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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

July 31, 2016

Jason Day

Springfield, New Jersey

JOHN DEVER: Good evening, welcome back to the 98th PGA Championship. Pleased to be joined by Jason Day. Jason shot a pair of 67s today, finish with a four-day total of 267, one shot off the pace.

Jason, what a day it was. Let's start with your eagle a few minutes ago on 18. What was your mind-set on the tee and did that change in the middle of the hole when you maybe realized Jimmy Walker had taken a three-shot advantage?

JASON DAY: I didn't know he had taken a three-shot advantage. I didn't know if he holed the putt before my shot or after my shot because I didn't hear anything really. All I knew was that I assumed I was only two shots back going into 18.

I think I was a little disappointed with the putt on 17. I really read it to go left-to-right and it went dead straight. I hit a good putt. Just can't do anything other than hit a good putt; unfortunately didn't.

Yeah, I mean, going down 18, the play, you think the play is to hit driver, but I could hit a 2-iron down there, especially with the tee up. I hit a great 2-iron down there and I just said, let's just try and finish off with a bang, try to give him something to think about and just keep pushing forward.

The 2-iron into the green was probably one of the best 2-irons I've ever hit into a par 5, especially under the circumstances. And you know, as soon as I hit it, it felt perfect straightaway, and I knew it was just kind of cutting up against the wind. It was going to land soft. It was going to be really nice.

Emiliano came up to me and said the ball was scared of me when I hit it.

It was nice to get the eagle, just to try and make Jimmy think about it, but obviously Jimmy just played too good all day. The birdie on 17 was key for him.

Yeah, a little disappointed, but you know what, at the end of the day, I came in here with not the greatest preparation. I'm very, very happy with how I played all week.

I know exactly how Jimmy feels, because I did exactly that last year. So it was actually quite nice to be able to see him celebrate with his family and friends there. I know exactly that feeling, and he's a very deserving winner. So hats off, because I mean, it's not easy to win tournaments, and he controlled himself pretty darn well all day.

So you know, once again, very happy with the defense. But at the end of the day, it wasn't good enough.

JOHN DEVER: Let's go back to this morning. Two-part question here: When you woke up, what were your expectations on what would be a unique day in golf, and speak to the mental and physical challenge that's presented by playing 36 holes of golf at the top of the leaderboard.

JASON DAY: I'm coming off a three-week stretch here, so I played The Open championship, the RBC Canadian Open, and then the PGA Championship, all three big events for me because of both title defenses at the RBC Canadian Open and the PGA.

I really honestly didn't think we were going to get it in today because I was thinking if we could just get our third round in, come back Monday and try to get our fourth round in. At the end of the day, I'm happy that we got it in. It was actually quite an exciting finish.

You know, on days like this, you've just got to keep pushing yourself harder than anyone else, mentally more so than physically. I know it's tough; it's grueling, and you've got to -- like it's more mentally painful to go through days like this, just because you get to a certain point and that barrier, you'll be sitting there and going, I just don't know if I can push on anymore.

It's really quite fun to see how far you can actually push yourself mentally, more so than physically. Playing 36 holes today, especially under the pump, not knowing what was going on, really, and finishing that way, was pretty special.

But I'm going to sleep pretty well tonight I think. You know, first and foremost, I'm very, very happy with how the grounds crew -- I said it earlier today, but they did a tremendous job on the golf course with how much rain we've had, all the delays. They worked overtime. So Mark and his crew, they're just fantastic, and all the volunteers, as well, to be able to step up every day, come early and not leave until everyone's gone is pretty special.

I'm just happy that we put on a great show, especially for the New Jersey fans, which were probably the quietest fans I've ever played in front of. It was a lot of fun.

Q. At the British, Phil said he had lost while showing his A Game, his absolute best stuff. Did you lose with your A Game, and if not, what would you grade your game this week?
JASON DAY: It's hard to grade it because I'm giving every shot 100 percent. So I never grade my performances. I only grade it on how much I've given, and if I've given 100 percent, that's all I can do.

One guy this week was better than me. I felt good about how everything was going. Even though with the limited preparation going into this week, only playing one practice round, and seeing the course for the first time on Wednesday; it may have been a blessing in disguise, really, because of me being under the weather and resting up. It was very warm, very hot, actually, earlier in the week, and you can kind of wear yourself out.

But today, I mean, I didn't -- I don't feel like I hit it close enough to really get any sort of chances in the middle part of the back side. You know, the putt on 17, I gave myself an opportunity there, which I needed to, and then obviously 18, I gave myself another opportunity and I capitalized on it.

It would have been nice to be able to hit a few more fairways or if I did hit the fairways, just get a little bit closer. Granted, I was -- in the back of my mind, we had a lot of back pins and a lot of tucked pins today, so that makes it very difficult to be able to hit those half-shots that you are trying to hit and not spin them too much, because you're hitting full shots into the back pin locations; they are spinning 30 feet away anyways. So you have got to control your ball really well.

I was just trying to give myself opportunities and I unfortunately just didn't hit them. I gave myself opportunities, but I just didn't hit them close enough.

Q. Can you run us through what you were thinking when Jimmy hit it down in the rough on 18. And then after that, 13 Top-10s in majors, four runners-up now, how do you keep this level going into the future?
JASON DAY: Well, I'll start with Jimmy. It was going to be very difficult for him to bogey from there. I mean, stranger things have happened. But he's not the -- he hasn't -- he's won plenty of times. There was a moment there where Jimmy was one of the hottest players on the Tour, I think winning four or five times maybe in the span of two years.

So he's not new to winning. He knows how to do it. He's a very accomplished golfer. Been out here for a long time. I was just hoping, just maybe get him thinking about something, and you know, if that could come back; if he hit it in the bunker or something, you know, just to give myself a chance.

