Aiming for a new Day at home course
DUBLIN, Ohio — Jason Day hears it on a regular basis — maybe at a local restaurant or at a grocery store around town. The people always mean well, but they feel compelled to ask.
“How come you don’t play better at the Memorial?’’
“It’s your home course. When are you going to win?’’
And so it goes — on and on like a broken record.
Day lives about a 15-minute drive from Muirfield Village Golf Club, the annual site for the Memorial and his home course. Yet, in the nine times he has played the tournament, dating to 2008, not only has Day never been in contention to win, but more often than not he has been off the reservation on the leaderboard.
Before his tie for 15th last year, which was a backdoor top-20 after a weekend surge, Day’s best finish at the Memorial was a tie for 27th, which he did twice. Along the way and in between, there have been two missed cuts, a tie for 41st, a tie for 37th and a tie for 33rd.
You get the picture: It hasn’t been pretty. And it has been a recurring source of aggravation, like a sharp pebble in his shoe.
“This is my home course and I’ve just sucked on it for a long time,’’ Day said Friday. “I don’t really think there has been any [one] reason why. I just didn’t play well. But I’m hopefully going to change that, because I feel different this year.’’ Day’s scores are different, too. After carding his second consecutive 4-under 68 in Friday’s second round, he’s 8-under for the tournament and is three shots off the lead held by Kyle Stanley and Joaquin Niemann.
“I’ve got two wins under my belt this year already [Farmers Insurance Open and the Wells Fargo Championship], so I’m not trying to come into this week [with] no wins and trying to get something going or push a little bit,’’ he said. “I also think after the last 10 years it’s taken me a while [to where] I think I know where the bad positions are now.’’
The only position that matters at the moment is Day’s lofty spot on the leaderboard for a change.
As upbeat as he usually is, Day’s curious drought on his home course has become a source of frustration for him.
“Yes, it annoys me,’’ he said. “I want to play well in front of my family. Family and friends come out and I want them to be yelling in the crowd when you’re in con- tention. That annoys me a lot.’’
Asked if he puts too much pressure on himself because this is a home game, Day said: “I think possibly a little bit. Everyone is like, ‘Oh, you should play good, it’s your home course.’ Well, I’ve only played it twice [this year] before the tournament, so it is my home course, but I don’t really play here too often.
“But saying that, I know the course well enough to come out and play well, so that’s not an excuse.’’
A win Sunday, which would include the traditional handshake and trophy presentation from Jack Nicklaus, the tournament founder and host, would erase years of frustration for Day.
“You go over the tournaments that you want to win the most and this is definitely one that you want to put on your résumé,’’ Day said. “I live here, so it’s even more special because of friends and family that come out to watch. It does frustrate me, because I do want to play well here and I know how to play well.
“Every time I come out [to play casually] I usually play very well, but when it comes to the tournament time I haven’t been able to connect the dots and put everything together.’’
What would it mean if he’s finally able do it this weekend?
“Oh, it’d be nice to go up and finally be able to shake Mr. Nicklaus’ hand and go through the [trophy] presentation with him,’’ Day said.
Then the locals can stop with their friendly inquiries and reminders about his shortcomings at the Memorial.
“Oh, they’re always saying to me, ‘It’s your home course,’ ’’ Day said. “And I tell them, ‘I’m trying my best.’’ ’
Perhaps by tournament’s end Sunday, that effort finally will lead to achievement for him and it’ll truly be Memorial Day.