Day seeks US Open tune-up at PGA Ohio

World No.3 Jason Day believes the ideal lead-up to the US Open would be to bag a victory at the US PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament in Ohio.

Australian golfer Jason Day

Jason Day believes the ideal lead-up to the US Open would be to win this week's Memorial Tournament. (AAP)

A reinvigorated Jason Day has targeted victory at this week's Memorial Tournament as the springboard he needs heading into the US Open next month.

The Australian world No.3 recently carded his best result on the US PGA Tour for 2017, finishing runner-up at the Byron Nelson Classic in Texas, where he lost in a playoff to American Billy Horschel.

The 29-year-old Day, winless since his Players Championship victory in May 2016, feels he's turned over a new leaf after lacklustre results saw him surrender a 47-week reign as world No.1 to Dustin Johnson in February.

"(Byron Nelson) was a building block. A second and a fifth (at Pebble Beach in February) from my first 10 starts are hopefully the worst results I'll have for the rest of the year. I'm aiming to win a couple of events coming home," Day told AAP.

Day has set his sights this year on bagging a second career major to go with his 2015 US PGA Championship title.

He believes that could be next month's US Open, where Day's superb record includes two runner-up finishes among five top-10s from six starts.

"It would be great to pop off a win at Memorial; that'd really send my confidence through the roof and I'd take that into the US Open," said Day.

But the Jack Nicklaus-hosted event in Ohio has typically been an unhappy hunting ground for the Columbus resident.

Despite being a member of Muirfield Village Golf Club, Day has never finished inside the top-25, although he contended in 2016 before fading to 27th place with a final-round 74.

"I haven't typically played well here but I'm looking to change that. The preparation coming into this week has been really solid. The game is great," said Day.

Day and world No.10 Adam Scott headline a whopping 12-strong Australian contingent at Memorial, joining Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith, Ryan Ruffels, Rod Pampling, Curtis Luck, Matthew Griffin, Brett Coletta, Greg Chalmers, Steven Bowditch and Aaron Baddeley.


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Source: AAP



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