Former World No. 1 Withdraws From Arnold Palmer Invitational

The PGA Tour has confirmed that Australian Jason Day has withdrawn from the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The statement did not give official reason for the withdrawal but Evin Priest, a Writer at Golf Digest, stated it was for “personal reasons.” It is the third time in four years that Day has withdrawn from the competition.

Day was victorious at the 2016 Arnold Palmer Invitational, defeating American Kevin Chappell by a single stroke. It was a season which also included victory at the WGC-Dell Match Player and the Players Championship, propelling him to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).

After dropping outside the top-100 in the OWGR, it appeared that Day was enjoying a resurgence of form, after a T3 finish at the Farmers Insurance and a T24 finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The 34-year old has been a long time sufferer of back pain and has admitted to trying multiple different remedies in a bid to return to the top of the game. 

Speaking at the Quail Hollow in May 2019, the PGA champion said: "I was explaining the other day that I was blowing into balloons. Which is crazy, because I haven't really trained at all this year because I've been so sore." The balloon therapy is said to help align the hips, shoulders and rib cage and ultimately alleviate pressure on the back. "Blowing into balloons, that's as far as I go," he said of the therapy. "Long story short, I try to keep my rib cage down. My rib cage gets up and then it blocks my mid back and then I can't really turn. So I get it from somewhere else and that's why my back flares up.”

The Australian, who hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since 2018, recently began working with Tiger Woods’ former coach, Chris Como. The pair were said to be changing technique to alleviate pressure on the problematic back area. Day recently announced a golf ball partnership with Bridgestone Golf.