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AT&T BYRON NELSON

May 20, 2017

Jason Day

Irving, Texas

Q. Jason, all right. I walked with you pretty much for three days, 54 holes. I have got one real easy question. Seems a lot easier from the middle of the fairway.
JASON DAY: Definitely is. Seemed like it was on auto pilot today which was nice for a change. I'm not -- obviously a different wind today. I felt like the pre-shot routine was a lot smoother today with regards to going into the golf ball. The actual thinking over, the process over the ball was a lot smoother, too.

It always help when things are clicking that way and I drive it wonderfully, gave myself opportunities and capitalized on the opportunities and little hiccup on 14 but birdied 16 and 17 was quite nice.

Q. You've won here before, got a chance to win again tomorrow. You did everything you needed to do to put yourself right back in it. You saw this coming. You've been talking openly, you've talked to me, talked in press conferences, you felt something was going to click.
Was everything clicking together finally today?

JASON DAY: Finally today. You could say that. Everything was -- like I said, everything felt good. But, you know, once again, we still got one day left. I can't get ahead of myself. I got to focus on trying to get into tomorrow.

I've been in this position before, especially at this golf course. Yeah, I'm looking forward to the challenge tomorrow. It's going to be a lot of fun. It's been awhile since I've been back in the spotlight. Looking forward to it.

Q. Jason Day, you told me before, it was the most comfortable I've seen you look on the golf course all year long.
JASON DAY: Yeah. Definitely it was -- everything was kind of clicking. The biggest thing for me from Round 1 and 2 to today was just going into the golf ball, the pre-shot routine was a lot smoother, lot more deliberate in regards to that and just the process thinking over the golf ball was a lot smoother as well.

When things like that happen you can kind of swing away at things and I was driving the ball good. Gave myself the opportunity to hole a lot of putts.

Q. Off the golf course has been a year, I guess you could say, of turmoil and difficulties and that makes it difficult to play and to concentrate. But it looks like you've got that somewhat under control now.
JASON DAY: Yeah. I was just saying earlier I feel a lot more like things are in balance now with regards to what happened earlier in the year, just kind of fighting myself, and finally I think things are starting to click back for me.

I'm starting to work harder and the desire to get back to No. 1 in the world is obviously coming back to me. This is a good step in the right direction. I just need to stay calm because obviously one more round to go. I have to enjoy the challenge tomorrow and see where I go.

Q. Speaking of things trying to go your way, talk me through the putt at 17. The Golf Gods give and take away. They took away the birdie putt at 12 but gave you the one at 17.
JASON DAY: I think I'd rather miss one at 12. That's something special. Obviously wasn't the greatest iron from the tee. I was trying to hit a cut 8-iron in there and double crossed it and obviously went long and left and stuff like that you read the putt and the biggest thing for me is to read the putt like it's going to go in the hole, play like you have the putt.

Halfway down the slope I had my hands up and --

Q. No early call, though.
JASON DAY: No. You know what, it's one of those things where you got the hands up and if it goes in, great, if it doesn't, okay. It's really cool to hear the crowds roar like that again because it's been awhile.

Q. Incredible round today. At one point you had five birdies in a row.
JASON DAY: I was trying to go for 6 and unfortunately missed a small putt. No, when I started making the birdies I said to myself this is where you can either kind of start laying back and play a bit more conservative, but I just was in a position hitting it really good, driving it well and I just said let's keep pushing it.

Hit driver down 10. Got a good birdie there and obviously hit the driver on 11 and hitting a lot of greens definitely helps. I drove wonderfully today. Gave myself the opportunities to capitalize out there. Everything kind of clicked today.

Q. Because you have won out here before, you feel more comfortable putting yourself in this position to go for it?
JASON DAY: I guess yes and no. The thing is that I got a lot of good memories coming from previous experiences here but (inaudible) -- I can't really starting pushing too much.

So, tomorrow is going to be an awesome day. I'm looking forward to the challenge of being in contention, trying to win again and it feels like it's been a long time coming but I have to be patient. Coming into this week, I feel like it's balancing me out.

Q. Speaking of clicking, what about that putt, 60 footer on 17?
JASON DAY: Yeah. So all I was trying to hit a cut 8-iron and double crossed it up to the top left. I hit my putt and as it was going down the hill, going on a pretty good line at the start. Going down the hill. This is good. In my head I'm thinking this is on line.

As I'm walking around I knew it was going to be on a perfect line. I had my arms up for it to be done. It went in. It was really cool to be able to hit that. More of that this year would be nice.

