Jason Day made it through 10 holes at the U.S. Open before his back gave out. Now, less than four weeks later, he's back on a major championship course, and cautiously optimistic that the worst is behind him.

Day, the 38-year-old, spoke exclusively to Mirror US Sports on Monday, July 13, 2026, during his first practice round at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

The former world No. 1 addressed his recovery from the back injury that forced him to withdraw from the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in June.

"I've struggled with it a little bit this year, but I feel like I'm starting to get on top of it a little bit now," he said. "It just sucks you have to go through it, work your way out of it and sometimes it'll go out and you have to restart the whole process, and then you have to play against the best players in the world and not to think about it when you're playing golf. It's really difficult at times to balance that out, [but] I feel like overall the health is much better."

Let's talk about the back injury. As the Texas Back Institute elaborated, the power swing causes trouble to the back, and that has been the case with many golfers.

For Day, it has been a longstanding issue. In 2019, an MRI revealed an annular tear in his L4-L5 discs. He withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational that year and again in 2020 with the same issue.

The U.S. Open withdrawal was his 12th career tournament retirement, and most have involved his back. At Shinnecock, he made six consecutive bogeys from Nos. 13 to 18 before being carted off the course after his 10th hole.

This season started well. Day posted a T2 at the American Express in January, a T6 at the Houston Open, and a T12 at the Masters. The back flare-up derailed that momentum heading into the summer.

Heading into Royal Birkdale, Day identified his driving as the one area that needs attention. "I think I'd like to really tighten up my drivers," he told Mirror US Sports. "My driving hasn't been great. Everything around the green and on the green has been solid. It's just tee to green, I need to tighten up a little bit."

That candid assessment sets up an interesting week ahead at one of links golf's most demanding venues.

Jason Day on Royal Birkdale's Conditions and What This Week Will Demand

The course is very different from how it played at the 2017 Open. Hot weather across the country has dried out the course, making the fairways firmer and faster. Day said these conditions make the course more challenging.

"It's obviously a lot different to 2017 conditions; it was a lot greener, and we had a lot cooler weather," he told Mirror US Sports. "This year it's a lot drier, there's a different type of difficulty in terms of your planning. Got to make sure you've got your bounces and rolls on the green, know where to miss it, and do a lot of short game. A lot of chipping!"

He added a word of caution on the greens. "I don't think the greens are going to be lightning fast, but I think they'll roll off a lot more than we're used to," Day said. "We've got to be aware of the wind, and hopefully it doesn't start blowing balls around where things get a little too dry and baked out."

Day won his last PGA Tour event at the 2023 CJ Cup Byron Nelson. That win ended a five-year wait for a victory. The Open is his last major tournament of 2026 and his first event since he withdrew from the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.

Do you think Day can compete for the title at Royal Birkdale this week? Let us know what you think in the comments!

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Written by

Sneha Abraham