	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

BMW CHAMPIONSHIP

September 13, 2017

Jason Day

Carmel, Indiana

JASON DAY: He's still my coach. Yeah, like I said, it may be somewhere down the road where four months from now -- I don't even know how long it will be -- but I can come back to him and say, "Look, man, I made a mistake and I need to come back and have you on the bag."

Nothing between what he did on the golf course that obviously forced this. He was one of the hardest working caddies out there that I believed in. Was always thorough and on top of everything, every information that he processed across to me as a player.

Unfortunately, sometimes the chemistry just doesn't work. He's been my coach since I'm 12. Obviously this is a very hard time for both of us with regards to we had a relationship for so long, my caddy for 11 years. Unfortunately, just sometimes it doesn't work the way things -- there had to be an ending point but, once again, I don't think -- as a player/coach, that's obviously still -- once again, getting back to the chemistry of things, my attitude is not good coming to the golf course because of things he can't control, obviously, you know, it's not a good formula for success out here.

Going forward, obviously, I've got a buddy on the bag, I might have another buddy on the bag at the Presidents Cup and we'll see how it goes. I just want to finish out the year trying to finish out strong and if I can do that, that would be great. If not, obviously go through the steps of trying to find someone more secure on the bag for next year.

Q. Obviously you've given this an awful lot of thought. One of the things that you contemplated the impact on the relationship of you and Colin as teacher and student to making this move?
JASON DAY: That was the biggest thing, I'm sitting here and he's been my caddy for 11 years. I felt like if I was going to keep it going -- I know that he wanted -- he always wanted to work and do whatever he needs. He said, "You can yell at me if you want", that that's how good of a guy he is. I said, "No, I can't damage the relationship that we've had together."

He's a father figure for me ever since I was a kid and I wanted to make sure that it's still there. Went a little further and kept on like butting heads out there and also me. I'm the player. I'm the one -- he's got zero ego.

Unfortunately, sometimes I get in my own way. And, as golfers, it's a very mentally driven game and sometimes you look for blame elsewhere and obviously I'm not trying to blame him.

Like I said, he was an amazing caddy, amazing coach and amazing person. He's done pretty much everything he possibly can to get me to where I'm going. Unfortunately, just didn't work out.

So, like I said, nothing is broken. I could have him on the bag next year. Might be a bag share thing. I just don't know yet. This is kind of the first time I've actually been separated from Col as a player/caddy relationship and I'm trying to find my footing here and it's kind of bad timing but it had to at some point and obviously --

Q. Last question real quickly. Is he here and what was his reaction?
JASON DAY: Like I said, he was obviously a little bit shocked and disappointed. Before the event he sent me through my stats that I needed to look at. We always -- we had conversations, my agent, my wife and obviously, him.

I talked to him for about 25 minutes to an hour last week. Obviously he needed some time just going over things and really trying -- understand my feelings and what I wanted to try to accomplish in my career as a player and then obviously trying to get his feelings as well.

So, you know, it's always hard because we've been a team for so long. We've been really tight and being so close for very long and we're still close. It's just -- he's coming off the bag and going to more of a coaching role now.

With that being said, he's not out of my world one bit. He's just -- he's going to be even more so in my world with regards to -- as a player/caddy all I do is see him at the golf course. Never talk to him in the off weeks. We just be at the golf course with work.

Now, I'm able to actually go out and hang out with him a lot more. I'm hoping that things move forward with us and like they always have and always will be because we're both very close. We love each other like family and looking forward to the future.

Like I said, I think you know, I talked to him back in I think it was 2014.

Q. Or even '12, right?
JASON DAY: Might have been 2012 I talked to him briefly about when it comes to, you'll obviously know. He understood that. Couple years go on and I'm still talking to him about it.

Everything is great when you win, but when you're playing poorly, that's when a true test of a relationship actually happens between a player and a caddy and Col has known me since I was probably a kid.

Being able to have him on the bag was an absolute pleasure. (Inaudible).

Once again, this is not -- I'm not breaking up with him. It's actually -- people are going to blow it out more than it really is. He's still my coach and there's nothing between the PGA or anything that comes to mind that anyone thinks.

It's just -- the chemistry between me and Col just slowly over time -- and it's more my fault really because he's out there trying to do the best job he can and, unfortunately, sometimes it just doesn't work out no matter how hard he works, no matter -- the positive vibes and the positives he's trying to put out and all the numbers that he can get and information he can get sometimes just doesn't work out and I made a decision last week to obviously go -- I'm going to kind of just see how the rest of this year goes with whoever is on the bag, see if I can actually get something going and, if that doesn't work out, I don't like the way I work with these guys, then maybe a bag shift for next year. Just really hard to tell right now because obviously this is the first week I've actually had another caddy.

So, it could be tough but -- yeah, it's not too bad.

