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THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

May 14, 2016

Jason Day

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

CANDACE REINHEIMER: We have word No. 1 Jason Day in the interview room. Jason, you came into today with a four-shot lead and you were able to keep that. Tell us a little about your round.

JASON DAY: Where should I start? Yeah, it was -- I feel like I played pretty good today. I think I hit a lot of greens. I don't know how many greens I hit, but I feel like I gave myself a decent amount of opportunities on the greens. But it was just, the green speeds kind of took me by surprise. It was just such a drastic change from Thursday to Friday to now, this afternoon.

I mean, the front nine was a bit borderline in my honest opinion, but I think a lot of the players probably think that, as well. I think it was, what, I think they said it was 71, the scoring average yesterday, and 76 today or something like that, which is just unbelievable.

But to have two doubles on the front side and then play some nice golf on the back side to really kind of keep that distance between me and the rest of the guys was nice. But really hoping they slow the greens down tomorrow.

Q. You don't make your first bogey until the 39th hole and then you have those two doubles in the next five holes. What are you telling yourself, and are you even aware that the carnage is all around you?
JASON DAY: What course was Ken Duke playing today? Can anyone tell me? Was he playing across the road? I mean it was just -- to be able to shoot that score is better -- I think that should the course record. It was just an absolute joke. Sitting there looking at his score is just amazing. And Hideki, as well. They're probably the two happiest people on this whole TOUR right now.

Q. They were two of only 16 people not to have at least a double bogey on there or worse on their card.
JASON DAY: Wow. Wow. Yeah, 6 caught me off guard. I hit it to 20 feet and ended up four-putting. I heard the crowd, they said, yeah, it's fast. I was walking over and they said, it's fast, it's fast, it's fast, they're yelling at me. Usually when you hear it you don't listen to them. I hit the putt, and it was fast, and I ended up making a mess. Make birdie on 7 and make a mess on 8 and then make a great birdie on 9.

It was a little frustrating on how quick the greens got. I said it earlier that I've never played golf where I'm trying to lag 10-foot putts just to get around the hole. Usually I'm trying to -- my mentality is trying to hole all the putts; if I can get on the green, I'm holing everything. But a 10-foot putt felt like it was 60 feet away just to try and get it that close. It was difficult.

Q. In one word, how would you describe the greens?
JASON DAY: Crazy. Yeah. I could say something worse, but, no, everyone had to go through it. Everyone had to go through it, and it was just -- it's just unfortunate that it kind of got them that quick. There's obviously no excuses in this game, because you got to go out and earn wins, but it was just a little tough on us today, but it is what it is. We got to -- everyone's got to face it the same way. Happy to have a four-shot lead going into tomorrow.

Q. You always say you love the grind; you love the U.S. Open style. This looked like more than you were used to. How were you able to keep it together?
JASON DAY: It was -- I want to say this was the toughest day I've ever had to play in my life, I think. After the birdie on 9, that kind of gave me a little bit of a boost going into the back side, but obviously I wasn't looking forward to the back side because if the front side was quick, the back side was just going to be just as quick.

I want to win this tournament so bad. I really do. I want to win this tournament. Especially with how you can go down in history, this may push me over the line someday to get in the Hall of Fame, and that's obviously key for me, especially in my career that I want to look back and know that I won THE PLAYERS. But right now I'm just trying to focus on trying to play well tomorrow. But I mean, that's all you could do is just try and survive.

Q. Do you expect similar conditions tomorrow? Do you think they will leave it since they're blowing up the place anyway?
JASON DAY: Golly, I hope not. I really don't. I hope not, because that would just ruin everything. That won't make it fun for -- we were out there for nearly six hours today trying to play 18 holes. That was just, it was -- talk about slow play, they made the course pretty much nearly unplayable. If they do make it like that, then I'm just going to have to grind my hardest to win the tournament, and I'm okay with that. I won't stop until it's done, and I can rest after that.

Q. I know you got a lot of encouragement from Tiger last year at the Old Course at St. Andrews. Are you still living off that? To some degree has it stayed with you?
JASON DAY: Yeah, I mean, everything kind of -- any sort of interaction that I have with Tiger especially, it has a big difference. Not so much obviously the Old Course, but even this week he texted me and said, just stay in your world and it's a marathon, obviously, and today felt like two marathons. But yeah, just little things like that obviously stick with me and keep me going.

