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SBS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

January 3, 2017

Jason Day

Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii

ALEX URBAN: We're going to go ahead and get started. I'd like to welcome Jason Day here to the interview room here at the SBS Tournament of Champions.

Jason, you have never finished outside of the Top-10 in this event and then you won three times last year, including THE PLAYERS Championship, to qualify for this year. You are making your debut this season on the 2016-17 PGA TOUR season. Just some overall thoughts on a little break and getting back to PGA TOUR golf here.

JASON DAY: Yeah, happy new year, anyway. Just it's been a while since I've seen everyone, so Merry Christmas, happy new year. Hope everybody had a nice holiday.

But it was -- yeah, I had three months off. I picked up a club twice in those three months and I worked hard on my rehab, especially the back. Obviously that's kind of been plaguing me through my career with regards to having too many withdrawals. It's been a pain in the butt.

But I'm doing everything I possibly can. It's not like I'm not trying to do everything I can to stay healthy. I've been doing everything I can, and I feel pretty good. I feel fit and I'm looking forward to a good, solid year.

Obviously the goal is always to try and better the year prior. So anything more than three wins would be great but obviously I've got to just stay addicted to the process of trying to get better. The three months was a long time to have off, especially from golf. There was a little bit of rust earlier on last week when I was practicing, but I feel pretty good about how things are now.

For the first month and half, was great, because we had great weather in Columbus. But then it decided to get cold, and I decided to get more miserable and miserable as the months went on. I'm glad to be here. This is always a great place to start, and if I could guarantee a spot here every single year, I'd come back every single year because I just love it here. With that said, I'm looking forward to a good week.

Q. You came here two years ago before you went on the hot run and pronounced yourself finally feeling healthy. Where do you feel right now compared to where you might have been then?
JASON DAY: It's just hard because some years are better than others. There are a few factors that obviously go into my injury, per se if I'm not disciplined or diligent enough to stay on top of my core and corrective exercises, then sooner or later it will catch up to me.

And it's not so much the actual L4-L5 disc or the annular ligament tear in the disc that bothers me. It's the facet joint that lock up, goes into spasm and it takes me at least a week, week and a half, two weeks just to get back on top of it and feel like I'm ready to play. It's just last year happened on Sunday at the BMW, and then I just had a week to try and recover, and I just couldn't recover anymore.

No amount of cortisone that I could have put in my body would have helped it. So like I said, I feel like you're always trying to say, I feel good and I'm past it, but with back injuries, I think you probably look at it, 90 percent of the players probably have some back injury or back symptom that could possibly pop up at any time.

You can't say that you are obviously clear but you're optimistic about what's going on and what you're doing. The second thing was the swing got a lot longer last year. So it got a lot longer. There's a lot more turn in my upper body than I really have had in the past. There's a lot more speed there. So if you have a lot more turn, a lot more speed, and then unwinding, it's a lot more balance through the ball, and that can obviously wreak havoc on your back, as well.

I feel good. I'm not saying that I'm obviously clear and I'm out of the woods, but I'm definitely cautiously optimistic about how things are progressing.

Q. As a follow-up, you say the goal every year is to improve on the previous year. How big a challenge was that last year considering what you did in 2015?
JASON DAY: Yeah, it was obviously a big challenge but I got off to a decent start. To be able to play well the first half of the season, a win at Arnold's event and go back-to-back with the Match Play, and then obviously go on to win THE PLAYERS, was great.

I was saying earlier that during the U.S. Open, I broke my driver. Just cracked the head, and that was a driver that I used, that I won with at the BMW the year prior; and I was driving it well, driving it on a string, and I just couldn't quite find the right combination.

Kind of slowly crept into my head a little bit that I just couldn't find the right combination, and then I started manufacturing a few little things in my swing and just kind of got a little bit sideways.

And when you're not in the middle of the fairway, you lose obviously opportunities to try and hit close to the hole and those birdie attempts. And then obviously to finish the way it happened with the two WDs, was obviously a disappointment. It could have turned into another great year if I kept it going strong.

So the three months was really about obviously to rehab the back, but also kind of rehab the mind. Being No. 1 in the world is not easy. Winning and all that stuff is what we strive for, and to try and be the best.

But I think over the last three months, I really learned that I need to try and be open about things and how hard things can be as you're trying to be the best in your sport.

And obviously, not so much put up boundaries, but be able to know when to say, I need to work right now and I'll catch up with you in 15 minutes, or 20 minutes, and know when to stay no and yes at the right time.

