Tiger Woods has urged fellow former world No.1 Jason Day to "be patient" after the Australian star endured a winless US PGA Tour season.
Coming off consecutive multiple-win years on golf's richest circuit, the 2017 season saw 29-year-old Day surrender his 47-week reign as world No.1 to Dustin Johnson in February amidst a series of lacklustre results.
With a second place at the Byron Nelson Classic among five top-10 results, Day came close to bagging a first PGA Tour title since May 2016 but was unable to get over the line before the season ended at last week's Tour Championship.
Speaking at the Presidents Cup in New Jersey where Woods is an assistant captain on the US team, the 14-time major winner implored Day to remember elite golf careers are a marathon, not a race.
"Just be patient. Don't forget our careers are 20, 30, 40 years long," said Woods when asked how Day can return to the top.
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Woods' record of 683 total weeks as world No.1 were punctuated by temporary form slumps.
The 41-year-old Woods also holds the record for most consecutive weeks (281) at the top, between 2005 and 2010.
"You're gonna have ebbs and flows, said Woods.
"You're going to have some down times but you just have to keep working through it."
Woods said changes off the course were the biggest obstacle in sustaining dominance.
"Life gets in there as well; (Jason) has had two kids," said Woods.
"These different things are part of it and life changes."
Day has said the emotional stress of mother Dening's lung cancer diagnosis contributed to his form slump earlier in the year as the Ohio-based Queenslander admitted he had little motivation to practice.
But Day found late-season form leading into the Presidents Cup, with a tie for ninth at the US PGA Championship and a sixth at the Northern Trust in August before a fourth at the BMW Championship in September.
