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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 15, 2015

Jason Day

Kohler, Wisconsin, USA

JOHN DEVER: Good evening, everybody. Welcome back to have the 97th PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.

Jason Day, 66 today, 15-under for the championship. You had 8 birdies and one eagle today. Could you maybe go shot by shot on No. 11 for us with the eagle.

JASON DAY: Oh, yeah, the wind was down off our left, actually it was down to our right, so that bunker to cover, the big bunker is about 305, and we're up about 10. Didn't expect to hit my drive down that far on the fairway. I had a pitching wedge in my hand and hit it from 160 yards to ten -- about 15 feet and rolled in a nice putt.

And it was obviously -- it got it started from nine. Once I birdied 9, and I rolled in that nice putt on 10, to be able to hit that drive down 11 and really hole that putt on 11 was nice.

13, 14 was great for me. A little mishap on 15, but today was great. I felt like I tried to stay as patient as I could, even with the few mistakes that I did make. But overall I'm very happy with how I played today.

JOHN DEVER: 24 putts today, seemed like you were rolling the ball pretty well, do you agree?

JASON DAY: I said it earlier this week, it feels -- every time I get on the green, I get excited. Whether it's a birdie putt, par putt or bogey putt, doesn't matter what it is, I get excited because I feel like I'm going to hole it. When you feel like that, it makes everything so much more fun and makes you want to hit more greens. And it takes a lot of pressure off your shoulders, too, if you're having a good time on the greens.

To be able to have 24 putts definitely helped today. It helps every day if you have 24 putts, but I feel good on these greens. The greens are rolling pure. They're not overly quick, and they're not overly slow. They're perfect speed. And I'm seeing the lines perfectly and hopefully I can continue that tomorrow.

Q. You've been in contention a lot of times in majors now. But I believe this is your first 54-hole lead. What do you think that's going to do to your mindset? What's going to be different about that, and how do you think you'll sleep tonight?
JASON DAY: I think I'll be fine. I'm just really tired because we had to get up early this morning and come back out.

I've been in position where I've been close to the lead going into Sunday, been tied for the lead. The U.S. Open I was tied for the lead this year going into the last day. But to have a two-shot lead is pretty sweet.

I'm not looking at it as a negative, you can't, because you've got two shots and I've played phenomenal golf leading up to this. But now I've got to focus on Round 4. Everything I need to do is just make sure that I focus and prepare myself for tomorrow, make sure I get enough rest, make sure I get hydrated, because it is going to be warm tomorrow. And really kind of mentally prepare myself to know that things may go wrong tomorrow and things maybe go right. But you've got to make sure that you just keep pushing forward. And that's the mindset I need to take into tomorrow, and not really think about anything else.

Q. Having been there before, what is the difference when you get to that final round?
JASON DAY: Really not trying to beat yourself. I think the hardest thing for a player is when they're trying to close, they kind of get if in their own way, start thinking to themselves if they can do it, if they can't do it, is the shot too hard, is the shot too easy.

A number of things can happen, especially on a final round of a major championship. I've done all the hard work right now to get into contention, to have this lead. So tomorrow I just need to be patient with myself, need to make sure that I stay disciplined to my targets. It's all the boring stuff, really, that you guys don't want to hear. But it's really the honest truth that I'm trying to get out because I can't get in my own way.

The moment I start seeing what Jordan is doing or what Rose is doing or the guys behind me are doing, the moment I see I've made a mistake here, I should have done this, I get in my own way, and I can't let that happen.

Q. Great job with a 66 today. Jordan shot a 65. It's going to be a hell of a battle tomorrow. What are your expectations about this battle?
JASON DAY: I think -- well, I'm hoping there's a lot of holes -- holed putts out there tomorrow. I feel like I'm putting well, and I think he's putting well, especially after the 7-under he shot today.

You can never count out Jordan right now with how he's playing, especially this year. He's just full of confidence right now.