Q. You said your swing got longer and more turn and more speed. Have you done anything or contemplated anything differently, changing your swing to maybe avoid that?
JASON DAY: Over the last week, week and a half, two weeks, I've been trying to really shorten it out. And it's more so just, I'd like to really tighten my core. Because I think a lot of amateurs struggle to get turned with, as golfers, it's very rarely that you see guys struggle to get turns. If I don't turn as much, there may be -- granted, there's some good parts to it and some bad parts to it. If you don't turn as much, you'll hit the wall and you'll stop and it will be a shorter swing. It will be more compact. It will be a lot tighter and that hopefully will take a lot more pressure off my back.

But with that said, there may be a chance that you might hit it shorter. I think I've got enough distance right now to be able to get away with it, but you know, I've just got to keep staying on top of it. It's very, very difficult for me to shorten it right now, because just every time I turn, it just -- the hands, they want to keep it going and going and going.

I guarantee, if you put my swing up last year to two or three years ago, there's a significant difference in driver length. So I think that's also what caused my thumb injury, as well, because of that last little bit of transition speed through the top and that's what caused that, as well. So it's a snowball effect, really, sometimes. Yeah, just trying to work on it just technically on the range.

Q. Greg Norman was the last Australian to spend a full year atop the rankings. How much motivation is that for you this year, given you've spent so much time at No. 1?
JASON DAY: I think the biggest thing for me, obviously it's great to see that you finished No. 1 at the end of the year. But I'd like to go a full year, not just go half a year and get to it and finish at No. 1.

Because even though it's great, I'd like to go a full year and then just slowly build on that. I know what I need to do. I just need to keep working hard and practicing, and hopefully the results come with the process.

That's one of the goals this year. Obviously the goals are to win majors and win as much as I can, but win majors and try and stay No. 1 for the whole year.

Q. Can I get you to elaborate on the No. 1 thing, because it's always been a big focus here to get there and now you've been there a long time. Is it still that massive driving force? Do you feel those guys nipping at your heels?
JASON DAY: Yeah, there's a spot there last year where I didn't really feel it as much because obviously I had a pretty sizable lead from 1 to 2.

But, if these guys play well, like Dustin plays well this week and wins, and I don't know what the projections are, if he takes over or not, but I can't let that happen. I don't want that to happen. So I've got to make sure that I try and stay on top of it and stay ahead, and do as much as I possibly can before the event, and obviously going into it, executing.

Q. It's still a major goal of yours?
JASON DAY: Oh, yeah. Well, the one thing I was just talking about before, it's great that I went, however many weeks from the middle of last year to keeping the No. 1 through the whole year. But you know, the goal is -- you've got to shoot for something bigger.

When you reach a goal, you have got to reevaluate things and try and shoot for something a lot tougher, because if your goal is to stay No. 1, then, you know, that's great. But you know, you've got to go, okay, how many weeks can I stay there; or I'm going to try and beat it the next time. And that's like any year: Like I won five times in one year; can I win six times, and just slowly keep pushing myself from there.

Q. Do you look at 331?
JASON DAY: Right now, it's a little bit out of the ways. Obviously 331 weeks, 683 weeks, is a long time.

So I'm taking it a week at a time, and hopefully, if I just focus on doing the right things and take it a week at a time, hopefully it adds up to more than 331 weeks.

Q. Take us back to PLAYERS last year, wire-to-wire victory, and what sticks out in your mind as far as what you did the best and the things from that week that you would like to repeat?
JASON DAY: Yeah, so I'd like nice, firm, hard conditions where I could just hit 2-iron everywhere would be nice and being able to hit 2-iron 300 yards was nice.

Yeah, it was a great week. You know, usually I alluded to it last year, that I typically have to hit 3-wood around there a lot. If we have weather and the ball is not rolling as much, you have 3-wood in your hands, and I've always said that 3-wood is always not the most favorable club in my bag. Everyone has their club that they are happy with, and 2-iron is the one that I really enjoy hitting off the tee and I feel like I can hit it a long ways.

So being able to hit 2-iron on the fairway; give myself opportunities. The way I was putting last year, I felt like if you get me on the greens, I met up with a 100-foot putt, I had an opportunity to hole the putt, and I felt like I was going to hole the putt.

