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MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 2, 2018

Jason Day

Augusta, Georgia

THE MODERATOR: We would like to welcome Jason Day to the interview room. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It's our pleasure to welcome back Jason Day for his 8th appearance at the Masters.
Jason, congratulations on your great start to the season and your 11th win at the Farmers.
JASON DAY: Thank you.
THE MODERATOR: It was fantastic.
JASON DAY: Thank you.
THE MODERATOR: You came really close to winning a Green Jacket in 2011, and actually you've had very consistent finishes here. How has that very close performance in 2011 helped shape your preparation for this year?
JASON DAY: Yeah, it was funny, when I first came here, I think everyone knows this story about how‑‑ funny how it opens up the story, but I was almost close to quitting the game in 2011 when I first was a rookie coming and playing this event for the first time. I met my agent, Bud, and a sports psychologist, and we ended up coming up with a plan of just going out there and having fun. I ended up finishing second. Had a good chance of winning the Tournament, and Charl Schwartzel came home in a flurry and birdied the last four holes.
And then in 2013 I was very close again. Had the lead with I think three holes left and didn't quite get it done, but Adam Scott ended up finishing and being the first Australian to win the Masters.
Going back on it, obviously, I think the preparation is huge coming to an event like this. Being here the last‑‑ I got here Thursday night, and I've been here the last few days and just been really kind of just fine tuning things and trying to adjust.
And I was just talking to you earlier about how I just put the new P‑730 blades in the bag, so I got a new set of irons. I wasn't quite happy with how I was hitting it at the Match Play. I was launching it a little bit higher and spinning a little bit too much, and I think that everyone here knows that until you come here you don't really‑‑ you don't understand or realize that there is a lot of breeze here at times, and you have to be able to control your trajectory and your spin.
So with all that said, going back from 2011, having good results and in 2013, and still having decent results in there between, this is a tournament that I always focused to try and win every single year, and I'm striving towards hopefully one day slipping that Green Jacket on and being able to call myself a Masters champion.
And that's‑‑ if I sit there and think about it every night, it gives me chills just trying to think about that actual feeling. So it always gets me focused and ready to come into an event like this.
THE MODERATOR: Great. One more question. The Masters has a massive following in Australia. Can you share some thoughts what it's like to be a golfer back in Australia watching Masters weekend.
JASON DAY: Yeah, this is a big event for us. Because I think the biggest thing is that we have come so close so many times beforehand, and then obviously with Adam Scott winning, it just made everything so much more special.
But you go down the be golf club, you got breakfast going on, you've got the Masters playing, very early in the mornings. But when I was growing up, I remember waking up at four, five o'clock and just sitting there waiting for the Masters coverage to come on, and I'm sitting there turning the TV with the turn dial and making sure that the antennas are right just to get the best picture, because just everything ‑‑ you walk through the gates here, I think everyone knows and understands how special this place is when they walk through, and then obviously to as a kid watching it, watching it unfold in 1997 with Tiger and how he played, that's what sparked my kind of push forward into playing more competitive golf. So I absolutely love this event.
THE MODERATOR: Great. Thanks, Jason. Open it up for questions, please.

Q. With all your experience here now, do you come into 2018 with more confidence than you ever had before, or how does this year shape up for you?
JASON DAY: I would love to say that I ‑‑ this is probably not close to the high that I've had before, coming off 2015 and winning late and then obviously coming into an event where I was No. 1 in the world, I think, that was pretty high, but I just‑‑ the last two events didn't really pan out the way that I wanted to, especially at Bay Hill and Match Play. Didn't quite perform the way I wanted to. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.
I think that I remember winning the Match Play and playing a decent amount of holes, and it took me at least five to six days just to get over that win because I was just‑‑ you're physically exhausted, you're mentally drained, and it just‑‑ I just didn't feel right after like four or five days. On the sixth day I felt fine, but that was just cutting into my preparation here.
Getting back to it, got off to a great start this year, things are moving in the right direction. I think the stats, the only thing that I need to improve on is hitting it closer and hitting more greens, but I think hopefully with this current change that I have with the irons I think that will slowly kind of bring everything in hopefully and give myself a few more opportunities on the greens.
And I've been putting great, so if I can get myself on the greens and give myself the opportunities, hopefully the putter will take over and I can get myself in contention on Sunday.

