THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 10, 2023

Jason Day

TPC Sawgrass

Quick Quotes

Q. Is it starting to feel like the old days where this is sort of the standard?

JASON DAY: I'd like to think so. Obviously I'm coming off the back end of some really good golf, which is nice. I've got Chris Como, my coach here this week, so trying to help me through some of the swing stuff that I have been struggling with.

I feel like that stuff is coming around nicely.

It's strange; it's just like you have to be really patient around this golf course, especially with the wind.

I was walking -- stupid enough, I was walking up 7 and I was talking to Luke, my caddie, I said, It's really easy to make a quick double here, and I ended up doubling the hole. But that's my point is that it doesn't take much to get yourself out of position, and when you are out of position, then it's not like an easy bogey. Most of the time you're staring at a double.

Q. Both your playing partners struggled pretty considerably. Is it difficult to maintain concentration when they're having a rough go?

JASON DAY: It can be if you let it affect you. I just didn't try and pay attention too much to how those guys were going. I know that they struggled, and I just feel bad for them because Aaron was obviously trying to play his hardest. He had a bit of a struggle on 18 yesterday that kind of kicked it over the edge. Lucas, he just looked like he was just struggling with his overall game.

Not, not really. I just kept on telling myself to be patient. I know that if I can get it in -- at one point I was at 5-under. I could get it in somewhere around there, I knew it wasn't going to be too far away. We've still got a lot of golf to play.

Q. Is it just a fluke the last two days on 16?

JASON DAY: And 7. No, like the second shot today -- the second shot yesterday was actually a really good shot. I just got a little bit unlucky with the bounce. Hit the downslope, scooted it forward, instead of if it was two yards on the other side, it would have propped up nice and you'd chip it up the green.

Then today it was a poor shot. Yeah, it's just funny enough that it happened on 16 and 7. 6-over par at two holes can definitely take you out of a tournament, but luckily enough, it's THE PLAYERS, and the pressure and everything that we're playing through this week, you don't kind of get yourself too far out of it.

Q. This recent stretch of really consistent play, what are you doing well out there right now?

JASON DAY: I think just overall kind of managing my game. Actually I wasn't quite happy with how I was hitting it over the last few tournaments, but did a really good job of leaving myself in the correct positions and then getting up-and-down, and my putter has improved drastically since the last two years.

I just needed to -- they were all positives because obviously I'm losing strokes to the field last week at Bay Hill approach to the green and finished inside of top 10. So if I can tidy that stuff up and still keep the putting the way it is, I'm not going to be too far away.

Q. The 4th hole, you parred it both days, but it's all over the place in terms of numbers --

JASON DAY: Left is dead. It's really thick rough there, especially with the wind how it is. It's like you're right in between hitting a driver and a 3-wood for most guys off the tee, and the angle that the -- it's funny, Pete Dye did an amazing job with certain angles, and with that wind, it's in out of the right, but the angle actually goes left to right. You're most likely hitting a draw with the wind, and you either leave it out to the right, which is tough, and if you don't hit the fairway, you're hitting it left in the rough. You can't even hit the green when you're in that rough left.

Luckily enough, I hit the fairway both days, and just off the edge on both days, but nice putt today.

Q. What is it about the putting that feels better the last couple months?

JASON DAY: It was just a lot of consistent hard work of getting the technique correct. My technique got off a long way there for a moment, and I couldn't even start my putts on line. Every time I'd look down at the hole, look down at where I was aiming, I'd hit the putt and it would start half an inch to an inch left every single time.

I feel like that's kind of -- I got that sorted, and then the technique itself is really nice. Then the next thing is just like keep repping it out, and sooner or later the confidence will come back with the correct speed.

Q. How close is it to 2016 and 2015?

JASON DAY: Oh, it's a little bit aways. I putted pretty good then.

Q. If we give Jason Day World No. 1, 10 points out of 10, where are we right now? When you were World No. 1, you were 10 out of 10; where are you now?

JASON DAY: I wouldn't say that -- I would say that I'm not too far away. But I would like to give myself a modest 5. I just feel like the level of golf that the three guys are playing right now up in the top of the World Rankings with Jon, Scottie and Rory, the way they're playing, it's very difficult to beat.

But I feel like if I can keep putting in the work, hopefully it'll pay off over time.