that they are back together, let’s explore everything about the coach who helped him get to the career high and his partnership with the golfer.
Jason Day and his coach’s partnership
Jason Day turned professional in 2006 when he was 18 years old, but the partnership with his coach dates back to his early days. Day and Colin Swatton‘s relationship as mentor and student began when he was 12, in 1999. After the golfer was hit with the tragic news of his father’s demise, it was Swatton who took him under his wing. Day then went to the golf boarding school in Australia, acquiring the skills and guidance from Swatton for on and off-course.
The father-like-figure for the golfer has helped him for more than two decades. During their partnership on course, Swatton has also helped the professional as a looper, and interestingly, out of the 13 PGA Tour victories, 10 came under the guidance of Swatton, including the PGA Championship in 2015. With the great career upturn, the golfer had runner-up finishes at the Masters and US Open in 2011 and 2013, which helped him become the World No. 1 for 51 weeks consecutively.
But despite the ideal partnership and result of the long-term partnership, Day’s revelation came as a surprise.
The unexpected separation
The partnership began at a young age and witnessed immense success. Even with achieving a career high, it was expected to be a lifetime thing. But back in 2020, the Queenslander updated his preference to go solo now. “I have just decided I want to make a change and work on my own as it pertains to my golf swing,” said Day. The news of parting ways was a surprise, but both Swatton and Day accepted the fate and carried on having a close relationship. Even for that, Swatton has shared for it saying, “We will always remain close friends, and I wish him well as he continues his journey.”
Swatton, who chose to continue as a coach only for the professional and dropped the responsibilities as looper in 2017. But after the separation in 2020, it opened a new door for him. Swatton then got involved in golf media as a commentator. He even chose to expand his coaching network to other players and junior talent. Even though Swatton continued his journey as coach and commentator, it was Day who felt the void.
After parting ways, his career victories witnessed a long halt, which resulted in a text to get back to the golden days.
Jason Day’s attempt for partnership revival
Day after parting ways with his childhood coach, he witnessed a steep decline in his performance. The former world number one was dropped from the top 100 on the OWGR in 2021. But with his attempt to get back, he is currently at 36th rank. Despite the rank revival, his victories have suffered the most, as the golfer could only clinch one victory in four years at the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson. With the struggle, the golfer for his Masters 2025 has contacted Swatton again.
Recently, during the press conference of Masters, the moderator asked the Australian about his thoughts on reuniting. Answering that, he said, “Yeah, it was me. I was doing my own thing kind of at the end of the year. As a professional golfer, you can’t.” Realising the difficulty of taking responsibility for game and improvement isn’t easy. The 37-year-old revisited the golden days of his career, which was from 2014 to 2016, and took the steps to ask Swatton for his time.
The conversation between the two began over text when Day asked to check his swing. The conversation then continued for days over text and calls. That’s when Jason Day asked him for the revival of the 2 decade long partnership. He shared during the press conference, saying, “Hey, if you’ve got time, I’d love for us to try and get back together and work. Fortunately, he’s got some time.” With the partnership revival, Jason Day aims to get back on his career prime and change the close results that he has at the Masters. Apart from his win at the PGA Championship, he was runner-up in the other three.
Now, with Colin Swatton back on his side, will the golfer achieve the missing titles? What are your thoughts on the partnership of the duo? Share with us in the comments below.
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