AUGUSTA, GEORGIA | One month before making his Masters debut in 2011, Jason Day stood on the practice tee at Doral answering questions about his upcoming first trip to Augusta National.
What did he recall about Greg Norman’s history at the Masters? “Did something happen to him there?” the then 23-year-old Australian said.
Did he know that no Australian had ever won the green jacket (this was two years before Adam Scott’s breakthrough)? “Really?” he said.
How about that no Masters rookie since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 had won at Augusta? “I didn’t know that. Maybe I can change that,” Day said.
At this point, it was necessary to require the young Aussie to swear that he was not punking his inquisitor. He insisted he was not.
The next month – on the same day Rory McIlroy melted down on the back nine at the 2011 Masters – Day was in the thick of an eight-way race for the green jacket on one of the most dramatic Sundays in tournament history. Day birdied the last two holes to join Scott as leaders in the clubhouse only to get clipped by Charl Schwartzel, who birdied the last four holes to win by two.
“I knew that I had to birdie 17 and 18 when Scotty got to 12 [under],” Day said that afternoon. “And I just said on 17, I need four more good swings, and obviously I finished birdie-birdie, which was great. And I didn’t expect that Charl Schwartzel would come back with four birdies to finish it off, but hats off to him.
“It was unreal. It’s probably the most excited I’ve ever been in a golf tournament. It’s the most exciting tournament I’ve ever played in.”
Most recently, Day finished tied eighth last year despite a bogey-bogey finish. It proved that his game hasn’t deteriorated on a course he now knows as well as anyone.
Now Day is a 15-time Masters veteran steeped in its rhythms and the questions it asks. Since that near-miss in Augusta 15 years ago, Day has posted four more top-10 finishes including a solo third in 2013 when Scott won and a T5 in 2019 when Tiger Woods picked up his fifth green coat. He’s remained relevant despite years of often playing through pain.
Most recently, Day finished tied eighth last year despite a bogey-bogey finish. It proved that his game hasn’t deteriorated on a course he now knows as well as anyone. His injury-induced “slump” in 2021-22, when he fell outside the top 100 in the world while battling chronic back pain, has only helped fuel his resurgence the last couple of seasons.
“Obviously you don’t recover as well as you used to when you’re obviously younger, but having the stuff that I went through with my body and the injuries that I went through, it definitely has given me more purpose in my life,” said Day, who missed his only cuts at the Masters in 2020-21 and didn’t qualify to play in 2022. “Obviously, trying to compete against the best players in the world and then trying to make sure that I’m healthy and staying on top of it definitely gives me more purpose and drive to move forward because I still want to play good golf.
“At the end of the day, for me to be able to hold a trophy again, that’s what drives me. If I can keep my body healthy, I feel like I’ve got a really good chance of doing that.”
On Thursday, the now 38-year-old Day woke some of the echoes as he rallied from an early bogey on No. 3 to shoot a 3-under 69 and put himself in the early mix at the 90th Masters.
“I got off to a bit of a shaky start. I mean, had a nice up and down on 1 and then hooked my tee ball on 2, then obviously made bogey on 3,” Day said. “So just trying to steady the ship.”
Day is already well ahead of his scoring goals this week on an Augusta National course that is only going to become more difficult with no rain and abundant sunshine in the forecast. “I’m hoping that the tougher the better, because it just means that you need to have everything on from tee to green,” Day said.
“Like I think 11- to 13-under typically wins this tournament. Top-10s and top-fives are not too far behind that. … And I’m not saying that you should think that way, but like just knowing that there’s certain numbers that you can hit takes some of the pressure off, you know. If you go, oh, ‘I only need to shoot 1-under a day and that’s probably going to yield a top-10,’ then you’re like, ‘OK, I don’t need to be as aggressive, unless the weather changes the course conditions.’”
With half the field still on the course Thursday, Day was only looking up at defending champion Rory McIlroy and Sam Burns two strokes ahead of him at 5-under 67. He’s exactly where he wants to be, hoping to put himself in the middle of another rollicking Sunday chase for the green jacket.
“When I see 5-under leading, and with what weather we got coming up, I’ve just got to be very patient,” Day said. “I just got to just kind of take my birdies when I can and just don’t try and force anything too much. Got off to a great start. Just feel good about my game. We got three more days. …
“Obviously [McIlroy’s] off to a great start defending the championship, the Masters. So, yeah, there [are] plenty of great golfers out there that you have to worry about as well. Not just him. And first and foremost, you got to worry about yourself. Just make sure you’re doing the right things. If you can do that and execute the shots that you need to, then hopefully things should take care of themselves.”