Getting off to a great start, shooting I think it was 9-under in the first round, definitely helped it. Because you get off to a good start, you know that especially a good start like that, you know that you just have to just play good, solid golf from there just to keep inching away, rather than if you get off to an average start, you've got to try and make bigger risks as the week goes on.

So I was glad to go wire-to-wire, especially on a stage like that on a tough golf course like that; I've never really played well at. Obviously hopefully more of that this year.

Q. Have you heard about the changes to the golf course?
JASON DAY: I have no clue. New grass? Is that right?

Q. Re-designed 12 holes.
JASON DAY: I heard there's a possibility of maybe THE PLAYERS moving in the schedule?

Q. Yeah, possibly.
JASON DAY: I don't know what kind of grass. I'm probably most likely going to go back there this year before the event and play a round there. Just to make sure that I know how the surfaces are playing.

Q. A lot of injuries in your career that you've gone through, by comparison was this one most concerning, spending the three months?
JASON DAY: No. The thumb was probably the most concerning out of everything. I actually thought I was going to have to quit the game because of the thumb, because I literally couldn't hold the club. Obviously you have got to hold the club.

You can get away with back a little bit every now and then; you can kind of get through it. It was more concerning to me because it was new, and when something is new and you don't know how long it will take, if you will ever -- because I had three injections in four weeks in my thumb, and it just never got better, and that's a lot of cortisone injections.

I mean, they had to -- I remember sitting there and they would pull the thumb, so the knuckle could expand and they inject in between the knuckle. And it hurt, I mean, like hell, it hurt so bad. I was just trying to get some sort of numbness to it so I could actually hold the club.

But the back, it's never really been a concern because I know exactly what's going on there. I know that every year, we get an MRI at the end of the year. We get DEXA scans, we get all these cans to make sure that -- we had a baseline before. So with the L4-L5 disc, there's actually more space there. The bulged disc is gone. And usually when you have degeneration of a disc, it usually slowly gets worse and worse and worse.

For some reason, mine's got better. I've got more space in between the disc, so it's actually good that the facet joints kind of lock up. There's a way that you actually go in, and if you do have discomfort in them with some pain and you're actually getting better, you actually can go in and burn the nerves off and take the pain away. But obviously that masks it and you can't tell if you're getting better or worse during the year, unless you want to go back and get an MRI.

But once again, I did all the scans every single year at the end of the year to make sure that I'm staying on top of it or that it's getting worse or better, and then I can plan accordingly going into the next season. But the most concerning injury that I've ever had was my thumb.

Q. A couple, if I may. So many guys say they absolutely love it here: Yourself, Jordan Spieth, the list goes on and on. Just tell me, why is that, and why do you think so many of the foreign guys can't find their way here?
JASON DAY: How many guys aren't playing that have won? Do you know?

Q. Adam, Henrik, Rory, of course.
JASON DAY: I think Adam is back home relaxing with family. That's what he does all the time. Rory and Henrik; Europe is a long trip. I was talking to my trainer yesterday. I think he left from South Africa, but it was 47 hours door-to-door, which is a long trip just for one week.

And those guys, the European guys are different to the guys that play on the PGA TOUR. They have to play both schedules. They have to play across the pond and then obviously come back over here and play in the States, as well, and not only play 13 events over there, but I think you have to play 15 events here.

There's a lot of travel for these guys and a lot of events. The Race to Dubai finishes pretty late in the season for those guys, so they don't really get a break. I think the season is too long to be honest in golf. But that's just my honest opinion. I think if we can shorten it down a little bit, I think you might see a few more guys play in certain areas.

But I love it here because it gets me, a, away from Columbus, Ohio where it's cold and snowy there. There's nothing wrong with Columbus, but I just -- what are you doing here, mate? (Laughter).

But it's a good start. The walk is tough. But it's a good walk to get out and shake all the rust out of the legs and get things going. But just the people are great here. It's just such a wonderful -- it's wonderful scenery obviously, but it's a destination that people come to to have a vacation. And we're playing tournament golf, but it feels like a vacation at the same time. And I just love bringing my family here.

So it's just, once again, you have the factors with the European guys and all that stuff said and I play full-time on the PGA TOUR, so I'm ready to go. Like I said, if I could guarantee a spot here every single year, I'd come back every single year. I love it here.

