MASTERS STILL HURTS JASON BUT PGA A NEW DAY
JASON Day admits a onehole meltdown during last month’s Masters still stings but it’s added motivation at this week’s US PGA Championship in New York.
Day, the 2015 PGA Championship winner, was well in contention at Augusta National during the third round before a sloppy doublebogey at the par-5 15th.
“I’ve never been angrier on a golf course, or in my life, than I was that day,” Day said at PGA host venue Bethpage Black.
Day eventually finished two shots behind winner Tiger Woods, in a tie for fifth.
“Coming off Augusta and being in the spotlight with regards to trying to win the Masters for the first time makes you itch to get back out at a major,” Day said.
For 31-year-old Day, his emotional state before the Masters and the PGA Championship could not be more contrasting.
Day admits the Masters is the title he wants more than any other. But the PGA Championship beginning tonight is Day’s bread and butter and it’s a timely event for him, with changed dates putting it the month after the Masters.
The Queenslander’s record at the PGA Championship is sensational, with a win and a runner-up finish among five top-10 finishes from nine starts.
At the 2015 edition at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, Day became the first golfer to win a major championship with a 20under-par total.
“Having that experience and those good memories is a massive weapon to have on my side,” Day said.
“I know I can play well at this event if I stay disciplined. I play pretty decent on this golf course, too.”
Day flew to New York to play an 18-hole practice round on the notoriously difficult Beth page Black on Saturday.
He then returned home to Ohio before coming back to New York on Tuesday. Day is among eight Australians in the field, including Adam Scott, Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith.