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How He Hit That: Jason Day's laser straight ball flight
When Jason Day is pounding courses into submission with high, straight tee shots like he did at the Barclays (and the PGA Championship the tournament before), he makes it look very easy.
The flow in Day's swing comes from two main places: his setup and his transition, says top North Carolina teacher and ESPN Swing Coach Jerome Andrews.
"That fluid look comes when a swing doesn't have any compensations," says Andrews, who is based at Greensboro Country Club. "Jason's posture is perfect--the left side of his grip is in line with the back of the ball, and the bridge of his nose and shirt buttons are set to the right of the ball. That's something anybody can do, regardless of athletic ability."
Day starts the club back with his arms while keeping his lower body quiet. At the top, he makes a subtle weight shift to his left without sliding his hips toward the target.
"His hips are unwinding, not sliding, which means everything is coming down into the ball in sequence. He's unleashing maximum speed and power into the ball with a square clubface--not wasting energy by rerouting the club or compensating for less-than-ideal timing."