World No.1 Jason Day has indicated he is prepared to take the slow road back to golf, as he continues to sit out with a back injury.
Day hasn't played since September, when a back issue ruled him out of the BMW and season-ending Tour Championships.
He was crowned Australia's international player of the year at Tuesday night's Greg Norman Medal, despite again missing the home summer with the same back complaint.
And he said he's ready to spend more time on the sideline if required.
"I've just got to understand that I'm in it for the long run," Day said on accepting the Greg Norman medal via video link from Ohio.
"These things have to take time and I understand that when it comes to injuries not to push myself too much."
The 29-year-old Queenslander is yet to publicly set a return date from the injury, but he said on Tuesday night that the body was "coming along nicely".
Of particular frustration to Day was that he had missed his third consecutive Australian summer, having been forced out due to a back injury in 2014 and the birth of his daughter last year.
"I miss it like you wouldn't believe," he said.
"It's going to be four years by the time I'm back and it's been so long."
However, he has token note from Tiger Woods, who this week will return from a 16-month injury layoff due to a back injury which he has battled since March 2014, and made numerous attempts to come back from.
"It's been 16 months from the last time we saw him come back from that kind of injury," Day said.
"I'm OK with having a few months off, but 16 months off from golf - especially at a young age - I just can't do.
"I've got to make sure I look after myself and that hopefully I'm around for a very long time."
Regardless, Day said he still harboured disappointment at missing the two season-ending events, which cost him a shot at becoming the first Australian to win the Fedex Cup after leading for most of the year.
"I would have liked to finish the year off strong," he said.
"It was a bit of a disappointment having to pull out of the last two events and really kind of take my name out of winning the Fedex Cup.
"Unfortunately that's just part and parcel of playing golf."
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