The disappointment was clear in Jason Day\u2019s face, but in his voice we could hear that the popular Aussie is simply tired and broken down at the end of his 2026 regular season on the PGA Tour.<\/p>\n
On Friday, Day needed a strong round to make the cut in the Wyndham Championship to have any hope of extending his streak of 18 straight FedEx Cup Playoffs reached\u2014the longest current skein on tour. But Day scraped his way around Sedgefield Country Club with a 73, and with a four-over total he missed the three-under cut by seven shots.<\/p>\n
On a day in Greensboro, N.C., when numerous players\u2019 immediate futures were affected, for better or worse, the result moved Day\u2019s projected finish in the standings to 81st, with only the top 70 players reaching the playoffs after this week. His standing before the tournament began was 75th, and he would have needed a special effort to get inside the bubble. But with the way Day\u2019s body has been feeling of late, that seemed like a near-impossible climb.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a good streak, obviously, but I would have loved to keep the streak going,\u201d Day said. \u201cBut things happen. You\u2019re not going to keep everything going forever. Best to kind of take some time off, get my body sorted and try and come out next year and play well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Troubled by illness and injuries for portions of a career in which he reached World No. 1 and can count the PGA Championship among his 13 tour wins, Day said he\u2019s been dealing with back issues since the West Coast Swing. He got off to a promising start with a tie for second in The American Express, but notched only one other top-10 finish in 15 starts and missed the cut or withdrew in four of his most recent five starts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just that my body\u2019s sore,\u201d Day, 38, said. \u201cLike, it hurts to hit a shot. So to even put any energy into it hurts. I think it\u2019s just hard because of how condensed the season is\u2014they\u2019re just forcing you to play. If not, then you\u2019ve got to take time off, and there\u2019s really nowhere to take time off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Day is in danger of seeing another meaningful streak end. He\u2019s played for the International team in five straight Presidents Cups dating back to 2011, but currently ranks ninth in the team standings, with only six players becoming automatic qualifiers. The other six will be captain\u2019s picks by Geoff Ogilvy. Day didn\u2019t sound very optimistic about his prospects for playing at Medinah in September.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a chat to Geoff about it and, look, if he wants me prepared and ready, I\u2019ll try and do the best job I can,\u201d Day said. \u201cBut I understand if they want to go a different way because of my recent form and obviously my body. \u201cI\u2019m happy either way. I just want them to perform the best they can.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was plenty more Friday afternoon drama in the Wyndham. With the cut heading for being three under, players jockeyed for not only their spots on the leaderboard, but their place in the postseason.<\/p>\n
There were some tough breaks. Mac Meisner stood just outside the bubble at No. 71 entering the week, but he double-bogeyed the 18th hole to finish two under, miss the cut and lose any chance of gaining ground. The two immediate players inside the bubble in the current projections\u2014Aldrich Potgieter at 69th and Steven Fisk at 70th\u2014each missed the cut, so they are vulnerable.<\/p>\n
The player with the best chance to shake up the standings is rookie Jackson Koivun. The 21-year-old who won the 3M Open last week is currently tied for 38th in the Wyndham and projected to finish 71st. But he\u2019s only 2.22 points behind Fisk, and a strong weekend finish would get Koivun into the playoffs after only five pro starts on tour.<\/p>\n
As for the biggest jump to get into the playoffs, that could be Beau Hossler. With a 67 on Friday, the 31-year-old headed into the weekend with a one-stroke lead over Ben James and Jordan Smith. If Hossler were to win his first tour title, he\u2019d go from 122nd to 53rd in the standings and reach his sixth postseason.<\/p>\n
Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media<\/p>\n