Jason Day withdrew from The Players Championship one hour before he was scheduled to tee off due to an illness.
Australian professional golfer Jason Anthony Day, 37, had early success earning a PGA Tour membership in his teens and won the HP Byron Nelson Championship in his third season.
Highlights
- Jason Anthony Day made a comeback, winning the AT&T Byron Nelson in 2023.
- Day withdrew from The Players Championship for an undisclosed reason on March 13, 2025.
- He collapsed due to dizziness on the final hole of his second round in the 2015 U.S. Open tournament.
In 2015, Day recorded his breakout season, winning five events, including the PGA Championship, a major championship, while ascending to #1 globally.
He maintained exemplary play throughout 2016, winning three tournaments, including The Players Championship, and preserving his #1 ranking.
Since that season, however, Day’s play has been much more erratic, and he ultimately fell outside of the top 100 in the World.
In 2023, however, he recorded a comeback year, winning the AT&T Byron Nelson, the site of his first win, and returning to the World’s top 20.
Jason Day Withdrew From The Players Championship Due To An Unspecified Illness
On Thursday, March 13, 2025, Australian golfer Jason Day withdrew from The Players Championship for an undisclosed illness.
Jason ranked No. 33 globally, pulled out about an hour before his scheduled tee time.
This came after a strong performance at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he was in contention until a double bogey on the 16th hole of the final round ended his chances of winning.
However, the PGA Tour has not provided specific details about his latest condition. Later, he was replaced by Danny Walker in the tournament.
Danny Walker is a Korn Ferry Tour graduate. This tournament marked his Players Championship debut, giving him a big opportunity on golf’s biggest stages.
Media reports stated that Jason’s withdrawal was a surprise. He was in contention last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and finished with a tie for eighth place before a final-round 74.
Jason Day Suffered With Severe Vertigo In 2015 And 2023
Earlier, in 2015, Jason Day battled severe Benign Positional vertigo, a common disorder of the inner ear that causes brief episodes of vertigo (a spinning sensation) triggered by changes in head position.
The first significant public encounter with vertigo occurred during the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay, where he collapsed on the final hole of his second round.
He was treated locally by Dr. Robert Stoecker and Dr. Charles Souliere.
Day also struggled with severe dizziness during the final round of the 2023 Masters, shooting an 80 and finishing T39.
He also experienced milder symptoms during the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. As a result, he withdrew from the RBC Heritage tournament to undergo medical tests.
Later, Jason explained that the condition is caused by a virus affecting the vestibular nerve in his inner ear, which cannot be cured but can only be managed.
To address the issue, he changed his diet and training routine.
Despite the health challenges, Jason has been in strong form, securing multiple top-10 finishes and breaking back into the World’s top 50 rankings.
Additional Information
- Jason Day married Ellier Harvey in 2009 and lives in Westerville, Ohio, with their five children. Day had previously lived in Orlando, Florida, and Forth Worth, Texas.
- In May 2023, Day won the AT&T Byron Nelson by one shot, his first victory in five years. He also finished runner-up at the 2023 Open Championship, completing the “runner-up grand slam,” as he finished runner-up at every major.
- On December 17, 2025, while watching a Cleveland Cavaliers game against Oklahoma City Thunder at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Day’s wife Ellie sustained injuries after Cavaliers player LeBron James collided with her while attempting to receive a loose ball.
