Day earned more than $9 million in 2015 and for a time, he was among the best players on the PGA Tour. His game slipped quite a bit in recent years, but he finally found some momentum this past season after the resumption of play in June. Day posted an impressive run of four consecutive top-7 finishes from July though August and although he didn't finish the season all that well, his prospects look good for this season. Day's number is in a good place for salary cap purposes this season and while he's not quite a "must-have," he's pretty close.
With all of his health issues over the past decade, it's hard to believe that Day is still only 31. Though he remained fairly healthy this past season, he posted his worst numbers since 2012. It was only the second time in his past seven seasons that he failed to crack the $3 million mark on the PGA Tour. The good news is, the previous time he failed to crack $3 million, he followed that up with a $5 million season. While a $5 million season is not guaranteed next season, it's certainly possible. If nothing else, Day will make back everything that you spend on him this season. He's a great salary cap pick this season as he has both a high floor and a high ceiling.
After a 2016-2017 season where Day failed to crack the $3 million mark, Day was a very popular salary cap selection last season and he didn't disappoint. Day picked-up two wins and a runner-up on his way to over $5 million in earnings. It was definitely a good season, even by Day's standards, but he did leave enough room to be considered for salary cap purposes. Day topped $8 million in 2015 and $9 million in 2016, so the upside is certainly there. The good news is, he doesn't even need to get back to those levels to be of value in salary cap leagues. Day has a gear that makes him elite when he's on. If he finds that gear for any prolonged stretch this season, he'll hit the $7 million mark.
It's not often that a guy earns just under $3 million and is considered a must-have, but Day is just that. Day struggled for most of the past season because of things off the course, but he found his game late in the season and turned in a pretty good effort on the whole. Pretty good for an average PGA Tour golfer, but not for an elite player like Day. Prior to last season, Day had posted consecutive seasons of $8 million or more. Let that sink in, $8 million or more, that's something that only a couple guys on the PGA Tour have ever done. With his personal issues likely in the past, Day will be back on form this season and he should at minimum get above the $5 million mark, assuming he can stay healthy.
Three wins and over $8 million in earnings and yet, Jason Day's 2015-16 season was a bit of a disappointment. That however, is a statement of how far he's come in the past couple years. The wins and the money are great, but for Day, the failure to capture another major had to be a letdown. Day's talent is unquestioned as is his mind, he might have the best mental game of anyone on the PGA Tour. The only question concerning Day is his body. Once again Day was besieged by injuries last season and it's getting to be a little worrisome. Regardless of his physical state, his number is too high to take in a salary cap league next season. Factoring-in the injury concerns, he may not be the top pick in a draft league this year, but he's certainly still among the top-four.
Last season was both a successful and disappointing year for Jason Day. His numbers were solid, he played well when healthy, but he left so much on the table. What was left on the table wasn't entirely his fault, as his season ended with a back injury in September, and he also battled a thumb injury most of the year and strep throat and vertigo, as well. If not for injuries, Day would have surely found his way into the top 10 on the money list and perhaps could have stolen a major as well. The question now is whether Day is the type who will battle injuries every season or if 2014 was just one bad year. The ceiling is so high with Day that he's worth the risk in salary cap leagues, and he could reasonably go in the first round in draft leagues as well.
Jason Day needs to win a major and he needs to do it soon. The reason? He's come so close, so many times that if he's not careful, it could easily start becoming a mind game. Day shouldn't have to worry about that however as his game is just too solid not to break through at some point. Majors aside, Day should be winning on the PGA Tour at a higher clip as well. He's the type of guy who should pick up wins in a couple spots each season regardless of how he plays at the majors. He should go in the top-10 in a draft league and he's a pretty good option in salary cap leagues, even at his price of just over $3 million.
Day's 2012 season was one of the more bizarre seasons in recent memory. It's not that anything strange happened, it's just that so much was expected of Day last year and he just fell flat at every turn. Day earned nearly $4 million in 2011, but that wasn't the most impressive part. He finished runner-up at the Masters and the U.S. Open. There was no reason to think that Day would regress at all in 2012, and yet, he did more than just regress - he flat-out stunk for most of the season. His loss is our gain, though. His earnings number is so low this season that he's a must have at this price. In draft leagues, Day should could go anywhere from the third to the fifth round.
If not for Rory McIlroy, Jason Day might have been the story of 2011. Day nearly captured the Masters in April after McIlroy blew up in the final round, and he finished runner-up to McIlroy at the U.S. Open in June. Make no mistake, these results from Day are no fluke - he is that good. The question is how high is his ceiling? Put it somewhere in the range of Dustin Johnson's ceiling. Yes, Day has the talent to be the best player in the world, and if the last two years are any indication, he'll make a run at that title in the near future. It might not be this year, but he should, at minimum, match his number from last year and more likely exceed it. Day should be considered in the top half of Round 1 in draft leagues.
Day had a huge jump in production last season as he went from just over $1 million in earnings in 2009 to nearly $3 million last season. Only 23, Day is nowhere near his prime, but he appears to be one of those special players who has matured very early. Day finished the season with five top-10s last year and they all came in upper-tier events, most notably the PGA Championship where he finished T-10. Day should continue to improve in 2010, and though the bar was set high last year, he's capable of reaching new heights in 2011. Day is long off the tee, but he misses a lot of fairways. He's middle of the pack in both GIR and putting.
Day might be one of the most-appealing sleeper picks in your draft. Day's hype has faded, but his game appears to be on the upswing. Day only teed it up 18 times on the PGA Tour last season, but he made the cut an impressive 14 times. Day made 13 cuts in his rookie season two years ago, but it took him 28 events to get there. Day also picked up his first runner-up finish last season, and there's no reason to think he'll regress in 2010.
Day is taking a three-week break until approximately June 25, 2008 to relocate to Fort Worth, Texas to have easier access to his physical therapist. Day is talented, young and expected to be a force in the "young-guns" league so this back problem could have consequences.
