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HYUNDAI TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONSJanuary 8, 2015Jason DayKAPALUA, HAWAII THE MODERATOR: Jason Day joins us here at Kapalua, his second start at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He finished ninth here in 2011. Jason, welcome back. If we could get some comments from you. JASON DAY: Yes. Obviously a good way to start the year for me. I didn't play any in the fall obviously due to the injuries that I had to take care of, but excited to be back here. Means you're doing something extremely well if you're in the field here. But the game feels nice. I played two tournaments kind of early to mid December of last year, and I played great at Tiger's event, and me and Cameron Tringale ended up winning the Shark Shootout, which is nice. Just hoping the confidence in that game rolls over into the 2015 season. But no, excited to be here. Looking forward to a good week. Hopefully the weather can commit and we can have some good golf as well. THE MODERATOR: All right. Great. We'll go right into some questions. Q. So I've heard a few conversations about you that started out with, boy, if that guy can just stay healthy for an entire season. Do you ever go into January sort of thinking, okay, if I can just stay healthy for an entire season? JASON DAY: This is really the first time that I've really thought that, if I could stay healthy this season, that would be kind of one of my‑‑ it is one of my goals if I could stay healthy this season. But you know, that's all up to me, how hard I work in the gym to make sure that the back doesn't‑‑ I know the back's going to flare up every now and then, but as long as I'm on top of things and I don't slack a little bit here and there, I should be on top of the back. The thumb issue is a little bit different because it's just bone on bone, kind of hitting each other every time I hit balls. It's tough, because you know, this is what I like to do, this is what I love to do. I want to be out here competing. If I'm at home and I've got a lot of time off, I'm an angry man, just because I need to compete. My wife certainly feels it when I'm sitting there being grumpy on the couch and wanting to be out and playing, but you know, I feel like that I've improved over the years that I've been out here on the PGA TOUR. That's not only a good sign for me, but it's just the will and the want to improve, getting better in each and every year and hopefully having more than just two wins under my belt. That would be nice. And you know, if I could stay healthy, I believe that I can win this year. Q. Any surgery on the thumb? JASON DAY: No, not on the back; especially not on the thumb. Obviously we don't want to go the surgical route at all or anything like that. But you know, right now I feel great. I'm definitely not thinking about the thumb, not thinking about the back. I'm just out there to try and play golf and try and beat the other guys that are in the field this week. But you know, it's going to be tough, tough test because there's a lot‑‑ these guys are past winners of last year, and there's a lot of good golfers in the field this week. So the chances of you winning are a lot higher than the normal field, but then again, you still gotta beat the guys that are here. Q. You look at the list of former champions here and fellow Aussies like Stuart Appleby, Geoff Ogilvy feature prominently. Why do you think Aussies have been competing so well and performing so well here? JASON DAY: That's funny, I hear that a lot. You know, I played‑‑ last time I played here I finished T9, and I think it's‑‑ I grew up on grass like this, so I'm used to kind of the grainy grass. We didn't have hills like this. But we did grow up in a lot of wind. So we're used to that. But those guys, their games are a little bit different to mine. They hit the ball, they work the ball a little bit differently. Their ball flights are a little bit lower, they can work it a little lower because they grew up down south in Melbourne, the Melbourne area, so their style of golf is a little bit different to mine. I just feel like it fits them so well because they grow up hitting balls in the wind, hitting different shots. And you can definitely do that around here. There's some shots where ‑‑ you take the sixth hole, the par‑4 just over the‑‑ I mean I was sitting there chipping 5‑irons just over‑‑ I was standing there, the wind was into my face and you're just chipping 5‑irons just over the bunker and they just roll all the way down onto the green. So just little shots like that where you can kind of use your head and your imagination. I think that's kind of suited. But you know, I'd like to be one of those. I'd like to put my name on the trophy and add to that, and obviously if I could three‑peat like Stu did and []back up like Ogilvy, that would be nice. I really don't have a formula for it. I just know that they just like the course here. Q. Jason, I'm told you're a Buckeyes fan. JASON DAY: I see that hat you got on there. Q. Have you talked to Ben about any fun stuff for Monday after you guys are done? JASON DAY: No, I haven't talked to Ben at all. I don't know what he's doing. Yeah, I think he's got an curfew at like 9:00. But no, that's going to be an exciting game. I'm glad I'm sitting here talking about football, especially being here in Hawaii. But I'm looking forward to at least catching a bit of it. I'm not sure‑‑ I haven't really looked at the times of what time it's on. But yeah, it's amazing what they have done with the team to take it, especially with the injuries we've had, with Braxton and the second‑string quarterback we had. You know, it feels like we have about 85 quarterbacks on the team, which is nice. And you know, good running team that can beat on deep passes. So I think we're going to give Oregon a good run for their money, but Oregon is a tough time. Marcus, the Heisman winner this year, is an unbelievable quarterback, and you know, very fast‑paced, quick Oregon team. Q. You're able to talk American football‑‑ JASON DAY: Does it sound like I can talk? Q. Completely. JASON DAY: Because I was just talking bull crap. I just made that up in my head. See, I'm very quiet in a group and whenever people say, I'm going to say that and then the next phrase I say that and then I just put it all together and it sounds all right. If you are not aware of Columbus, if you were‑‑ well, if you were in the blue with an m on it, you're‑‑ it's a shame. But you kind of have to be a Columbus Buckeyes fan, and great people, good area to grow up‑‑ good area to raise a family and unbelievable college, and I'm glad that they're winning, because we're struggling a little bit with our sports back home, but the Cavs are going to pick it up again and the Browns. I don't know what's going on with the Browns. Q. We can talk about that later. JASON DAY: Yeah. We'll talk about that later. But I'm hoping the Browns can pick it up. The Bengals are a little bit better. So anyways. THE MODERATOR: Anything else? JASON DAY: I can stay here and talk football all day if you want me to. I know more about American sports than I do back home in Australia. Q. Do you go to any games? JASON DAY: I've been to one. I sat up in the family suite, which is pretty cool. Q. Which game? JASON DAY: It was something against San Diego State, I believe. They rocked them. Q. (Indiscernible)? JASON DAY: I couldn't even tell you. THE MODERATOR: Just trying to keep you grounded. JASON DAY: Yeah. Keep me grounded, because‑‑ you know, what is it? Okay. There you go. Next time someone asks me that, I'll be straight onto it. THE MODERATOR: Anything else? All right. Jason, thanks. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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