Day treasures time with Palmer in 2016
The last time Jason Day was at Bay Hill Club & Lodge, he won the 2016 Arnold Palmer Invitational and shared a celebratory drink — or two or three — with the King.
“I felt like I was drinking a whole bottle of Ketel One (Palmer’s favorite drink),” Day said with a big smile. “And then I was on Golf Channel, and I felt absolutely hammered. I was sitting down, and I’m dehydrated. I had a drink with him, and I’m going up there, and I don’t know what I’m saying on Golf Channel. But hopefully it turns out something decent.”
Day pulled it off. Now he hopes to pull off back-to-back wins at Arnie’s place and jump-start his year just as he did here last year.
After missing three months with back issues that forced him out of the final two tournaments of last year’s FedExCup Playoffs, Day entered his title defense this week having played four events this year. He missed an event because of illness, has one top-10 finish and has lost his No. 1 ranking.
While not panicking — the Masters, after all, is three weeks away — Day was frustrated with the lack of playing time. Eager to get going again, Day arrived at the tee Thursday morning, and it was 40 degrees. “It was very chilly,” he said. The cold air and steady winds tempered everyone’s power during the morning wave as balls were traveling about 10 to 20 yards shorter than normal. It was tough for players to commit fully to their shots because of the strange numbers each club was producing. But Day managed to shoot 2-under-par 70, which tied him for eighth and had him in range of the leaders.
“Anything under par in the morning was great,” said Day, who hit 2-iron, 5-iron into the par-4 10th when he normally hits 2-iron, wedge.
Day trails Emiliano Grillo, who played in the morning, and afternoon starter Matthew Fitzpatrick, the two setting the pace at 67. Lucas Glover, Paul Casey and Charley Hoffman — all played in the afternoon, when it was 20 degrees warmer — were at 68.
Last year Day arrived here off his game. He had won five times in 2015, including his lone major in the PGA Championship, but got off to a slow start. He found his form at Bay Hill, shooting 6665 to start, and shook Palmer’s hand after the win. Then he won the next week in the World Golf Championships-Match Play event. Two months later, he won The Players Championship.
“It has been a slow start this year, but I think last year you guys were asking the same thing right around this time ... so it would be nice to be able to get on a roll like that,” Day said. “It’s been a funny year. Like one week it would be putting really decent and not hitting that great, then next week I would be hitting it pretty decent and not putting that great. So I really haven’t clipped it together. Haven’t had any momentum going my way.
“This is obviously a very important stretch coming up, just to see you how the state of my game is going into Augusta.
“I really am giving it 100%, so if that’s what it is, unfortunately, I just got to keep working hard and try and get back to that winning form.”
But he’ll never forget drinks with Palmer.
“It was special, because I was sitting there and talking to him, and this guy’s such an icon in the game of golf, and it’s sad that no one gets to do that anymore,” Day said. “So that’s something that I will always hold dear to my heart, because I was the last guy to have that congratulatory drink with him.”