Q. Your caddy's name and your past relationship?
JASON DAY: Luke Reardon. We were roommates together back at the Hills International College. We grew up playing golf together. He came over, my buddy Andy got him a job roofing. Now he's on the bag for me in the 3rd FedEx Playoff event.

He still plays a little bit of golf. He's caddied for another mate of mine, like kind of smaller events, some other small events below this. He's done sometime caddying. We're trying to make sure the communication is clear out there.

Q. During the low times you talked about, are you surprised these feelings surfaced?
JASON DAY: It's like anything. So this is how it happened, like obviously we're still close, we've always been close but as we go along, we're with each other all the time. I'm with Col probably more time than I am with my wife on Tour and I would go home, I would really -- we wouldn't call each other and, unfortunately, just if you don't -- it happens in anything, marriage, friendship, somehow if you're spending a lot of time with someone you have to have time to spend away from work because if -- no matter what he's doing, if I hit a bad shot -- you can hit a shot and I'll be looking at him and he didn't do anything, you know what I mean? I'm blaming him for nothing.

Unfortunately, it just somehow over some times -- I never wanted it to turn into a toxic relationship where he's taken me from where I am as a 12 year old kid to where I am today and I'm not talking to him anymore.

Q. Were you worried it was headed that way?
JASON DAY: I was worried if I kept it going it was going to head that way and I love him too much to have him not in my life because of how special he is to me.

Q. Any part of you that would have waited until after the Presidents Cup and, conversely, is this kind of --
JASON DAY: The last couple of weeks were tough. Me -- look, I'm no saint, I'm not perfect and I understand that and for me to come to a golf course and not even really talk to my caddy during the warm-up is not a nice thing to do as a person, let alone trying to treat someone like this.

I'm not -- I'm not out there abusing him or anything like that, just like -- just kind of like didn't click over the last couple weeks and I don't want to ever treat anyone or have to go ahead -- I didn't know if it was to go down the line -- (inaudible).

That's my whole thing, I wanted to really try and make sure I got -- like I said, got out in front of this and hopefully down the line we can hook back up if it doesn't work out because it's one thing you have to always do, either a friendship or relationship, you always have to constantly work at it.

Anyone is probably married or have a girlfriend or boyfriend, whatever it is you have to always constantly work.

Q. Do you have plans to get together and work on the swing?
JASON DAY: Of course. That's the thing, I want to make sure that if he does stay my coach, that we probably prior to tournaments do it then because I mean I don't think --

Q. He sees you again --
JASON DAY: He's going to stay my coach. If he wants to come out on the road -- I much rather him come in the off weeks before tournaments and work so I don't have to work at tournaments. He's always going to be my coach, always will unless he gets paid more somewhere else. I'm planning on trying to keep him around. I don't want anyone else to coach, get coached by him because he's a really good coach.

Q. Did I hear you say in there there might be another guy on the bag at the Presidents Cup?
JASON DAY: David "Ludarous". He played the PGA two years. He's been -- he was in China last year and actually -- he was living in my house the last couple weeks. He's been squatting there.

Q. Really studying hard?
JASON DAY: He's studying hard.

Q. His roofing job.
JASON DAY: Pretty close to it.

Q. Has Benny applied yet?
JASON DAY: You know what, I think --

Q. Get in line?
JASON DAY: Benny probably interviewed when I was playing a tournament. It would be a good insight for him, though.

It's something where like this is just -- I think I'm just going to see how it goes for the rest of the year and I don't think this is a very big thing.

Obviously, I know there's a relationship there and me and him have been inseparable since the day I came out. Once again, he's my coach and always will be. I love him so much. I just want to make sure I did the right thing. Obviously, when you let go of someone sometimes it's hard but there's been a lot going this year.

Q. Is Luke going to caddy at the Australian Open?
JASON DAY: Yes.

Q. Do you think it takes any pressure -- I don't want to say pressure, you don't know what's coming --
JASON DAY: In the same sense I'm excited about the future with regards to I can go out there and take ownership of my golf shots. I have no one to blame other than myself.

It doesn't take the pressure off because I'm 28th on the FedEx. I'm trying to get to next week. The timing can be a little tough but I just was thinking I'm like if I come to an event such as the BMW this week and I'm not clicking within the game, is that going to hurt me or help me?

I had to make a decision somehow to hopefully help me in the short-term to ultimately help me in the long-term.

Q. Talk about the decision with Phil and Rory, did that frame your choice to go to someone that --
JASON DAY: No. No. No. I'm comfortable around Col just as my mate. Like I said, there's no correlation between what they did to go to his brother and Rory going to his best mate.

My buddy, his visa is up in September. He can't caddy at the Presidents Cup. Jump on the bag the next two events. Yeah, there's no thinking there, I can severely underpay him.

Q. Your back, you looked like you were walking --
JASON DAY: It's a little tight. I got to try to -- this year has been a funky year.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297