Australia’s Jason Day is returning to competition for a first time since his dramatic WGC – Accenture Match-Play Championship giving a big thumbs up to his injured left thumb.

Day is returning to Augusta National where last year he went so close to denying fellow Queenslander and eventual Master winning hero Adam Scott the coveted member’s green jacket.

And while he claimed a second PGA Tour success in Arizona this week will be Day’s second stroke-play event this year since sharing second place in his first event of 2014 – the Farmers Insurance Open – and the T64th in the AT & T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

But after a few practice rounds at Augusta National last week and nine holes this morning before the course was closed at 10am due to thunderstorms, Day is happy with the progress of his thumb.

“Yeah, I was thinking that was going to come pretty quick but it’s fine,” he said.

“I’ve had about six weeks off now.  I had a cortisone injection into it on Monday of last week, straight on top of the knuckle with Dr. Ruff back home in Columbus.  Had about a week off after the injection and everything’s been progressing nicely.

“So there’s no pain.  I’m taping it just as a precaution, so you’ll see some tape on my thumb, my left thumb.  I mean, I have tape on my right wrist and my left hand now, but all that stuff is just a precaution and I’ve been icing it a lot.

“But it’s more frustrating for me because just coming off the WGC win at the Match Play, I was playing some pretty good golf.  It was trending in the right direction going into Doral and the Florida Swing there.

“Just something so small, it’s so frustrating, because everything else is fine, but you need your hands to grip the golf club, and every time it hurt when I swung the golf club, I would kind of flinch at impact and you just can’t compete against the best players in the world doing that.

“So to get the cortisone injection into it, to be able to swing pain‑free now, is great.

“I’ve been here since last Wednesday practicing and playing.  I’ve played 36 holes here over the last four days, and the hand’s coming up nicely.  I’m really looking forward to a nice, solid start.”

It was pointed out ahead of Day’s press conference here in the Masters Media Centre that this is his fourth appearance at Augusta with his best finishes of tied third in 2013 with a score of 281; and in 2011, finished second with a score of 276.  

And if Day were to win this week he would also go to No. 1 on the World Rankings but only if he were to become the second straight Australian to be fitted with a green jacket.

But as Day points out it is something he would rather focus.

“I am just not trying to think of that because I can’t get to No. 1 if I don’t win, so my biggest thing is just to really focus on myself, and I just need to go out and not really think about the outcomes that could possibly happen,” he said.

“If I do this, then this will happen, or get caught up in stuff that can make my game go backwards.

“I think that’s what mental toughness is, is to be able to stay in the present and really focus on what you need to do to produce the result in the long run.

“My goal is obviously to be able to get to No. 1 one day and to have a green jacket, and I can do that in one week.  That’s exciting stuff for me, it really is.  Because I know that there’s been a lot of hard work and dedication that I’ve put into the game for many, many years, and it could all pay off in one week.

“So, stuff like that, you’ve got to put it out of your mind.

“I’m not really thinking about it.  I know that it’s going to be a long week.  It’s Monday and I’ve got a couple more days of practice and good prep I need to get into, too.  If it happens, it happens but I’m going to give it a good shot.”

JASON DAY’S BEST FINISHES IN THE MAJORS

2011 US Open – 2nd

2103 US Open – T2nd

2011 Masters – T2nd

2103 Masters – 3rd

2103 PGA Championship – T8th

2010 PGA Championship – T10th