Why Jason Day is willing to sacrifice distance for longevity

SAN DIEGO -- Jason Day is the world's No. 1-ranked golfer, but he's dealing with a major Catch-22.

Follow along: Day owns a keen understanding that today's game is a power game, and that hitting the ball a long way is paramount to an elite player's success. He also knows that the harder he swings in order to maximize that distance, the more susceptible he is to worsening an ongoing back injury that shortened his season last year.

Therein lies the catch. Does he continue swinging the same and leaving himself open to injury? Or does he dial it back for the sake of his health while potentially inhibiting his performance?

Don't expect two sub-60 rounds in nine days to raise red flags for the PGA…