Day all-in on Aussie PGA as 'bigger guys' on radar

Jason Day says he'll be back for more after his first Australian tournament in seven years. (Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS)

Jason Day has indicated his long-awaited Australian return won't be a one-off as the former world No.1 tips the Australian PGA Championship to again lure golf's "bigger guys".

Day finished in a tie for eighth at eight under at Royal Queensland in Brisbane on Sunday, his first visit home since competing in the 2017 Australian Open.

A double-bogey on the 14th was one of Day's only three blemishes across the reduced three-day event, leaving him lamenting some missed opportunities with his trusty putter in his first tournament in nearly four months.

Day won't play next week's Australian Open in Melbourne since the former PGA Championship winner is preparing for Tiger Woods's Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas before defending his Grant Thornton Invitational with Lydia Ko in December.

But Day believes he'll be back again, likely with his wife and five children, as he flags further growth for the $2 million European tour-sanctioned event.

Jason Day.
Day says course improvements would work to attract bigger names to the Australian PGA.

"I definitely see myself coming back," he said.

"I really enjoyed the week; the course was great, very fair and a lot of fun to play.

"I definitely left a lot of shots out there. If I had have capitalised I would have been around the lead, but it's good information."

Royal Queensland (RQ) will host Brisbane's 2032 Olympics, with the course set to undergo a complete overhaul in 2027 that will mean the Australian PGA is moved as early as 2026.

Day raised the prospect of a different, less-grainy grass being introduced but said the facility would be impressive regardless.

And he said the arrival of Rolex and BMW as sponsors would also have an impact on a tournament that battles to attract America's PGA Tour stars due to geographic and scheduling hurdles.

"It's going to present really well for the Olympics," Paris Games participant Day said. 

"It's the little things ... it'll slowly improve and the more you do, bigger guys will want to play.

"The BMW Championship (in Colorado) ... it feels like a major.

"It'll help things and you'll see incremental increases in purse but also in how good the tournament is."

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