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AT&T PEBBLE BEACH NATIONAL PRO-AMFebruary 11, 2015Jason DayPEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA THE MODERATOR: We would like to welcome Jason Day to the interview room here at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro‑Am. He's making his sixth start at this event. He has two sixth place finishes here, and he's coming off of his win last week at the Farmers Insurance Open. Jason, welcome back to Pebble Beach. Let's get some comments. JASON DAY: It's good to be back here. It's one of my favorite stops of the year, especially when we have nice weather. But looking forward to the week. I had Monday, Tuesday off just to try to recover from last week's win, but looking forward to getting some good practice in today and getting into the tournament tomorrow. THE MODERATOR: Okay. Take questions. Q. Just talk about how the golf. Obviously, you have to do it every single time, there's not really a carry over. But I imagine mentally you have to be feeling like you're heading toward a good season, riding that win. Talk about that. JASON DAY: Yeah, you see it during the year. Not just only myself, but other players as well, they're playing great, their confidence is going high, so I think one of my‑‑ one of the things that I want to keep doing is, obviously, playing well. The only way I'm going to play well is preparing the best I can and really trying to work on the little things that I need to work on. The weaknesses that, obviously, every week that I get into a tournament, knowing that certain holes I played poorly and certain holes I play well. Are they strategy, are they mental? Just really trying to pinpoint why I play those holes bad and then from there going and changing that and hopefully playing holes better. And then, overall obviously, if that happens, we kind of happened like last week. I played the holes that I played poorly a lot better and that's kind of why I won last week. But overall, I'm trying to keep this confidence high going. It would be nice to go back to back, but I know it's going to be very difficult, but we'll see how it goes. I'm looking forward to the start of this week, because it's always fun to be here. Q. Follow‑up, in terms of expectations, I know that there's a lot of talk of high expectations for you, and I'm sure you put a lot of high expectations on yourself. How do you sort of weigh those two aspects? JASON DAY: Yeah, I think it's just trying to ‑‑ obviously, it's just through the expectations of that I've played well before, especially after a win, I've played well after a win as well. But getting back to what I've done to win a golf tournament. I think that's what I need to do is, make sure that I've prepared. Obviously, it's a little hard because I took Monday, Tuesday off. I'm not going to go out and have a practice round. It's just too much ground to cover, especially after a win, trying to recover. I think rest is more important in the first two days of this week than any other time, because obviously after a win you're very mentally tired. So, around these kinds of courses, if the wind's up a little bit, or even if especially at Pebble, it's very difficult course, if it's blowing. So you got to have the mental energy there to kind of grind it out and that's kind of what I like to do. Especially around tough courses like this. So, with that said, it's still those old cliches, there's a process and taking it a shot at a time. It's going to be tough, but I'm looking forward to trying to win this week. Q. You talked a lot last week, and probably this week too, about how that seems like maybe it was a pivotal kind of win setting up for a big year. If that's the case, what do you think you'll remember most about last week? JASON DAY: I think getting up‑and‑down the 17th. The two years before I hit it in the same spot and didn't get up‑and‑down. I had a similar putt left‑to‑right down the hill and got up‑and‑down. I think that's one of those up‑and‑downs that I'll remember for a long time. And obviously, on top of it just the way I handled myself in the playoff. My first playoff ever. Four‑guy playoff. So it was ‑‑ I felt calm at the time. But obviously, my heart was racing so, I was just trying to do a lot of breathing, trying to slow it down a little bit. And I played great in that playoff and that's probably what I'll remember. Obviously, I'm just really hoping to take this good form into the year. It was my third start of the year, last week, and I'm just‑‑ I just want to keep it going. I don't know how else to explain it, because I really want to break out and I really want to play well and win consistently out here and be one of those guys that are the dominant force out here like a Rory or Tiger or Phil. That's kind of what I'm shooting for. Obviously, you can't do that without winning. So, what I want to do is to keep it going and keep it rolling that way. So we'll see how it goes. Q. Talking about that playoff real quick. Did you think about the match play at all? JASON DAY: Yeah, I did. That's kind of‑‑ I feel like I'm pretty good at match play, so that's kind of‑‑ I just said to myself, all I have to do is beat the guys on one hole. Shoot a lower score than