Day prepares with mother ‘in good hands’
Australia’s Jason Day completed a long weekend of practice at Augusta National on Sunday, hopeful his mother’s condition in her cancer fight will allow him to play in the Masters.
The world number three toured the famed layout for the third consecutive day ahead of Monday’s first official practice session for what he hopes will be his seventh Masters start here come Thursday.
Day withdrew during the first round of the World Golf Championships Match Play event two weeks ago in Austin, Texas, and put his golf on hold to be with his mother, Dening, after her lung cancer surgery on March 24.
She was treated at Ohio State University’s cancer hospital and where Day and his family live.
“She’s in good hands,” Day said in comments to the Masters website, saying that gave him the peace of mind and confidence to return to golfing.
While his workouts among the Georgia pine trees are a good sign he will play this week in the he said that nothing is certain given his mother undergoing chemotherapy treatments.
“Obviously we still have to wait and see — chemo — but we feel much better about things,” he said.
Day, 29, said in Texas that he could not focus on defending his title over concerns about his mother, who is being looked after by his wife, Ellie, and children Dash and Lucy as well as other family and friends.
“I didn’t even want to be on the golf course,” Day said after withdrawing from the WGC event. “It was a struggle for me to play.”
His mother flew to America from Australia earlier this year.
Day’s time on the course has included work with swing coach Collin Swatton and playing a few holes with compatriot Curtis Luck the reigning US Amateur
ters debut.
GIOVINAZZI REPLACES WEHRLEIN FOR CHINA
Italian rookie Antonio Giovinazzi will again replace Pas cal Wehrlein at Sauber in Sun day’s Chinese Grand Prix due to the German’s fitness issues, the Swiss-based Formula One team said on Monday.
Sauber are hoping Wehrlein who withdrew from last month’s season-opener in Australia could be back for the third round in Bahrain or Russia after that.
Giovinazzi, a Ferrari-backed driver who is the first Italian to race in Formula One since 2011 made an impressive debut in Melbourne when he finished 12th.
Wehrlein injured his back in a crash at the “Race of Champions” event in Miami in January and