Q. We loved it and we definitely want a few more of that tomorrow.
JASON DAY: It would be nice.

Q. Jason, back in the 3rd Round, how did you putt together that 7-under, 63?
JASON DAY: Hit 63 shots (laughter). You know, compared to the first two rounds I drove it nice. Hit a lot of good fairways. Hit it long down the fairway. We had a change in wind from southerly to northerly. 16, 17, 18 are all playing downwind off to the right. That makes those holes play a little bit easier.

But I just, once again, I drove nicely, hit a lot of good shots into the greens and holed a lot of putts. I went on a stretch of birdies for about five holes there and missed an easy birdie putt on 12 for my sixth but I said to myself I need to stay aggressive because you can get into a position where I've got two, three birdies, I need to kind of play safe here, play conservative, make sure I don't get too far ahead of myself.

I was in a position where I'm swinging nicely, I need to kind of push it, get myself up on the leaderboard and fortunately it worked out.

Q. Take me through the putt on 17.
JASON DAY: Yeah. I stood out there and I was trying to hit a cut 8 iron and double crossed it, went left, top left.

As I hit the putt it was going over the hill and I'm like it came off the putter face with a pretty good speed as I felt it. As it was going down the hill I started walking across to the side and you can kind of gauge what it's going to do and I had my hands up about ten, six feet out.

You were able to hear the crowd. It was loud out there. It was a very, very loud roar but it's really cool to be able to do that again. Just goes to show that you can never really underestimate holing putts like that because it's just such a cool feeling and to be able to do that on the 17th hole here the last year it's going to be played here is pretty cool.

Once again, I got one more day ahead of myself. I can't get too far ahead. I got to make sure I enjoy the challenge tomorrow and get into it.

Q. Jason, you talked about how good you've driven it today. Was that the main key for your 63 today?
JASON DAY: Yeah. Well, I mean it wasn't the main key. It was one part of that score with giving yourself the chances you got to make sure you hit it close enough to the hole to give yourself and capitalize on the opportunities that you put through the tee shots.

Went on a stretch of five birdies in a row, missed a small putt on 12 for my sixth and yeah, I didn't know -- I thought it was going to keep on going the way I was playing. Felt really good.

Once again, I got to a point where I think it was my second or third birdie in a row that I'm like you can kind of play it safe, you can start hitting it kind of shorter and hitting to the middle of the greens and trying to hole longer putts but the way I was playing, the way I was driving the ball, I knew that I needed to be a little bit more aggressive to kind of shoot myself up the leaderboard especially with the birdies at 10 and 11 and the opportunity that I had at 12 because those are really getable holes when the wind is kind of down.

Q. Your birdies seemed to come in bunches.
JASON DAY: It would be nice to have a lot of bunches like that tomorrow. But, you know, it feels like everything kind of clicked today which was good.

First and 2nd Round were a little tough for me with regards to the hitting part but today everything clicked, the process is going into the ball, pre-shot routine-wise was a lot smoother and deliberate, a goal and commitment in mind and I tried to do the best I could do with that and thinking over the ball was a lot smoother today as well.

When taking all that into consideration with some of the top tee shots that we have out here, with a lot of water and a lot of people out here, you can kind of get out of your own game. I was very happy with kind of staying within myself.

Q. Obviously the goal is winning tomorrow but with this being tomorrow being the last round here and your history here, does it add anything to it?
JASON DAY: Yeah. It would be nice to be my first win here as a professional and, unfortunately for it to not be here anymore is pretty tough, you know, but there's a lot of good memories coming back at a place like this and people are fantastic. I lived here in the area and be nice to win tomorrow.

Q. When is the last time (inaudible) --
JASON DAY: The PGA. Last year at the PGA, which is quite a long time ago. Once again, with how things went this year, early this year I just feel like everything is starting to balance itself out again and, you know, the desire to get back to the No. 1 World Ranking is coming back in there and so I'm starting to work a lot harder, doing the right things again and yeah, I know that I've got a long climb to get back there because Dustin is playing tremendous golf, Rory is, too, and let alone the guys that are behind us trying to get to the same spot.

I feel good about where the game is right now, not get ahead of myself because there's still one day of golf to be played here and got to enjoy the challenge tomorrow and have fun.

Q. (inaudible).
JASON DAY: Today it was, definitely. If I had the lead, you know, you just -- if I had the lead today you're just trying to be patient, hit it in the middle of the greens and try to snag the birdies on 7 and 16 and try to pick up a birdie on two of the other par-4s and try to shoot your 3 to 4-under.

That's what you would be trying to do. Once again, it's hard to win tournaments out here because the players are so good and it's very, very easy to get ahead of yourself, too, if you're at the top of the leaderboard. Once again, if you're so far back you got to keep pushing hard.

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