Jason Day Looking to Climb to the Top of the Golf World

For a brief time, last year, Jason Day stood atop the world of golf. Fresh off his first major victory at the 2015 PGA Championships, Day also won the Barclays and BMW Championships in September to become the top-ranked golfer in the world. However, Day finished only tied for 10th at the Tour Championships, then watched as Jordan Spieth won the event to claim the Fed Ex Cup – and the world’s No. 1 ranking. Now Day, the 28-year-old Australian, is looking to make the short jump back to the top of the world rankings and, when betting on the PGA Tour, he is as good a candidate as anyone today.

Day himself has stated that he not only wants the top ranking back, but he wishes to hold it a lot longer than the first time around.

He is hoping that the Cadillac Championships, the first World Golf Championships event, can help rise from No. 2 in the world back to the top. However, the Trump National Doral’s Blue Monster course hasn’t been kind to him. In four previous trips to the Doral, his best result is a tie for 20th.

Day is one of a troika of 20-something golfers who have risen atop the golfing world. When it comes to betting on golf, his name is atop most lists alongside Spieth and Rory McIlroy.

Given his struggles at the Blue Monster, Day may not be the golf betting choice this week. Though he finished the 2015 season strong, he has yet to re-capture that form early on in 2016.

Instead, there are a number of other options for those betting on golf this week. After winning the Honda Classic, Adam Scott has surged back into the top 10 world rankings. Two weeks ago, fourth-ranked Bubba Watson won the Northern Trust Open. Also, world No. 7 Justin Rose won the Cadillac Championship event in 2012. Dustin Johnson, currently ranked eighth, is the event’s defending champion.

That means that this is a loaded field at the Doral. Thus, the betting on the PGA Tour for this event is expected to be wide open.

Sure enough, Scott jumped out a two-stroke lead through the first two rounds following a 6-under 66 on Friday. However, McIlroy (65) and Johnson (64) both had even better rounds and are now tied for second. Danny Willett of England has been swinging some hot clubs of late and sits three shots back of Scott at 137. Watson and fellow American Charley Hoffman are at 6-under at 138. Popular golfer Phil Mickelson continued his good start to year with an opening round 67 and is at 5-under with Englishman Paul Casey.

Among other top golfers, Spieth is a ninth-way tie for 12th at 3-under while Day has again struggled at Doral and is currently 2-over, 12 shots off the pace, following a 74 on Friday.