them and I'm fine. I don't know, it's just, it felt like match play even though I was playing against three other guys. I just‑‑ for some reason it just gets me in a mode, and I just went out there and I played great, I really did. So I'm happy about that. Q. Jason, just touching off what happened last week and everybody on talk radio loves the latest and the greatest, you're the one coming off the win. Just curious, in golf is there such a thing as momentum week‑to‑week? JASON DAY: Oh, yeah. Big time. It's huge. Because ‑‑ I just touched on it a little bit before, that when you see a guy win, usually he'll keep that going for a little bit. I've always wondered why. Obviously, you're on a confidence high, you keep it going. But why can't we just keep that going through out the whole year, you know what I mean? That's what I'm going to try and do. Keep the momentum rolling my way. There was definitely some shots last week that if I didn't hole those putts, especially the par putt on 12, the par‑4, the tough one, straight into the teeth of the wind going back to the ocean. If I don't hole that putt, I probably wouldn't have won. Those things, probably a year or two years ago, like I probably would have missed it and I probably wouldn't have won. This time I made it, and to be honest, I have no idea why it went in. I was just trying to just focus and make sure that I hit a good shot and that's kind of how the momentum roles, is once you get something going and it keeps going, and you're on that confidence high, you really kind of not so worried about hitting bad shots, because it doesn't matter what you do. You know that for some reason you're going to get up‑and‑down, or you're going to hit a good shot the next time or if you bogey a hole, you know that for some reason you're going to birdie the next hole. That's kind of what momentum and kind of feeling like you're in the zone feels like. Q. Give us an idea, for you, of what a breakout year means. Grand Slam? JASON DAY: (Laughter.) Well, that would be great. Q. Secondly, your definition of what a breakout year would be for you, and what do you think a breakout year would be for Bubba. JASON DAY: I think a breakout year would be a few wins and a Major. But yeah, I just don't know, because I haven't really started the year, so we'll see how it goes at the end of the year. But it's hard to put a ‑‑ I always say it's hard to kind of put what a breakout year is, because you never just never know. One win might be great for you. You may be playing great the whole year, and just haven't really kind of finished it off. But I think that if you're a multiple winner out here during the year, you've had a great season. For Bubba, man, he's won the Masters twice and that's one thing that I'm trying to look for. Any time you're consistently winning, once or twice a year, that's kind of, that's where you need to be. If you're a consistent winner on the TOUR, each and every year, and multiple times a year, that means you're a dominant player. Q. You said last week that your goals are just to get ‑‑ I think it was you, to get better. JASON DAY: Yeah. Q. Get the most out of every day? JASON DAY: Yeah. Q. We have had a number of guys talk about they have never had back to back or they have never had multiple win seasons. Is that one of your‑‑ outside of your getting better every day, is that something that would be on your mind? JASON DAY: Yeah, you know what, I'm not even thinking about winning. Q. You just said you wanted to win this week. JASON DAY: No, would I like to win, but that's what we're all trying to strive for but I'm not really thinking about it, obviously. I can't win it on Thursday, I can definitely take myself out of the tournament on Thursday, but, yeah, I'm just trying to give it a hundred percent every day. Like I said last week, I haven't written down any goals. Every week that I come into an event, if I'm in the there to win, then I shouldn't be playing. Because I'm just a number. Q. Have you done that before? JASON DAY: Oh, yeah, plenty of times. I just show up and not really into it and that's just the start of my career. That's just being honest. There's times where I've come in and I've wanted it less then some weeks I've wanted it more. But this year I'm very motivated to give it, give it a good shot each and every day that I wake up and try. And I think the ultimate goal, like I've always said, is trying to reach that No. 1 spot and without reaching ‑‑ to reach that No. 1 spot, you have to win multiple times a year, like Rory and Tiger have done. That's what it takes. So, it's the start of the year. I'm looking forward to it and we'll see how it goes at the end. Q. When was the last time you played a tournament without a practice round? JASON DAY: Most likely this tournament every year. (Laughter.) I never play a practice round here. I just ‑‑ I don't know, it's just like I said, it's just so much ground to cover. You've got three courses, you've got amateurs playing, and professionals trying to play on different golf courses. And I feel like my game's pretty suited to these golf courses, but it's not the best preparation. But we're out there for six, six and a half hours a day for a round. It can be mentally tiring on