Q. Can you talk about the guys' hopes for the future here? Hyundai is done obviously and SBS has stepped in and there's a couple more years on the contract. What do you think the guys' hopes are as far as the future of this tournament here?
JASON DAY: Well, to be honest, I don't know what the field sizes have been. Obviously if you're a tournament champion -- once again, every tournament wants the best players in the world playing, hands down, doesn't matter where it is: Whether it's a secondary TOUR event or a large event that we play. Everyone wants the best players playing. That's just a given.

But fortunately, if you win on the TOUR, you get to come here. So you just kind of dealt with the cards you get. With the regards, to the best players in the world may not have a great year and you may just have a bunch of new guys that have come up and played well and deserve to be here. If they want to keep it the way they keep it, I'm happy to play whatever.

But obviously it would be sad if we end up losing this tournament. It would be really, really sad. I don't want that because it's obviously a great spot to come. There's only 30 guys or 32 guys, whatever. It's a no-cut event, which is great, once again, just to get the confidence going back in the right direction.

Q. We know what's been going on for the last several months, but does it feel like it's been seven months since you last won a tournament, as you get ready to start the new year?
JASON DAY: Not until you just said it. Yeah, it's a little bit long.

But I mean, you saying that, I can't remember the last time. So I won in 2014, and the last time I won was in 2010. So I've gone through longer droughts than seven months.

I remember it was last -- it was actually last year, I didn't win in the first couple of events and everyone was asking, what's going on. I'm like, I'd like to win every event, but I just can't. Unless I'm just playing in a one-guy event (laughter).

Q. Win in a playoff, right?
JASON DAY: I'll win in a playoff every single time. (Laughter).

But yeah, seven months, it really is a long time. Once again, I'm just trying to get stuck back into the process, trying to get better. I feel better about my body, feel better about my game, feel better about my swing. I feel better mentally than I did the second half of last year, so I'm hoping for very good things this year.

Q. If you look back on last year and you talk about the pressure you feel being No. 1, one of the anomalies of last year was your slow start, not breaking par in the first round of the majors until Baltusrol. Do you think that was a product of it; that there was so much want and maybe pressure at No. 1 or close to No. 1 that you tried too hard the first round?
JASON DAY: Yeah, sometimes you kind of shoot yourself in the foot, really. You're trying to, win the PGA Championship in 2015, you want to get off to a good start, and sometimes you just try a little bit too hard. Sometimes you've just got to get out of your own way, and it's easier said than done.

Because at nighttime like when you're sleeping or when you're going to bed, you're thinking about things or things are going through your head, especially results and certain things that you want to try and achieve.

Sometimes that grabs your thoughts when you play golf. That's where you've just got to try and take all the emotion out of it and make sure that you get everything right, all the information.

I think last year, I think that there were a couple things that I didn't do as well the second half in the season. I wasn't as deliberate going into a golf shot. Gathering the information, I wasn't as deliberate.

Because I think a little bit at the same time, I cared about, you know, obviously everyone wants to speed up the game. Obviously that's a big subject in golf, to speed up the game. In my opinion, I don't care so much about speeding up my game. I've got to get back to what makes me good. If that means I have to back off five times, then I'm going to back off five times before I have to actually hit the shot.

Because for recreational golf, I understand. But for golfers that are trying to win and that one shot that could take you out of a playoff, that's important, and you need to make sure that you get everything correct. Because we're driven by results; we want to be the best and we want to do everything, but like the Average Joe just doesn't get it.

I think that was just one of the things that I wasn't as deliberate that I should have been, and that's what I've got to try and do a lot more, is be a little bit more deliberate going into a shot and make sure I do everything correctly.

Q. Could you comment on, obviously you're wearing the gear that you grew up as a kid wearing, because you obviously idolized Tiger. Can you talk about that change?
JASON DAY: Yeah, it's probably a little bit of a different look. It's a massive difference. A lot of people probably haven't got used to the site of me actually wearing the Swoosh and being able to wear Nike stuff.

Yeah, once again, I was 16, 17, I was wearing the stuff, and I was so happy because that's what Tiger's wearing. But to be able to, you know -- when I first started my career, I went and saw TaylorMade-Adidas, went and saw Nike, as well, and ended up playing TaylorMade-Adidas. So I'm very thankful for the last ten, 11 years with what Adidas has given me.

But for this chapter of my life, this is an exciting time because I'm able to, I feel like I'm coming into my peak of my career and I'm able to play some of the best golf and also wear the best brand in golf sporting apparel-wise, and I'm looking forward to the future of that. We'll see how it goes.

ALEX URBAN: All right. Thank you for your time, Jason. Good luck this week.

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