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ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY MASTERCARDMarch 15, 2017Jason DayOrlando, Florida MARK WILLIAMS: Let's jump straight into it with Jason Day. JASON DAY: This is quite nice to be able to have this in the media center. MARK WILLIAMS: You should get used to it. We'll have you back more often. Like to welcome Jason Day, he's the defending champion of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Jason, you're coming in here and one of only two that's won this event wire-to-wire. Fred Couples being the other one. Just talk about this stage in the schedule and moving on with the with this tournament and your defense. JASON DAY: Yeah, this is a pretty special tournament for me. When I first came over to the United States I actually moved to Orlando and I used to live in Turkey Lake Drive, which is right around the corner, like two minutes away from here. I never really came out and played too much here, but I was a local here for at least a year, year or two years. I met Mr. Palmer I think a couple years into my career and I was just playing a practice round out here, I think it was like the Monday of the tournament, and I was just, there wasn't many people here, and he came driving around in his golf cart and I got to meet him. And that was a pretty special moment because I do have the photos that I got that day in my office. To be able to win last year and have that celebratory drink with him and being the last person to be able to do that is a special honor. Obviously, it was sad to see him pass last year and I think what they did today with the ceremony, I think they did a tremendous job out there remembering and not only as a golfer and what he did on the golf course, but he what he did to many individuals that he's touched around not only this area but around the United States and around the world as well. So, I think it's going to be a little bit of an emotional week for most guys out there, because we're just so used to seeing Mr. Palmer drive around and see him in the clubhouse and just sad to see him pass, but hopefully we can get a good week going and the weather is tremendous this week and we're looking forward to another spectacular week here in Orlando. MARK WILLIAMS: Questions? Q. How much do you think back to that moment with you and your family and Arnold after you came off 18? JASON DAY: Yeah, that's it. I mean, a lady who was just I just saw her out in the crowd, just I was just signing autographs, she had a photograph on her shirt and it was the photo when Arnold was in the cart on the 18th green of me, my wife, and my kids. And that's the real, it's a real cool part of it, because I get to have that memory of actually standing with him, talking to him, and being his champion. That's those memories that you don't forget. Obviously, going -- mind you I was telling this story the other day -- having the celebratory drink with him I felt like I was drinking a whole bottle of Ketel One, because that's obviously his favorite thing. And I was on the Golf Channel and I felt absolutely hammered. I was sitting down and I'm dehydrated, I had a drink with him, and I'm going up there and I don't know what I'm saying on the Golf Channel, but hopefully it turns out something decent. But it was, we had a special moment at his place and just being and winning this tournament, because it is such a big event for us. Being able to be the champion and coming back here as a defending champion is special. Q. As a quick follow to that, I remember Colin saying that people were coming up to him last year before the final round saying, you guys need to close this, because who knows how many chances you'll get again to have that moment. JASON DAY: Yeah. Q. You had such an up-and-down round that day, how much was that even on your mind, like I've got to close this out now? JASON DAY: The Arnold Palmer Invitational is always one of those events that you want to win and to have on your resume when you finish up playing golf. And you're right, we didn't know how long, I mean there was always, there's rumors going about that his health wasn't that great, but to be able to have that opportunity and be able to close the way I did, even though I did have an up-and-down weekend, and the way it closed and how it unfolded on Sunday, with the bunker shot on the last hole, and once again him sitting there watching, that was neat stuff. Because I never got the chance to meet Mr. Nelson, I played the Byron Nelson a lot of times, but I never had the opportunity to meet him and I had the opportunity or a special opportunity to meet Mr. Palmer. And stuff like that you just don't forget. So, to be able to close the way I did was great. Q. Augusta, just couple weeks away. How would you assess your game heading towards there? JASON DAY: Yeah, I really don't, I was just saying earlier that I really don't think about Augusta until you guys start asking questions about it. I'm a couple tournaments out, I haven't got off to the greatest start, I got to play four times. This is my fifth this year. So, it's coming fast around the corner, but once again, I feel like I usually gear up pretty well for Augusta and the Major Championships. But right now I'm really trying to focus on trying to defend here and play well here. But the game itself is, it's got off to a bit of a slow start, but I'm hoping that I can have kind of a Rory finish like he did last year and put myself into contention for the FedExCup, but also play well in the Majors as well. Q. Along those lines, how would you describe your season to this point in one word and secondly, with Augusta a couple weeks away, how important is this week and next week? JASON DAY: