Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Day leaves Match Play as mother battles lung cancer
AUSTIN, TEXAS » Defending champion Jason Day tearfully withdrew from the Dell Technologies Match Play after six holes Wednesday so he could be with his mother when she has surgery for lung cancer.
Day said his mother, Dening, was diagnosed in Australia at the start of the year and told she had 12 months to live. He brought her to Ohio in the last month for more tests, hopeful that surgery would lead to a chance for a recovery.
“It’s really hard to even comprehend being on the golf course right now because of what she’s gone through,” Day said after taking a moment to clear his voice and wipe tears from his face. “I’m glad I brought her over here. And it’s been really hard to play golf lately this year. It’s been very, very emotional, as you can tell. I’ve already gone through it once with my dad, and I know how it feels. And it’s hard enough to see another one go through it.”
His father, Alvin, died of stomach cancer when Day was 12.
Day said he went through a wild streak after his father died until he was sent off to a golf academy, where under the teaching and mentoring of Colin Swatton, he rose to be a PGA champion and reach No. 1 in the world.
His mother took out a second mortgage on the house and borrowed money from relatives to pay for his schooling. After winning the PGA Championship in 2015, Day recalled watching her cut the lawn with a knife because they couldn’t afford a lawn mower and using a kettle for hot water to bathe. He once shopped for used clothes at a store where for $5 he could stuff as much as he could into a bag.
“I just need some time away with her to make sure that everything goes well, because this has been very, very tough for me,” Day said. “So I’m going to do my best and try and be there the best I can for her because she is the reason that I’m playing golf today.”
He did not take questions, leaving the press center for his car with his wife, Ellie.
Day lives near Columbus, Ohio, where he met his wife when he was on the Nationwide Tour as a teenager trying to get his PGA Tour card.
His agent, Bud Martin, said Day’s mother was at The James Cancer Hospital at Ohio State. He said the prognosis is better than what she had gotten in Australia, and doctors now hope that the cancer can be managed.