The sight of Jason Day being whisked away in a golf cart during the opening round of the U.S Open at Shinnecock Hills was not what Australian golf fans wanted to see.
Jason Day’s U.S Open is over after the former world No.1 was forced to withdraw just 10 holes into his opening round.
A golf cart was called to take Day and his caddy back to the clubhouse after he started his back nine, on the first hole.
Day, who has battled back issues in the past, as well as other injuries, grimaced visibly after he made a swing on the first hole, having started his day on the 18th.
His opening nine had already been a battle, posting seven bogeys at Shinnecock Hills to sit at 7-over par, before ending his day and his tournament.
A social post from the U.S Open confirmed Day was out of the tournament.
“Jason Day has withdrawn from the 126th U.S Open due to injury,” the statement read.
It’s unclear exactly when Day sustained the issue and whether he carried anything into the tournament.
He did capture attention for his outfits during the practice rounds, wearing camo printer pants and shirts as part his Malbon attire.
The last time Day withdrew from a major was at the 2012 Masters due to an ankle issue.
He has battled back from a series of career setbacks which resulted in him tumbling outside of the world’s top 150.
Day entered the U.S Open as Australia’s second-highest-ranked player at 47, having re-entered the top 20 during 2024.
He’s also stared a sideline career as a YouTube creator, working with fellow Aussie Ryan Ruffels on The Lads, which garners views in the hundreds of thousands for its lively on-course competitions.
However, Ruffels told Golf Australia magazine that Day was conscious of not overloading himself, given his injury history.
“He will tell me basically the weeks that he feels he has a day or two to film and the weeks that he feels like he doesn't want to touch it,” he said.
Day was receiving treatment at Shinnecock with his immediate playing future unclear.
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