Amazing how everything's result driven in this game and as a golfer you can live in -- you can't live on how your previous tournament went. And a lot of people get caught up in that, because it just doesn't matter. You go in there, you try and do your best, you execute, and if it is your best that week, then and you give it your all and you finish 52nd or 60th at L.A., then that's what you can give. Once again, it has been a slow start, but I think last year you guys were asking the same thing right around this time and I ended up winning this week and Match Play as well. So, it would be nice to be able to get on to a roll like that. Overall, I think it's coming along, the hitting -- it's been a funny year. Like one week it would be putting really decent and not hitting that great then next week I would be hitting it pretty decent and not putting that great. So I really haven't clipped it together. Haven't had any really momentum going my way. This is obviously a very important stretch coming up, just to see you how the state of my game is, going into Augusta, and I feel positive about the outcomes here, because obviously the previous finish last year and then obviously the Match Play. But once again, I got to go out there and just kind of get in my own little world and forget about everything else. Forget about all the stuff in the past and what people are going to think if you don't play well, because one week can really change and if I play poorly over the next two weeks and then win Augusta, the first part of the year's forgotten and you're the Masters champion. So, I just always, you always got to stay positive, even though I haven't got off to a great start, stay positive, keep moving forward and forget about everything else. Q. Talking about Masters and Majors and preparation. Wonder how your preparation for Majors has evolved over the years, what have you found that works best for you and in preparation and what has maybe not worked. Do you like to play your way in? What have you learned? JASON DAY: The first year I kind of went through a little bit of a tough trough. Like 2011, I came out and I was not enjoying myself on the golf course, I really thought I was going to quit the game, which was crazy, so I -- actually it was me and my agent and we had a sports psychologist come in that week and I'm like, I don't like the game of golf right now, I think I'm going to quit the game. If I keep going the way I am, I'm going to quit the game of golf. So I actually thought about pulling out in 2011 and not playing obviously at the Masters. And they all talked me into, just go and have, just go have fun. So I ended up having fun. I finished second. Which was kind of -- you know what I mean? And that kind of sparked everything going again. So, the preparation, I usually get in there about Thursday, Friday and that seems like it's worked in the past and it hasn't worked in the past. And I think that it's kind of a double edged sword. You go in there and you prepare and you prepare and some guys like to go early, some guys like myself like to go in the week prior and practice and play rounds before the zoo gets there and the practice rounds take six hours or something like that. So, I think sometimes I kind of out work myself too much. I get too tired and then I get to the tournament and I'm just like, I'm just have done too much to prepare. And some years where I just feel like I prepared correctly. I think I'm going to come in probably a day later this year, play a practice round Saturday and then kind of practice Sunday and then just get slowly get into it. I don't think I'll play the par-3 tournament this year. Just I want to make sure that I'm ready for the tournament and hopefully I've got enough energy by then. Q. Do you generally like to have that week off before or do you find that that's helpful? JASON DAY: Yeah, well this is the quandary I have, because I sit there and I go, okay, I like to have the week off to prepare. Same for the British Open, same for the U.S. Open. And I played good at the U.S. Open more so than any other event Major event. And then the PGA comes around and I play the WGC the week before and then I go and win the PGA. So maybe I need to play the week before, I don't know. It's all about the attitude. It really is. When it comes to Major golf I think it's the attitude and the emotion that you bring into it. If you come in with the right attitude, yeah, you most like Lee will do well. Q. Obviously, this week is just getting under way, but can you tell the differences and can you describe just how it feels different than previous years? JASON DAY: Yeah, you can tell by how, how much more grandstands are up. It just feels like a, it feels way bigger than what it was last year. The golf course is in spectacular conditions. Everyone's probably talking about how tough the rough is, the green surfaces are tremendous, they're quick, but there's a lot of grass on them. So, getting back to earlier, this is a special week. This is the first year that we really haven't had Mr. Palmer around. We need to make sure we do it right. They seem like they have stepped up big time this year and made this event that much more special not only through the golf course conditions and through just visual of the grand stands and all that, but being able to have the ambassadors and seeing them today out in the opening ceremony, I think that's a good idea going forward to make sure that sometimes it can get a little bit lost and we don't want to lose this tournament. I'm talking in regards to when Mr. Nelson passed it kind of lost a bit of its favoritism amongst the players and I think that they're taking the correct steps to proceed in the right direction with regards