So with my confidence level and his stellar play right now, it's going to be -- I feel like it's going to be an exciting finish tomorrow. I'm hoping they set the course up where you can attack it. And I think they've done a pretty good job of that this week. And I think Sunday is going to be an exciting match. You don't count the guys out behind us, as well, because there's especially a lot of long hitters. Tony Finau and Justin Rose can get it out there, he's very straight. When he gets that putter rolling, he can be very deadly, as well.

Once again, tomorrow is just going to be fun, it really is going to be a lot of fun. I'm really excited just to get to tomorrow.

Q. You were second in two of the majors back in 2011. Looking back, what do you think it would have meant to win a major that year versus what it would mean to do it tomorrow?
JASON DAY: I probably would have caught me by surprise if I won a major back in 2011 compared to now. I've done all the hard work to -- especially over the last four or five years, to really put myself to the point where I actually believe in myself, know that I'm one of the best players in the world and can beat anyone on my day.

I really have to believe in myself tomorrow, but if it happens tomorrow all that work that I've put in over the last four or five years has paid off. And sometimes it takes longer. Sometimes it takes a while before you finally see how you're supposed to do it.

It would be very gratifying. It's delayed gratification, rather than just really instant gratification, where most of us tend to want. But it's the work and the process that we've put into our game to really build us up to points or possible wins, like tomorrow.

Q. You've been talking, you said it here again, about the ability to get by your mistakes, and that's how you've grown. Obviously we saw your reaction on 17 today after 15 and the bad lie on 16. Was that the out coming of that actually coming to fruition?
JASON DAY: 15, I wasn't too -- I was a little frustrated with it, but it was my own fault that I hit it in the bunker, I understand that.

16, I was very frustrated. I hit a great drive down the middle, I hit a 3-wood from 265 in the wind, expecting it to be close to the hole. It goes over, and it looks like someone stood on the bloody ball. It was a little frustrating walking off the hole with a par, because I hit two great shots.

Then to hole the putt on 17, I had a feeling that I was going to hole it. I knew I had to let my emotions out. If I held it in, I think I would have been too tense going into 18. I had to let my emotions out, and it kind of calmed me down going into the 18 tee ball, and going to the second shot, as well. It was getting back at those last two holes, and knowing that I'm not going to let you beat me because of the frustration I had those last two holes. It was a lot of fun.

Q. You've mentioned how confident you are a number about of times now. Looking back to the U.S. Open, how much of a confidence boost did you get from that, from everything you overcame there?
JASON DAY: Yeah, I mean, it was just more about how I could really push myself mentally and physically. I mean, I wasn't out there dying, but I felt pretty awful. I was playing dizzy. And with a stationary, you know, ball, it's very hard to see the ball when you're dizzy.

But to be able to get through that week and then kind of keep that play up through the British Open or The Open Championship and then -- it was all working in the right direction for me because after a little bit of the frustration at the Open Championship, to be able to come back and do what I did at obviously the Canadian Open, winning that with three birdies on the final three holes, and then keeping that momentum going. Really just understanding what I needed to do. It gave me a lot of confidence, especially from, like you said, the U.S. Open.

Q. They say in match play, the hardest player to play with is one who seems to make every putt that they're looking at. Allowing for the fact that you want to stay focused on your game, based on St. Andrews, and any other times you've played with Jordan, how difficult is it to ignore a player like that when they get it going?
JASON DAY: It can be hard. But long story short, you've just got to suck it up and say I'm not playing against Jordan -- yeah, I am playing against him tomorrow. But there's guys behind me that I'm playing, as well.

I think the good thing about it is this week you've got the old school kind of leaderboards, so the guys are putting up the numbers, and I hadn't really looked at leaderboards too much because I've just been too focused on what I need to do. And that's the biggest thing.

It's like today when I saw Matt Jones hit his shot into the first hole and he stiffed it, I just knew that -- just don't worry about it, just don't panic. Make sure you go through your pre-shot routine, make sure you get the numbers right. And then I went and hit inside of him.

That's the stuff I need to do tomorrow, even though Jordan might be holing putts on me. If he goes out and wins tomorrow from him putting well, then he deserves it. But I'm going to give him a fight.

JOHN DEVER: Jason Day, thank you. We'll see you at 1:45 tomorrow.

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