He returns to Kapalua for the tournament formerly reserved for the past season’s champions for the first time in five years, yet Jason Day wanted to make a change.

Not to the swing that he has meticulously reconstructed with coach Chris Como to alleviate the back injuries that plagued his career, but to his wardrobe.

Gone is the athletic look adorned with the Nike swoosh; in its place a baggier, looser fit that the cool kids are now fond of.

For a 36-year-old father of five, it may appear on the surface as the beginnings of a mid-life crisis. But Day is adamant that his new clothing partnership with Malbon Golf will not only enhance his status in the fashion stakes but continue his upward trajectory on the Official World Golf Ranking.

“I’m just looking for a bit of a change and this is it,” Day told PGATOUR.com’s Sean Martin.

“I’m more interested in having a more relaxed, loose-fitting type of clothing, especially out here because, obviously, the clothes that you see now these days, everything’s very athletic looking. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

“There’s nothing worse than when you’re playing golf and you put a sweater on or something like that and it just feels so restrictive. You’re restricting your swing.”

Please Welcome Jason Day to #TeamMalbon@JDayGolf pic.twitter.com/ZKEirWhvmg

— Malbon Golf (@MalbonGolf) January 2, 2024

A regular at The Sentry from 2015 to 2019 during which he rose to No.1 in the world, Day begins his 2024 campaign in a vastly different position to the one he found himself just 12 months ago.

Having fallen as low as 175th in late 2022, Day was 115th in the world when he played his first event for 2023, a tie for 18th at The American Express.

He followed that with four consecutive top-10s, building towards his first PGA TOUR win in five years at the AT&T Byron Nelson.

Day’s final tournament for 2023 was a winning one, partnering with Kiwi Lydia Ko to win the Grant Thornton Invitational, albeit unofficial.

So while he embraces a new look to start 2024, Day will be eager to continue the career resurrection that began a year ago.

Day is one of two Aussies in the field for the PGA TOUR’s first event of the new season, Cam Davis earning his spot in the $US20 million Signature Event by virtue of his top-50 finish on the 2023 FedEx Cup.

Round 1 tee times AEDT

PGA TOUR

The Sentry
Plantation Course at Kapalua, Kapalua, Maui
7:15am            Akshay Bhatia, Nick Taylor, Cam Davis
8:03am            Erik van Rooyen, Jason Day, Corey Conners

Defending champion: Jon Rahm
Past Aussie winners: Steve Elkington (1992, 1995), Stuart Appleby (2004, 2005, 2006), Geoff Ogilvy (2009, 2010), Cameron Smith (2022)
TV times: Live 4:30am-2pm Friday, Saturday; Live 5am-12pm Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503.

Photo: Courtesy Malbon Golf