When he hit it over there, I just knew that there's plenty of green to the left of that pin. You can just hit it long, and obviously 2-putting from that is pretty difficult, especially with trying to go for your first major, let alone any tournament win. But he's handled himself pretty good.

The second part of the question, I just want to win, that's all. I keep saying every week, I just want to win. And the big stuff, you know, the major championships, the PLAYERS, the WGCs, I think I get a real big kick out of playing well in those, because obviously there's more people watching, and there's -- I don't know. For some reason, I just enjoy the moment of trying to step up and hit shots like I did on 18 and being in contention. I couldn't even tell you why I love competing and playing in them.

I can tell you why I love competing, but I just don't know why the finishes have finished the way they have. Would have liked to have, instead of the four seconds, I would have liked to have five majors. But I just have to be more patient, learn from this experience today, try and move on for next year, and I'm looking forward to Augusta National next year.

Q. Would you have preferred to have been in the last group with Jimmy --
JASON DAY: Yes --

Q. -- so you could put some heat on him like you did with Jordan last year?
JASON DAY: Yeah, that would have been nice. But under the circumstances, that's just how they work.

But I said this, this afternoon, morning, afternoon, when I came in here, it could work two days, kind of thing. You know, being able to do exactly what I said, putting some pressure on him with one hole to go; but it would have been nice to be able to play in the last group with him, just to be able to go back and forth with him, maybe put a little bit more pressure on, because usually that becomes into kind of a match-play format, like where you're going back and forth. More mistakes or crucial moments can happen in situations like that.

So it would have been nice, but we all understand we were just trying to get the Championship in.

Q. (No microphone)?
JASON DAY: I hope so. They are tough situations to be in. I was talking to Emiliano out there, and I said I would much rather be in this position than being 70th and finished already. You can learn the most when you're in this position. This is how you grow as a player and as a person and get better. And hopefully that yields more major championship wins in the future.

But it's just great to be in the position to be able to be in contention and really, especially give this title defense a really good shot at winning it again. It would have been nice to repeat.

Q. If you think that the fans were quiet here today, wait until you get to Bethpage.
JASON DAY: Yeah, I know. They weren't too quiet out there. They were pretty loud.

Q. Could you describe what happened on the first hole?
JASON DAY: Yeah, I miss-hit it. So the first and third hole, I heeled my driver, which went over there. I mean, obviously the gear effect is going to push it to the right, and I had no shot. Like you're really just out of play. If you're going to miss the shot, if you're going to miss the drive, you've got to go left.

But you know, the tree line kind of cuts in there, so if you get anything kind of hooking over the bunkers, it can kind of kick into that tree line or maybe hook it over too far and hit it out-of-bounds like Phil did earlier in the week, because I was playing with him and I was sitting there watching him; and I think kind of erring on the side of caution hitting out to the right and unfortunately got blocked.

The one on 3, I toed it, so I went from a heel to a toe and hooked it down into the crowd there. They are two blemishes, but stuff like that can kind of relax you sometimes, and for me it did. I kind of got away with -- got underway with the rest of my game and played pretty solid golf from there.

Q. You and Jimmy are both part of the RV gang; do you know him very well, what kind of personality he has? And if you were playing with him, do you feel that -- he seems very, on the outside at least, he seems very stoic. Do you feel it would have even made a difference, because he was pretty much Cool Hand Luke out there?
JASON DAY: Let's start off, he's a tremendous bloke. Me and him have been like bus partners for awhile now. We text each other all the time about him getting a new bus and I'm showing him mine. We're just talking about buses all the time. We're always parked right next to each other, always hanging out. All the major championships, we see each other all the time. So you know, obviously he's a top bloke.

I'm going to say this: If I'm feeling pressure, that means he's feeling pressure. And no matter how calm you look on the outside, you're always stressing and trying to get through it and trying to act like you're calm on the outside just to show that you're not stressing out or in fear of something.

I can tell you now that I'm always stressing out. I'm always, I'm over shots, I'm like, okay, this is so hard. I know that if I'm feeling that, everyone else is feeling it.

Q. Two majors in a three-week stretch with Canada in the middle; where does that three-week stretch rank among the mentally toughest three-week stretches in your career? And also for the guys playing two majors and then going to Rio, how do you think they are going to feel once they get back from the Olympics?
JASON DAY: Well, some of the guys, it depends on how it goes. Some of the guys have gone major, week off, major, week off, Olympics. Sometimes it's really hard to get enough rest, especially with one week off, because after big events like this -- because they are all three big events in a row, kind of in a row -- not in a row, but like for the most part, they are all in it, one top of each other.

I've played three weeks; I've played four weeks; I think I've played four or five weeks in a row. They are always tough. But sometimes you've just got to somehow suck it up and just get it done.

It was mentally tough, mentally and physically, because you're going different continents, going to the U.K., time clock's changed. The body clock's changed, and then you're coming back across, back to Canada, and like courses are different. There's just so many different factors in there you have to somehow adjust and be able to play decent golf. It's very difficult.

What was the second part of your question again? Yeah, I mean, they will get a week off, so they should be able to rest up. I think the guys might be going down a little early, maybe the guys are going down for the Opening Ceremony, I'm not sure.

But once they decompress everything, they will be able to relax a little. But obviously it's difficult because it goes Open, week off, PGA, week off and then the Olympics. I'm definitely looking forward to watching the guys play down in Rio. I've got the next three weeks off, so a lot of rest and recovery for me to watch these guys play and then get into the FedExCup and look forward to challenging the guys there.

JOHN DEVER: The 2015 PGA Champion, Jason Day, thanks for all your time.

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