Q. Does the club here, the rules officials they use from outside and the club rules officials, is pace of play any more of an emphasis or encouraged more here than the other Majors or the PGA TOUR in any way?
JASON DAY: I think you got to look at the field size. Field size is obviously‑‑ if you think about it, in the past, I think we had an amateur from China one time. He kind of went over it and got a penalty a few years back. But the pace of play, I remember watching the Adam Scott‑Angel Cabrera playoff, and they played unbelievably quick. And everyone sitting back was going: This is amazing how fast they're playing and how good they're playing.
I think both of those guys were in the zone, which makes things a lot easier. But I don't think there's a huge emphasis on the pace of play because I think everyone understands, I mean, you're playing a golf tournament and you're trying to respect not only the rules of golf but respect the other players as well. And the field size is 87. So usually when there's a smaller field, things move pretty quickly and the time of it moves pretty quickly, especially on the weekends.

Q. As a follow‑up, does it help that so many‑‑ this is a kind of course, an old‑style course‑‑ that so many tees are close to the previous green?
JASON DAY: Yeah, and that's the thing. The flow of the golf course flows nicely. I think everyone here at Augusta has thought about everything. I think it does flow nicely. There are tough holes mixed in with some easier holes, the par‑5s, they don't get too bunched up, which is nice, and there's holes where you'll be sitting there where it could pinch, but it really doesn't do it too much.
The pace of play is always kept up. I think you don't really see the rules officials too much, but you know they're sitting off in the trees somewhere watching and making sure that they're keeping eyes on the guys that either have been in trouble or are just playing a little bit slow, and they kind of tend to move guys along, along the way.

Q. I don't know whether you heard from family or friends other players, but is this the most anticipated Masters you've been a part of with all the great story lines going on with so many great players winning and Tiger's come back?
JASON DAY: I think that's an‑‑ I think it might be an overused word, the anticipated part, but I think when Tiger came back, I think, finished fourth in 2013, I think that that was right after what happened and he came back and I think that year he won maybe five times. Everyone thought he was back then, and then he got injured, and then two more times he came back and it didn't really work out. And then finally he's healthy, and I think he's probably chipping a little bit better than what he was at the height of the game.
He's healthy. Phil's playing great. But then you mix in the young guys too. So I just think the competition's getting really, really tough, and it just adds a little bit more flavor that Phil and Tiger are playing tremendous golf as well.

Q. With the return of Tiger and so much talk about him, do you feel like certain players, like yourself and No. 1 Dustin Johnson, can be under the radar a little bit and not have so much attention on them and not as much pressure?
JASON DAY: Yeah, I think‑‑ I definitely think you kind of hit the nail on the head to a certain degree. I think when it comes to Tiger and the Tiger mania that comes with it, that everyone wants to see him win and play the way he did before. Everyone's kind of chomping at the bit for him to kind of get here and see how he's moving and everything. You could say, I mean, Dustin, since Hawaii, he hasn't really kind of kicked on. I don't think he's played as solid as he would have liked to. Justin Thomas is playing good golf as well. But there's a number of guys that are playing really nice.
But I think everyone's kind of solely focused on Tiger and what he's going to do here and seeing if he can get to No. 15. But that's fine with us. That's fine with me. I can just kind of focus on what I need to do to try and win this tournament. Tiger's Tiger, but I think the biggest thing for me is I can't beat myself. I think on my good day I've got a good chance of beating him. I honestly believe that. I think that there's 10, 20 other guys out there that honestly believe they can beat Tiger as well at his good day as well now.
That's just you got to have that self‑belief. You can't come into an event thinking that, well, Tiger's going to win, I'm going to play for second place. You don't come into an event like this and think that way and somehow win. It just doesn't do it. You got to believe in your yourself and understand that you put the calculated preparation into it and try and execute the game plan.
But there's going to be a buzz around Augusta this week with Tiger being on the field, being on the grounds this week, and it's going to be exciting to see, but we got to‑‑ everyone else has got to a game plan to do. They got to try and be the person that's going to slip on that Green Jacket on Sunday.

Q. With a win and second to start the year, is there any risk involved in changing out your irons before a Major?
JASON DAY: I think it was the opposite. I think it's the other way around. I think with how I was hitting my irons, I just didn't have the confidence in knowing that ‑‑ I don't know what happened, but they performed okay last year and I went from an offset to an onset iron last year, which was my old set that I currently am not using right now, but I just couldn't quite get the gain, the trajectory, and the control that I wanted to.
So hopefully with a little bit of a change, that could spark something. And you never know, hopefully I can come into a week like this and really hit a lot of greens and give myself opportunities.

