Jason Day staying true to his objectives heading into 2024 Masters: ‘Climb again to No 1 on this planet’

Jason Day waited 5 lengthy years to seize a win on the PGA Tour following his Wells Fargo Championship victory in 2018. 

It was the AT&T Byron Nelson on Might 14, 2023, when all the pieces clicked, together with a ultimate spherical 62 that gave him his thirteenth profession win on Tour. 

Day, in his seventeenth yr on Tour, understands like all of his friends how laborious it’s to hoist a trophy on the finish of a grueling four-day match. Nonetheless, on the subject of majors, like this week’s Masters, the strain to return out victorious is tenfold. 

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It’s a strain, although, that Day has battled and triumphed by. Throughout his unbelievable 2015 season, when he held the world No. 1 golf rating, Day gained the 2015 PGA Championship. It’s the solely main win he has beneath his belt, however he got here very shut in The Open Championship final yr, ending tied-second. 

So, heading into his thirteenth profession Masters match this week at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership, Day solely has one factor on his thoughts.

“I do wish to get again into the winner’s circle,” Day, who will likely be carrying Malbon Golf apparel for the primary time at Augusta, informed Fox Information Digital. “My purpose is to climb again to No. 1 on this planet – I’ve stated that for some time now. The one means to do this is to win tournaments. You will be constant, nevertheless it’s actually tough to be constant and get to No. 1 on this planet with out profitable.”

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Day’s 2024 season has seen three prime 10 finishes, however the most effective he might do was tied-sixth on the AT&T Pebble Seashore Professional-Am. His final three tournaments haven’t been his greatest performances both, ending tied-Thirty sixth (Arnold Palmer Invitational), tied-Thirty fifth (The Gamers), and most not too long ago getting minimize on the Texas Youngsters’s Houston Open. This got here after a ninth-place end at The Genesis Invitational. 

So, what’s Day engaged on to prepare for one in all golf’s hardest duties? 

“I feel kinda regular the ship somewhat bit for me personally,” he stated. “Simply making an attempt to get again to not over-complicating issues. I feel sometimes, as professionals, we glance to go, ‘OK, how will we enhance? How will we get our subsequent win? How will we keep on prime?’ And there’s sure guys who make it look very, quite simple, like a Scottie Scheffler proper now, who makes it look quite simple. Identical with like a Rory McIlroy, sure guys like that. They have an inclination to make golf look very, quite simple. You see it, and it’s like, ‘Ah, I can do this, too,’ however then you definitely get on the market, and it’s quite a bit tougher than you’d anticipate.

“Going into it, simply sort of making ready for it the identical means. Mentally, sort of simply altering a couple of issues to attempt to not throw the match on a large pedestal, but additionally simply making ready the identical means personally.”

The primary golf main of the yr, the Masters is as daunting as it’s lovely. The course is a golfer’s paradise with its iconic azaleas and magnolia bushes – till the angulated greens and uneven lies on the green make anybody query all the pieces about their sport. 

Day admits he has been making an attempt to tweak issues together with his sport in the previous few tournaments, and nothing has labored. In fact, that’s not what he would wish to hear earlier than the Masters, however he’s a veteran on the subject of this match the place he has made 9 of 12 cuts, together with six prime 20 finishes, 4 of which had been prime 10. 

“The previous few tournaments I attempted a couple of issues to attempt to get my swing to maneuver in a sure route the place I wish to go, and it simply hasn’t paid off,” Day stated. “So, I’m not going to upset it. I’m simply going to return to my previous feels. My brief sport and my placing are actually good proper now, in order that’s clearly essential. There’s excessive angulation, particularly on the inexperienced surfaces – across the greens as effectively. Generally, the enjoying providers can, despite the fact that it does look inexperienced and luxurious, generally the way in which they mow the grass generally is a little laborious to chip round and have good contact across the greens.

“Basically what I’m making an attempt to do is to get again to creating issues somewhat extra easy after which, by it being extra easy and also you not over-complicating issues, you play stress-free golf. In the event you play stress-free golf, that sometimes yields higher outcomes. Simply constructing that confidence over time.”

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As Day talked about, the Masters area will likely be stuffed with gamers like Scheffler, who’s red-hot proper now after profitable back-to-back tournaments with the Arnold Palmer Invitation and The Gamers earlier than ending tied-second on the Houston Open. Moreover, LIV Golf stars like Brooks Koepka, and the reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm, are at all times on the bingo card to compete. 

Once more, Day will not be new to this. As a former world No. 1, he is aware of how robust it may be when each golfer is gunning for the title. The one technique to stave them off is profitable. 

Getting his first profession inexperienced jacket would definitely vault him up the rankings, the place he presently sits No. 22 on this planet. The fantastic thing about the Masters is that, for all its bravado and custom, is rather like some other match when the primary tee photographs go off on Thursday.

“Golf is a finnicky sport: you will be enjoying horrible, however then one week it clicks, and then you definitely’re again within the winner’s circle saying, ‘How the hell did I do this?’ Doing the most effective job I can do proper now, and taking it day-to-day,” Day stated. 

It additionally helps that Day appears like he has his id again once more whereas carrying Malbon Golf apparel this season – a swap he made forward of the brand new yr after spending the previous seven years with Nike. 

Day’s apparel has been talked about within the {golfing} world since he was seen in baggier pants in comparison with different golfers at The Sentry again in January. He’s excited to showcase the kinds that Stephen and Erica Malbon, founders of the life-style golf model, selected for him this yr. 

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“I feel having the ability to put on the Malbon model at Augusta, there are quite a lot of traditions there. They sometimes say it: we don’t have guidelines right here, we’ve traditions at Augusta. That is among the locations the place you are feeling it probably the most, particularly being an old-school membership. ..I feel it’s extra about having the ability to showcase like, ‘Hey, we’re carrying the model, nevertheless it’s golf.’ We’re making an attempt to do it in probably the most respectful means, but additionally having the ability to showcase what’s behind Stephen’s concepts of having the ability to mix the style world regarding the {golfing} world.”

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