Q. Even this week you've had texts back and forth with Tiger?
JASON DAY: Yeah, yeah, he texted me after the 9-under and then and he said, great playing, stay in your world and it's a marathon, obviously, not a sprint.

Q. Was there one tournament that you've played where you learned the most about closing out a victory, and if so, did you learn more in winning or losing?
JASON DAY: You obviously learn more when you fail. Bay Hill taught me a lot, as well, this year. Even though I didn't have the greatest stuff from tee to green and I felt a little bit nervous going into that last round, I kind of stuck it out, just kind of like today. Even though I did hit it better, I hit it pretty good today and felt like I putted half decent, but, yeah, I mean, Bay Hill sticks out in my mind if it's fresh, just to know that you got to keep grinding it out, because you just never know what's going to happen, especially around the corner.

So today I'm sitting four shots in front. I just got to try and be patient with myself tomorrow. It's going to be interesting. I'm really interested to see how they set the golf course up, how fast the greens are going to be, and then I'll be able to make my decisions on what I need to do from there. But I just can't be too aggressive out there.

Q. Is there anything specifically you can take from that day at Bay Hill that you'll use tomorrow?
JASON DAY: I kind of did that today from -- today felt like Sunday. I kind of wished it was Sunday, but, yeah, I felt like that today. Especially with how I played the front nine at Bay Hill and played the front nine here today, and then I obviously turned it around and played good on the back side. And that's -- I kept on saying to myself -- just obviously going back, I said that exact same thing as I said today. I just got to keep grinding and keep giving myself the opportunities and just not quit until it's over. But it worked out today, which was nice.

Q. The second round must feel like it was forever ago, but after it, Jordan said that watching you having seemingly a birdie attempt on every hole, it frustrated him; he found himself pressing; it was hard for him to stay patient. It sounded like you added to his demoralization, and I'm sure there are players who look at the fact that you had two doubles and they couldn't cut into your lead and that's demoralizing. What do you make of the fact that the No. 2 player in the world is talking that way, and do you sense it?
JASON DAY: I hope he talks like that for the rest of his life; it would be nice, right? (Laughter.)

No, Jordan is coming off what happened at the Masters. He didn't play in between then and now, so he's obviously going to have just a little bit of rust, and it showed a little bit. But he's such a competitor. He'll get back on his feet and obviously he's gone second, win, second at Augusta National which is a pretty tough thing to do.

It just goes to show what he thinks about my game, and gives me a lot of confidence going forward knowing that he thinks about that, in that way, and that I'm doing the right things on the golf course to make him feel that way. Obviously we're all out there trying to beat each other up, but after the round we're happy for each other whether we win or lose.

But yeah, the last two days I think I played with him at the BMW and did the similar thing as well, so that -- yeah, especially when you're hitting it 330 yards down the middle and hitting on the greens and holing 60-foot bombs and stuff like that, that doesn't help. But, yeah, having two doubles today, it's just real key for me to show how much patience I have in this situation, especially with the whole field trying to catch me.

Q. The 4 at 15, that was not a routine par?
JASON DAY: That was great, wasn't it?

Q. Take us through the shots from the drive on, your thought process.
JASON DAY: I was actually trying to hit a straight shot, and I kind of overdid it and hit it into the trees, and the second shot wasn't that hard. It wasn't really that hard at all. I was trying to land it 145 yards, just five paces short of the green, one-bounce it kind of up the green, and if it stayed up in that front section, great; if not, then it's going to go over the back in that little bowl and I'll have that tough putt.

I flat-out pulled it into the tree. I didn't see that tree and I pulled it five paces left of it. It was a 9-iron. And I got down and tried to do the exact same thing with my wedge. Instead of hitting a 60, because if I hit 60 it wouldn't have got there, I hit a little 52 and tried to run it up there, and I think if it was five paces longer it would have got up there, maybe have been a little bit closer or over in that little hollow. Those chip shots, that chip shot, I'm just trying to hit my spot. I wasn't really thinking about holing it, I was just trying to not make double, and I got away with one there, and that gave me a good momentum boost in my direction to really save that par and go ahead and hit a great drive down 16 and hit a good 8-iron in there. Unfortunately missed the eagle putt, but instead of walking out with a 6 and maybe a 5 on the next hole I walk out there 4 and 3. Or 4 and 4, sorry. So, I could have let the whole field back into the tournament if I made six there.

CANDACE REINHEIMER: All right. Thank you, Jason. Good luck tomorrow.

JASON DAY: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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