Q. Before Adam won in 2013, every Australian kept getting asked when is the first Aussie going to win, and that was one of those things. Can you quantify what it might feel like for Rory, Hideki and these guys whose country has not won this tournament?
JASON DAY: Well, Rory is in a bit of a different story here because this is his last Major to win the career Grand Slam. So that's a‑‑ not only is that pressure on himself and the country, but let's, and we're talking about a legacy here.
Hideki, for himself, I mean, he's going to be the best Japanese player probably to live or play on the PGA TOUR. So I don't think these guys are thinking about it. I think Rory's probably thinking a little bit more so than Hideki and some of the other guys, but‑‑ and even myself, I think about it as well, but we know that we can't get too far ahead of ourselves. We think about it at night, and it's hard not to think about it. You sit there and sleep thinking about winning the Green Jacket and winning the Masters and playing great golf and in front of millions of fans that are watching.
It's hard to get out of your head sometimes, but you know that this is my 11th year on the PGA TOUR, and I've been doing this for quite a long time now that I understand that Thursday's first shot is a long way from Sunday's last shot and there's a lot of golf that happens in between that and it's all about just managing yourself the best can you and not trying to take yourself out of the tournament.
If you give yourself a shot, then that's the glory that comes with it, and then you're in the history books. But it's very, very difficult to stay in the present at an event like this.

Q. Is there such a thing as the weight of a nation? I'm thinking China, India.
JASON DAY: Yeah, well, that's a difficult one to say. It depends on the person and how I guess passionate they are with regards to feeling that. If they're really passionate about winning it for their country, I think they will feel it a lot more.
But once again, that's a tough question. Sitting here thinking about it, I don't know. I wouldn't have it, but like only because Adam just won five years ago. So that's hard for me to answer for those guys.

Q. How does it work when you have a caddie that is at his first Masters and he's trying to compile a yardage book and a greens book? Is Colin surrendering his?
JASON DAY: Yeah, he surrendered his, yeah. I made sure ‑‑ Colin was really thorough with his number collection. His yardage book collection is quite large. So for him to be able to ‑‑ I've got his yardage book actually right here and it's in my yardage book cover.
But I go over the numbers. This week we won't go over the numbers because I know how thorough Colin is with being here, but having Rika on the bag this week, I think hopefully that will make things a little bit more light out there for me and a little bit more fun, because over the last few years it's been more of a grind trying to get that win because a lot of people have come up to me and said: This is your year, this is your year, you're going to win one.
And that can add a little bit more pressure. So hopefully I have my good close buddy out there with me and we can make things a little less stressful and go out there and have fun.

Q. So just a quick follow, that maybe having less of that analytical knowledge might free you up?
JASON DAY: Yeah, I think that to a certain degree you take ownership of your actual golf game, going back with Col, he was great for the 10 years that we had, and he is still my coach. He's here. But to a certain degree I think when you have your coach on the bag, you kind of not worry but you kind of think, okay, well, he's going to say something about this shot, so I better not play that shot, you know, after the round. And it takes a little bit of free will to your game to kind of let that‑‑ let things happen. I think that I always get back to if it comes down to the line of me trying a shot on the last hole to win the Masters and it ends up failing, I would much rather fail in front of millions instead of failing in front of nobody. And if I can pull it off, then great.
I think that's what Rika will bring to this week, is a lot of fun and enjoyment. And we're best buds, so we'll go out there and enjoy the time. I think he's going to be nervous walking down the first hole, but he should be fine.

Q. Now that this week is upon us, if there is one primary thing that you are committed to, to have a successful week here, what would it be?
JASON DAY: One thing?

Q. One primary thing.
JASON DAY: Have less shots than other people.
(Laughter.) That's probably it.
No, I think that at night I always sit down and, like, I need to swing the club well, I need to chip well, I need to putt well, I need to mentally grind through any tough situation and I need to have the confidence and confidence in my ability.
There are things that I go through. If I had to pick one, I would definitely say ‑‑ that's tough. I think it's more the preparation and it's more the preparation that fuels the confidence and knowing that I've prepared well and I know what to do on the golf course.
But, yeah, it's hard. I would say the mental side of things, because it is tough mentally. Mentally this is one of the toughest tournaments you play. Only because of the history that's behind the golf course, the golf tournament, you know exactly where people have hit what, so I would say the mental side of things.