to making sure that this stays where it should be and that's exactly where it is right now. Q. An unrelated follow-up, you had a chance to see TPC Sawgrass last week. What did you think of the renovations both to the course and practice facility? JASON DAY: Yeah, I think 6 and 7 look spectacular. I think they have done a tremendous job with the practice facilities there. The grass looks amazing. The whole drive -- once again, it's a whole change feeling. It feels like a Major Championship -- you drive through and you drive up there's a lot of history behind THE PLAYERS Championship. It feels like a Major Championship. And with regards to 12, a lot of guys, everyone's talking about 12 and the change and how many guys are going to go for it or not. It's going to be interesting. I'm not too sure. That's pretty difficult hole and where they have us teed up which is the up tee, I mean, I think right is worse off missing it right than it is left, even though there is hazard. If you miss it left and it bounces down into the hazard, you can just drop it and then try and get up-and-down. But if you miss it right with firm fast conditions, and you're in like the rough and you try to hit it over that little pot bunker, you can get it running away pretty quick and it can go in the water. So can you bring in bogey, double bogey, if you go right. If you go left you can still bring in that, but if it bounces in there you drop it and have an easy up-and-down. But a few lengthened holes like 15, but I think they have done a good job there. Q. Coming up on the 20 year anniversary of Tiger winning the Masters in '97. What do you remember about watching that as a kid and what did you take away, how were you inspired as you came up in junior golf from Tiger winning that? JASON DAY: Yeah, man I was nine. No, yeah, nine. So I was nine years old and I was getting into golf, I mean I played golf and I was actually in Rockhampton at the time and my dad had this turn knob TV with bunny ears and that like that's really what you did, you had to move the antenna to get the right picture and it was like really early in the morning. I remember him walking up the 18th and he obliterated the field. That's kind of -- there's two moments where it really got me into golf, where Tiger really got me into golf was that moment when he won the '97 Masters and I started playing more golf than I usually did at that age. And then when I read a book about him when I was 14. So, they're the two moments that really kind of changed my life with regards to my career. Q. I came upon a quote from Arnold, he was asked, why do you want to win the Masters? And he said, "Why do I want to win the Masters? Why do I want to breathe?" JASON DAY: Yeah. Q. Can you relate and if so, why does it mean so much? JASON DAY: Ever since watching like the question about Tiger, ever since watching Tiger Woods in '97 win that, and knowing that Greg Norman had a chance and a couple other Aussies had a chance beforehand to be able to be the first Australian, that was always on my radar, to be the first Australian to win Augusta. Adam Scott beat me, but it's okay, because I would like to be the second player to win from an Australia. I don't know, it's just the whole feeling about that place. You can put history and tradition aside and you just play there, it's kind of like a spiritual feeling for golfers. It's a spiritual place for us to be able to go and just feel it. It's kind of surreal in a way. If you're there by yourself or with your caddie on a quiet day, when no one's around, it just so peaceful. So that's kind of like golfing heaven for us -- or it is for me -- if I ever died and I ended up going up and they put me on a golf course, it would be Augusta National. So, it's just got that special feel about it, that I feel like I need to win there and I hope hopefully I get that opportunity one day. Q. How do you prepare to play the 18th hole here at Bay Hill? JASON DAY: Hit it in the rough right and hit it in the bunker and get up-and-down. (Laughter.) I don't know, man. It's such a tough, it's such a difficult hole. I mean, they have narrowed that right side of the fairway in, so you are looking, there's the flag's at the back on the grand stand, you're looking at either the first or second flag as your line. If you can get a good drive away, it's still not over, because the water runs kind of like on a 450 degree angle and it depends on where they position that hole. Like, say for instance, if it's the last round, you kind of want to just aim up the gut, aim up the middle of the green. But once again, if it's a northerly wind, it's in out of the left. So you got to try and get a good drive away, and then pick the right club on the right line. Knowing that, okay, if I hit it pin high, if I leak it a little right, it's not going to get up and it's going to go in the water. So you always have to be left. Sometimes when you're a player you want to kind of run away and not hit shots because they're just too tough. Unfortunately, when you're in front of a lot of fans, in front of TV you can't do that, so you got to come up and nut up and hit it. Yeah, just hopefully pick the right club on the right gust and get away with it. But you just got to play smart. If there's the 18th hole and you have an opportunity to hit win the tournament, and you're in the rough, try and get it in that back bunker and give your self an opportunity of making par. It's just plane and simple. MARK WILLIAMS: Thanks for the insight, Jason, we appreciate you as always making the time for us. Have a good defense. JASON DAY: No worries, Mark. Thank you, mate. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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