Four years, it would seem, is a long time in professional golf. Jason Day’s absence from events here in Australia since 2013 has alienated him from the up-and-coming young professionals he has inspired at home in recent times.
So much so, he knows little to nothing about the two rookie pros he is now jostling for supremacy with at the top of the Emirates Australian Open leaderboard.
Lucas Herbert, 21, leads the chase for the Stonehaven Cup after adding a five under 66 to his opening round 67 to reach nine under at the halfway mark of the Championship. Day lurks one shot adrift of the lead after a three under 68, while first round leader Cameron Davis, 22, dropped two shots in his last five holes to sign for a one over 72 and is seven under.
The World No.12 admitted after the first round he knew nothing of young Davis, who tore around The Australian in 63 on day one. It was a similar story after round two as he was quizzed about his knowledge of the equally youthful Herbert.
“I don't know too much about Lucas,” Day said. “I know that he’s a big boy, hits a nice strong ball flight. He’s obviously got a lot of game to be in the position that he’s at right now.”
And the 2015 US PGA Champion offered Herbert some advice, while giving an insight into his game plan for the third round.
“If he just embraces it and goes out there, you never know, he may come out tomorrow and just absolutely shoot lights out,” Day said. “That’s one thing that I obviously have in the back of my mind when I’m playing against him tomorrow, is that I’m planning on him playing well.
“Regardless of what he does, I’ve got to try and stay focused on my game, and that’s kind of the same thing for him as well, he just has to stay focused on his game and worry about nothing else than hitting the shot that’s in front of him and moving forward.
“The biggest thing for me and the two other blokes (Herbert and Davis) is we’ve just got to try and separate ourselves from the pack. If we can do that, then it just becomes a three-man race playing against each other and my goal is to just keep pushing forward.”
Herbert finds himself in familiar territory having floated around the top of the leaderboard for much of last year’s Open at Royal Sydney.
“Every time you’re obviously up near the lead you learn so much and it was good,” said Herbert of his 2016 Open experience. “I think more mentally than anything because by Sunday afternoon I was wrecked because I was in the lead from nine holes in Thursday morning to Sunday afternoon. It takes so much out of you to be there.
“I learnt a lot of that. I don’t need to waste a lot of energy thinking about it.
“It’s going to be a very positive experience for me going into this weekend with how to deal with it, and even going forward too into bigger events, of how to deal with being near that lead.”
And he’s not short on confidence either, after finishing outright second behind Jason Scrivener at the NSW Open last week.
“I finished pretty high up last year in the Aussie Open, I can play well and I’m proving that to myself, I can play well in these big events against these big players,” Herbert said.
“I’ve seen Jordan (Spieth) on the range and on the putting green this morning and it’s like, he’s just another guy, he’s not this big thing, this big idol, he’s just another guy out there. So, I’m obviously trying to feel more like that. Obviously, I’m feeling like I belong out there, which is the big thing.”
And while the top-3 attempt to separate themselves from the peloton over the weekend, Day is wary of the man who is eight shots from the lead, and seven shots behind him, in a tie for 19th.
When asked if seven shots was enough of a lead over Jordan Spieth with two rounds to go, Day quickly replied: “No.”
“No, its not enough, unfortunately,” he said smiling.
“It’s Jordan Spieth, he hits it obviously solid. If he gets something going on the weekend he can hole a lot of putts and make a lot of birdies and make a charge, and usually he does make a charge on the weekend.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see him from further back in the pack, especially from the lead, pushing up over the weekend, only because when you’re in that position sometimes there’s not a lot of pressure on your shoulders. You just go out there and kind of free-wheel it and that’s how you make a tonne of birdies and move up the leaderboard pretty quick.”
Anthony Quayle recovered from a poor start to get back into red numbers by day’s end. He posted a two under 69 to be in fourth place at six under.
An experienced group of four Australian pros – Cameron Smith, Matt Jones, Nick Cullen and Richard Green – are all four under and not out of contention.
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