Q. In the immediate aftermath of the final round of 2011 when it was such a crowded leaderboard, such a wild afternoon. You said it was unreal. Looking back on it, was that really an introduction into what big‑time golf could be in terms of the atmosphere that you could put yourself in?
JASON DAY: Yeah, I remember having this conversation with Justin Poynter, who is a coach out of Texas. I used to live at the Jim McLean golf center in Texas, in Arlington. And we were going over wins and what would you rather have. I think it was like 20 wins on the PGA TOUR or five Majors or whatever it was. And at the time I was like, I would go 20 wins on the PGA TOUR.
And then after, in 2011, once I got close to winning the Masters for the‑‑ in my rookie year here, that quickly changed. I understood how important the majors are and how preparation is important coming into each of these four and how hard it is to peak at these events.
But that definitely changed the way that I look at‑‑ because, I mean, if you look at it, everyone looks at how many Majors you win in a career. That was a great introductory to what you felt trying to win a Major Championship, what you sensed out there, the feeling of the crowds, the feeling of can you push far enough mentally and physically and knowing that I could do this for the rest of my life if I get in this, get back into contention every single time I played a Major Championship, because it is so addicting.
And that's why I practice every single day, just to try and get back to that feeling, because it‑‑ I think I just thrive for that and that stressful situation.

Q. Following up the earlier Tiger obsession thing that you were talking about, I'm sure you and all the other players sort of knew it was coming. Are you amazed that it has sort of lasted this long and is back at the high level it is, and why do you think it is?
JASON DAY: No, I don't think it's ‑‑ I'm not amazed by it because I always‑‑ I think my rookie year was 2008, but I remember playing‑‑ 2006 I played seven tournaments on the PGA TOUR, but in 2008 I remember watching him win. I told him about this at Bay Hill. I remember here he was so confident with his with himself that he would hit a shot‑‑ he was at the Buick Invitational, I think it was in Flint, Michigan, and he would hit iron shots, and he didn't even need to look at them. He would just do the twirl and start walking and five feet. And he shot 24‑under that year, and he won by like seven.
But I think a lot of people, a lot of people quickly forgot what he had accomplished in his career right as he got injured and he was out for a while and they forgot, okay, well ‑‑ but that's just golf and that's just life. Everyone lives fast now. Everyone wants instant gratification. That's just how the world works now. Now that he's back and he looks kind of where he was before, or he potentially can be, I think everyone's getting that taste back in there, like, oh, let's go, let's see what he can do. I think everyone's kind of chomping at the bit to see what he can accomplish.
So I'm not surprised with the hype and the stuff that goes with it, because he was huge back in '97, and he was huge‑‑ he's still huge now. And we're looking at a guy that was the most recognized athlete for a good chunk of years. He put golf on the map for a lot of young players. And you look at the college players that are coming up now, big, strong athletic people. They're hitting it miles, and that's that Tiger effect.

Q. Quick follow‑up. There's so much talent in the sport now, so I would hesitate to say golf needs him back, I don't know what your opinion is on that, but how much does golf benefit by having him back at this level?
JASON DAY: He's an entertainer, for sure. I don't know how he does these finishes. And like if I tried to finish, it would probably hit a tree, but like he's able to kind of get it out and do these wonderful finishes out of the trees and stuff like that.
Coming back, talking about how when he came back the first two times and he wasn't ready because his short game was struggling with his chipping a little bit, his short game is his game. Obviously his driving's not the greatest, but once he's on the fairway, he hits unbelievable iron shots. And if he doesn't, then he's ‑‑ everyone likes seeing the big flop shot and no one likes to see that little chip shot, and he does those big flop shots and holes those big long putts and makes things exciting. So that's my little take on Tiger.

