MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 5, 2021

Jason Day

Quick Quotes

Q. Your rookie Masters, as well as you played that week, Charl lapped everybody, but what have you learned since then? You didn't think you knew how to play this course from that one year as a rookie.

JASON DAY: I felt like I knew how to play it, coming here and finishing second in my first event, my rookie Masters.

But I just know that the golf course you can kind of get caught up in the -- it's the type of major where you can get caught up in the whole process of trying to win the event from Monday through Sunday. You treat it a little bit differently, and then I think over my last few years of playing, I haven't had the best success or as close as I'd like to be, but I think coming in here, I've learnt a lot about the golf course, knowing where to hit it and miss it and all that stuff.

I know it's very much a second-shot golf course. I've played with countless older generation players and younger generation players, and you can definitely tell that the more you play here, the better your course management gets around this golf course.

I think I've played a couple times with Freddy and Bernhard, and they've kind of -- I know I just got Freddy, but Bernhard lapped me, and I was hitting 7-iron into the par-5 second hole and he's hitting 3-wood into it. It was extraordinary to watch the way that he went around this golf course and how you don't need to be offensive, you need to be more defensive, and it just goes against all -- the way that the younger generation plays the game of golf now.

It's more offensive-based golf courses that we typically play, and around here you've got to be more on the defensive side.

Q. Do you feel like you're somewhat under the radar for the first time in a while?

JASON DAY: Yeah, I've been saying that the last couple years, to be honest with you, but I feel like the game is kind of shaping up in a nice way. I've been working hard with Chris on my golf swing, but now I've got to translate that into actually executing a shot and not thinking about so much technique, and then on top of it I've got to improve the putting and I feel like the putting itself has improved drastically, not from the stats you see but from the mental process that I've actually been taking.

Working on that, it's been feeling good. Playing under the radar is nice sometimes. I'd much rather be in the spotlight because you're playing good, but right now I've been here since last Friday, so I've had a lot of practice getting in under the belt and I'm looking forward to the week starting.

Q. Do you remember what it felt like your first Masters the second round shooting 64?

JASON DAY: I do actually because I was playing with Rory --

Q. What are your fondest memories of that day?

JASON DAY: Well, I think Rory shot like 65 the first day, and then I was playing with Rickie Fowler, as well, and I can't remember what I shot the first day, but I shot 64, and that was pretty cool because we were walking up 18 and then you get a standing ovation.

It was about two days prior to that I was going to quit the game of golf, so it was nice to be able to turn around and shoot 64 on Friday and think that I was going to quit the game of golf on Wednesday. It was such a big difference between where I was and where I ended up being for that week.

Q. Five years since your PGA; what do you give yourself over that five-year stretch, and what's left that you want to chase? How much does this mean to you?

JASON DAY: I mean, it's always been a goal of mine to win at Augusta. You know, I think it's been more of a learning curve. Ever since having the split with Col, I think I've learnt more about my game and more about myself and trying to grow as a person, as an individual on and off the golf course. That's the biggest thing for me is to really understand because you've got to understand that when you're playing you have all these people around you that are supporting you, sometimes you don't pay attention to certain things in regards to like your swing or your mental process, your gym stuff.

So there's a number of things that you -- if I look back on my success during 2016 -- 2015-2016, I don't know how I really did it, know what I mean? I went out there and played really good golf. I know statistically what I did well, but I don't know how it all came about and why it clicked and everything like that.

This time around I feel like I'm learning the ins and outs of my game and understanding what the cause and effect of everything that I do on the golf course and off the golf course that affects the result in the end.

I feel good about myself. I've just got to be patient. It's nice to be able to see Jordan play well and win last week because it's been I think four years since his last win, and I'm kind of stretching up to that mark.

Q. Are you reinventing yourself?

JASON DAY: I wouldn't say I'm reinventing myself. I would just say that I'm just maturing as time has gone on. I think of myself as a better person now than what I was five years ago. I feel like I've found a happier place in my life. I've found a little bit more balance per se, and I'm not really driven by the results to make me happy because to be driven by results to make you happy, that's very temporary, and your emotions go up and down, to the point where you're always constantly thinking about it.

My goal is to get back to No. 1 in the world, and I know that I'll definitely do a lot of things differently just because I've been in that position beforehand. If I get back there, I know that things will be a little bit different for me, and hopefully I can actually extend and have longevity at No. 1 like a Dustin or Norman, Tiger, something like that.

