SAN DIEGO – Perhaps not even Jason Day was ready for this comeback bid.

Winless since 2018, trying to work his way through swing changes, Day made a serious run for the title Saturday at Farmers Insurance Open. He holed out from the 14th fairway for eagle, and all of a sudden he was right back where he began the day – in a share of the lead.

“Sometimes you kind of peak a little bit too early,” he said sheepishly.

Fearing the left miss down the stretch, he caught his tee shot heavy on 16, leading to a bogey. And he sent his drive on the 17th miles right, dropping another shot. Those late bogeys sent him into a tie for fourth, two shots out of the playoff eventually won by Luke List. 

“Good quality week, a lot of positives moving forward,” Day said. “This is the second tournament for me that I’ve really tried to try these swing changes. So it’s great that the progress is where it is, but still a lot of work to do.”

Indeed, for the 34-year-old Australian, the week still marked significant progress. Dealing with an ailing back and fading motivation, he had fallen to No. 129 in the world and contemplated his next steps. He’s more than a year into his work with swing coach Chris Como, and he’s trying to match up better body movement with a sound technical action. He has transitioned from a sling draw into a fade, and his swing is also decidedly less violent through the ball.

Most importantly: Day has reported no injury issues.

“I played in my first tournament in a long while without any pain,” he said, “so that’s a good thing.”