Day then won two of the first three tournaments in the FedExCup playoffs — The Barclays and the BMW Championship — to become No. 1 in the world rankings for the first time. He spent only a week atop the rankings before being jumped by Spieth, then regained the top spot for another three weeks from Oct. 18 to Nov. 7 before Spieth unseated him again.

Day is now the 22nd golfer in PGA Tour history to top $30 million in career winnings and is among the favorites at the April 7-10 Masters, the first major of the season. Day, McIlroy and Spieth are currently the co-favorites at 7-1, according to oddsmakers at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.

“It would be great to win Augusta,” said Day, who’s sitting out the Shell Houston Open ahead of the Masters. “But I’ve got to make sure I get in and do the little things that count towards the big picture. That’s my prep in getting ready for that week. Rest and recovery next week is huge for me, because it has been a long week and a long two weeks.”

Since 2000, the only other golfer to win six of his previous 13 starts entering the Masters? Woods, who did it on four occasions. So yes, what Day is doing is almost unprecedented.