Q. Are there things you don't grind over as much or don't worry about as much now?

JASON DAY: Yeah, I think this is my 14th season on the TOUR, so I'm in a bit of a different position in regards to money-wise, and with a guy that's coming out thinking about money, like I remember the days when I first came out, when I first turned professional I didn't have a bank account. I had a wad of cash in my pocket, but I had no money in the bank, and I knew what it felt like to not have the money growing up, and then obviously turning professional now I'm in a different position.

Looking back, there's just so many things that -- if I take a step back and look at it at a wide angle, I could have told myself to do it, but for some reason I just couldn't really tell myself physically and mentally to go and do that. It's been an interesting journey so far.

My body feels tremendous. I've always said that I'd get to 40 and reevaluate things. I feel with the way my body is going, I feel like I can play to 50 now, which is great, and I've just got to stay mentally sharp and try and want it more than anyone else.

Q. How are you finding the golf course and how it sets up for what you like to do?

JASON DAY: I like it. Obviously last November it was really soft. You know how it was. If you've walked the golf course, it's playing a lot firmer, which is great. I mean, I think that's the best thing that we could possibly have is a firm golf course. A slight chance of getting some rain Thursday through Saturday possibly, but right now the golf course is playing firm and fast, and hopefully once the tournament starts we can get the greens going really quick because I think that would be a nice change because we've had some soft conditions over the last few years, and I feel like harder conditions will -- I guess the good players that are playing really solid golf right now will somehow make their way to the top, and I like that way.

Q. There are five Australians playing this week. How do you rate their chances and what does it mean for Australian golf?

JASON DAY: It's nice. I heard a stat that since 1980s or something like that there's been an Australian winner every year on the TOUR; is that correct?

Q. 33 years.

JASON DAY: Yeah, that's amazing. That just goes to show for such a small country that we've got a lot of talented players. I do rate a lot of the guys that are -- a lot of Australians. Everyone has got a chance here, but most of the Aussies have really good short games, firm conditions, fast conditions. A couple of them are from the south, firm and fast greens, me and Cammy and Scottie, kind of Bermuda greens, which are kind of slower and more grainy. But I feel like most Australians have a really good short game and they've got a really good chance this week.

It's interesting; I feel like I've been working hard, but you can definitely tell that with Matty Jones just winning recently, Cammy and Mark and Scottie, everyone's game is shaping up really nicely. It's really tough to kind of pinpoint who's going to play well and who isn't. I hope we all play well and we're there Sunday.

Q. It's 25 years since the Shark's collapse; would it be nice to maybe have an Aussie win on the anniversary?

JASON DAY: Yeah, hopefully -- we don't want to even think about that. What the Shark did for us as golfers growing up, especially Scottie -- Scottie was really close to Greg Norman, and kind of in the start of my career I got to know Greg really well, and just what he did for Australian golf was huge for us. It was unfortunate the couple of times that he had here with Faldo and Larry Mize, but it's just going beyond that was -- it was pretty remarkable what he did for Australian golf and the actual -- this is probably why we have so many players on TOUR now because of him. So it's nice.

Q. How nice is it to say my body feels tremendous? We haven't always heard that.

JASON DAY: Yeah, it's been kind of long to say that. And to be honest, when you sit there and you're always getting these questions asked, how is your body, how is your back, it starts to like go into the mental side of things, and you actually start thinking about it. The more you think about it, the more it hurts. I'm trying to get past that in regards to my body feels great. I've been doing a lot of work with my trainer, and I haven't had a pain whatsoever. It's been nice to be able to -- I think since 2014 I've had like -- I've had 16 MRIs on my back. It's been a long journey, but now I feel pretty good about it.

Q. Instead of grinding for an hour or something, do you maybe do 15 minutes but it's better quality work? Or maybe does that help your body?

JASON DAY: Yeah, I think I've always been kind of a hard worker anyways, and I think that's kind of --

Q. That's what I was getting at.

JASON DAY: Yeah, I think that's why my body has broken down the way it has. I've just got to do things differently now. I'm not 21 anymore. I've just got to do things differently, prepare a little bit differently.

I think it has to be more on the mental side now than anything else. I'm doing a lot more visualization off the golf course than I've ever had in previous years, just due to the fact that the mind is probably the most strongest thing that you'll have out on the golf course, and if I can't put in the work as much as I used to, then I'll have to do it off the golf course and with my mental game.