A 13-time PGA Tour winner, Jason Day is now fighting to stay relevant. He withdrew from the 2026 U.S. Open because of a lingering back injury, which stems from an annular tear in his L4-L5 discs diagnosed in 2019. Although the American professional had undergone rhizotomy surgery in 2020, the pain really never left. Now it’s back, a second time, to haunt him again.

This week, Day withdrew from the $8.8 million 3M Open for the same back injury. With two withdrawals this season, he risks missing the FedExCup playoffs entirely and now has just two events to climb from 72nd in the standings. The PGA Tour Communications shared the news on X with fans.

“Field update for 3M Open: Jason Day WD (back injury) Charley Hoffman IN.”

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Day was returning to the event for the first time in four years. The last time he played in the 3M Open was in 2022, when he finished tied for 64th with rounds of 70-72-72-72. But this isn’t the first time he withdrew due to a back injury.

The 13-time PGA Tour winner has been withdrawing from important games since he was 13. Since 2009, Day has withdrawn from majors and tour events repeatedly: 2014 WGC/BMW, 2016 BMW/Tour Championship, and now 2026.

In a recent episode of The Lads, he blamed himself for this.

“I wish I would have done a few things differently, gym-wise. So I wouldn’t have compromised some of the stuff in my body. But the body’s feeling really good.”

The lingering back issue has affected his participation and performance at majors, too. For instance, his pain flared up while he was playing in the 2019 Masters. It was so unbearable that he admitted he was about to withdraw from the event. It was his wife who encouraged him to continue the game.

“It’s the Masters,” his wife told him. “You need to suck it up.”

He continued to play in the 2019 Masters and finished T5, earning $403,938. But it was a little different this time.

At the U.S. Open 2026, Day withdrew after playing just 10 holes. He started on the back nine and opened with a bogey straightaway. Then, he finished with par scores on holes two and three. But then, he scored back-to-back bogeys from hole 13 through 18. While he did try to fight through the pain, it was clearly affecting his game. In the end, he had to give up with a score of seven-over par in just 10 holes.

Given the current scenario, Day is currently shy of 20 points from landing the 70th spot and needs at least one top-50 finish in either of the remaining events to push him into the postseason. Only those ranking in the top 70 are eligible to play in the first playoff event, the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

An important question now is whether the Australian pro could change this.

Jason Day’s chances to play the St. Jude Championship

Since Day has already withdrawn from the 3M Open, he now has only two chances left before the playoffs begin: the Rocket Classic and the Wyndham Classic. What makes his chances even slimmer is that it is a lingering issue that has affected him for years now. While he did return to play the Travelers Championship right after withdrawing from the U.S. Open, doing it a second time in a single season will be difficult.

Even if he decides to play, it does not guarantee him a spot in the field. He currently has 495 points to his name and needs 20 more to beat the current No. 70, Mac Meissner. To make things worse, Meissner is playing the 3M Open. What that means is even if Meissner barely makes the cut, he will get some FedExCup points, which will further widen the gap.

So Day will have to perform exceptionally well in one of the remaining two events to become eligible. The problem, though, is performance in the season so far: 4 missed cuts, 2 withdrawals, 2 top-10 finishes.

Whether Day can still qualify for the FedEx St. Jude Championship now depends on both his health and his ability to deliver a strong finish in the limited opportunities he has left.