yourself. So, rest is very, very important this week and making sure that everything is a hundred percent. Q. When you said before maybe at times you didn't care enough and now it seems like you really do and you're talking about the about the greats and wanting to be one of the greats. Is it sort of a mind game you're playing with yourself a little bit, where at some point did you get sort of a pep talk or did you have a catalyst at a point in time where you said, that's it, I'm going care a lot about this game and get this thing done? JASON DAY: I just don't think I had the belief as much. I wouldn't ‑‑ obviously, some weeks you come in and things you're not really focused as much as other weeks. But I would probably say the majority of those times that I came in, I just didn't have the belief that I could go out there and win golf tournaments. And it's kind of something that you gradually learn over time just through experience and being successful in golf tournaments. I've said it and I'm very motivated, I've been working very hard. Through the recent results that I've had, especially over the last couple years, I've started to believe a lot more that I can win, I can win a lot more consistently out here. My game is capable of doing that. But until then, I still got to keep working hard and I don't think I'll ever be Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy or anything like that, so I just got to try and find myself, really try and believe in myself and take it from there. Q. When you talk about the belief and consistencies you just talked on in the context of the Major, the four Majors. Your belief level, if it's‑‑ if it changes or if it alters at all, from Major to Major, is there one that you have more belief in or are there two or three that you have more belief in than the others? JASON DAY: Yeah, I would say, I would say Augusta and the U.S. Open I have the most confidence in. PGA then the British, because I really don't play well at the British. That's something that I have to change this year. I really want to play well this year at the British Open, especially being at St. Andrews. My first time I played the British was at St. Andrews back in 2010. So, I'm really pumped to play Augusta. Really pumped to play the U.S. Open. Never played Chambers Bay but looking forward to getting up there. And obviously the last two, the British and the PGA at Whistling Straits. But, yeah, I don't know what it is about Major Championships and being on the biggest stage and everyone's watching you and if you kind of, if you falter, everyone sees that. Then people are there to‑‑ things go through your head. So I think I'm just extra focused that week, I'm extra prepared in making sure that I hit every base before I get out there and play my golf. I don't know, for me, they're very motivating to play and play well in, because everyone kind of measures your career by the success you've had in the Majors. Not only with the PGA TOUR or around the other tours that you play, but especially the Majors, because that's what everyone looks at and that's what everyone watches the most. So, really good spots I think for me to play well. I'm looking forward to getting up and seeing Chambers Bay. I have never seen it before, but the other three I've seen. It's an exciting time for me right now. I'm really enjoying myself, not only on the course but off the course, I feel really balanced in my life. I'm just really single focused right now and everything that I think of, if it's not family, it is my golf. That's all I'm trying to focus on right now. Q. Last year in the same period, you played against Victor Dubuisson, the French man, what souvenir do you have one year after about this famous day? JASON DAY: What was that last bit? Q. What souvenir do you keep in mind one year after being with him? JASON DAY: Fantastic guy. It was great to play against Victor and I'm hoping to play against him again this year in the Match Play when he's back over. Every year, every week that I see him out here I'm always saying hello and we always talk for a few minutes. He is really a gentleman of the game, because not many people know this but I've said it before, that after he got up‑and‑down the first time, he came and apologized to me for getting up‑and‑down. So, it's just, that shows a lot of character what he's like as a person. We're both out there trying to win a golf tournament and he's coming over to apologize on the 19th hole that he got up‑and‑down out of a cactus. I'm looking forward, because he's had a pretty good start as well this year. I think he's ranked inside the Top‑20. He's around 15 or 16 right now. He's very young as well. He's got a lot of improvement to do, just as I have, and he's going to be a dominant force for France for a lot of time to come. Q. What did he say on the 20th hole? JASON DAY: He didn't say anything, I just laughed at him. I mean I'm just glad it's over now, because I mean we know, we don't know, because he might pull something out up at Harding Park this year, too, so we'll have to wait and see. THE MODERATOR: Jason, thank you, sir. JASON DAY: Thank you. Cheers. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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