Q. Even though you won already this year, it feels like you're coming into this Masters as an underdog. Are you embracing that, and do you agree with that?
JASON DAY: Yeah, well, yeah, I don't care what I come into an event like this, I just want to win. If it is underdog, great. If it's a favorite, great. If I'm not too worried about that, I just got to put it out of my mind and just try and focus on winning.
I think that going back and starting great and then not playing that well, but I am kind of under the radar as you would probably know more so than the other guys. Only because there's a lot of‑‑ getting back to the question before, there's a lot of talent in the pool now and it's‑‑ there's not really too many big finish anymore. There's like just a lot of medium‑large fish that are just trying to chomp at each other.
So it's great for golf to be able to see that because, there's a lot of talent that ‑‑ I mean, how many players have we had this year win? I don't know if there's, that's because of talent or not, but the competition is getting tight. That's why you're seeing a lot of playoffs these days and the leaderboards are bunched.
But getting back to it, I mean, underdog, great. Favorite, great. Whatever. I'm happy to come into an event like this with whatever tag, and I just got to put it out of my mind and just focus.

Q. Have you ever watched the replay of 2013? Have you taken any lessons from that?
JASON DAY: No. I don't know about it. I just‑‑ for some reason, I can't watch. I can't stand watching myself on TV for some reason. I typically don't look at myself on TV.

Q. The ball tampering story in Australian cricket has been huge. Have you had any‑‑ has that frustrated you? Has it been over the top? And also do you think that an Australian winning would maybe do a lot to help the nation feel better about it itself?
JASON DAY: Oh, man, that's a tough one. Yeah, it was a little bit disappointing to see what happened with the Australian cricket. I don't know the reasoning behind it. Obviously I don't understand what they're trying to accomplish with that ball. But, yeah, I mean, that's kind of the top tier of Australian sports, is Australian cricket. And it's certainly disappointing to see that, and I'm sure a lot of Australians feel the same way. And hopefully they can do some damage control and get back what they lost. I said this before, you can't get that back. They had a reputation, and unfortunately I think it's tarnished to a certain degree now.
Getting back to your second part of the question, hopefully an Australian winning this week will definitely take some pressure off that and ease the pain a little bit with what had just happened. Hopefully for me, hopefully, it's one of the other guys, I just‑‑ I think like getting back to it, I think a lot of people were disappointed with what had unfolded in South Africa, and that's a really hard question to answer.

Q. You say how important it is for you to hit form at the right time. How unusual would you say it is for so many of the game's top players to be hitting form right now and ahead of the Major that everybody wants to win?
JASON DAY: Yeah, I think the guys like‑‑ seems like Jordan Spieth's rounding in nicely, but guys that are usually mentally tough, even when they don't have their form, they somehow get themselves into form and they somehow get themselves into contention. Form is huge, being able to‑‑ but it can also be a double‑edged sword. You can have a very average start to the year and then all of a sudden you pop up and win.
So weeks like this, and I always say weeks like Major Championships, it's all in the attitude you bring and the emotion as well, because the moment that you start letting things get to you is the moment that you start making mental errors, and it gets to you.
So you typically see ‑‑ I would expect Tiger to play well this week. I just‑‑ obviously, off his past, previous finishes and what he's done over the last month or so. Expect Jordan Spieth to play well because of his previous experience here and his results and what he did last week at the Shell Houston‑‑ sorry, the Houston Open.
But form is something where some guys like to play their way into it. That's why Phil played the last couple weeks and is playing here and he's trying different shots at the Houston Open. And people are different, like me, who like to get here early and make sure that the swing is good to go, chipping feels nice and ready, and the putts are‑‑ have good touch.
So saying that, it's difficult to peak. It's difficult to peak your body, difficult to peak your mind, and difficult to peak your game. But once you get all those three in order, that's when you start to perform really great.
For myself, I kind of try and write down things, what makes me feel good. If I eat something or do something the night before and I feel great the next day, well, what did I do? So I try and find and come up with a blueprint to a certain degree to try and mimic that every single day so that I feel good and I know exactly what I need to do to feel good with my golf swing and my body.
So there's just little things like that.

Q. Do you remember a time where it was this competitive?
JASON DAY: No. This is pretty‑‑ this is probably the top of what's going on. There's just so many good players right now that can‑‑ like, obviously, you look at the odds, I mean, Tiger's probably a favorite right now, and there's just so many guys that can play well and win. And there's guys that you wouldn't even expect that you go, man, I forgot about him, and you know that he's a great player.
So there's just a lot of medium‑large fish chomping at the bit. It's just how it is.
THE MODERATOR: Okay, thank you very much.
JASON DAY: Thank you.

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