	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

DEUTSCHE BANK CHAMPIONSHIP

September 4, 2010

Jason Day

NORTON, MASSACHUSETTS

MARK STEVENS: Jason Day, welcome back. Bogey-free round today, 67. If you'd kind of take us through the round and maybe some of the differences between yesterday's round, how the course played, and then we'll take some questions.
JASON DAY: Yeah, I birdied the first two holes and birdied the last two holes, and I felt like I hit it just as good as yesterday. Obviously it was a little tougher out there with the gusts and a few swells through the trees there on some of the holes. I just kind of hit it great during the middle of my round and just didn't hole the putts. I knew that if I could stay patient, I'd hole -- I'd maybe get a birdie in the last few holes, and I birdied the last two, which was nice. Overall very happy with how I played today.
MARK STEVENS: Was there a big difference in the way the course played today?
JASON DAY: I think we only got like half an inch of rain last night, which was nice. But the course is playing just as good as yesterday. The greens were receptive. The wind dried it out a little bit this afternoon, which was nice. There was only a few wet patches out there. But the course soaked it up pretty well, and it was pretty much playing the same as yesterday firmness-wise.

Q. Describe the birdie on 1.
JASON DAY: Oh, yeah. I actually hit a really solid 3-iron down the middle, and I thought it was down the middle, and I get up there and it's in the rough and the wind is coming into and off the left. I was going to play it for about a ten-yard wind, and I had about 150-odd yards left. It just didn't look like it was going to fly, and then I got 9-iron out and hit my shot, and I got a big, big flier and went straight over the back of the green, and luckily enough it kind of stayed close enough in the rough, not way over the back, which was nice. Came out with a pretty good lie, and it was one of those shots where you had to commit to the spot that you were going to hit. I hit my spot, and it came out really nice and rolled up the hill and went a little right to left straight in the hole, which was nice.

Q. You talked yesterday, all three of you guys yesterday talked about having so much fun racking up all those birdies. Was today a little more workmanlike?
JASON DAY: Yeah, it was a little tougher out there today. I don't know, I really couldn't tell you how the other guys played because I can't remember what they shot. I really don't remember what they shot. I think I was just so focused on my game and trying to get it in as low as possible. It wasn't as fun as yesterday, though, I'll tell you that much.

Q. I noticed that some of your putts were missing by inches, and one of the putts that you hit you had a 360, turned all the way around the hole. I think it was at No. 4 for birdie. Was the wind affecting you a little bit with your reading of the putts?
JASON DAY: Yeah, that's pretty good question there. Not so much when there was some greens that were in the trees, like surrounded by trees. It wasn't affecting them that much. But when you get out to some of the open holes where the wind was kind of flying up the fairway there and you had to commit to your line. If you didn't, you'd obviously back off. If not you'd probably miss the putt.
They were affecting it a little bit, but not too much, which was nice.

Q. You look at the top of the leaderboard and you and Snedeker and Charley is up there close by. Do you feel like it's a reflection of the entire year in terms of, like, it's anybody's game on any given week as opposed to perhaps the three previous Playoffs, obviously it's been more notable oriented.
JASON DAY: Right, it just shows how the game is evolving and the new generation coming up. There's a lot of different names up there. It's good to see because on any given week, whether it's a tough tournament with the best golfers in the world or just one of those secondary tournaments, anyone can win, because it just shows how good, the caliber of player out here.
You know, it just shows how hard everything -- how much everything has changed since Tiger has stepped on the board. It's good to see.

Q. You haven't looked back since you won. Have you taken your game to another level this year, or is it more just a confidence thing?
JASON DAY: Looking back over the last three years, you know, it's been a really, really exciting journey. Obviously I went through a little bit of a tough time at the start of the year. I've grown over the last three years. I've matured mentally in my golf game, I've matured personally off the course, and everything is moving in the right direction. I've been writing down goals and I've been trying to reach them.
This year just since the win, it's been great. I've been playing a lot better golf. I've been getting up-and-down a lot more out there with my short game. I've been starting to drive the ball a little bit better now. But you know, overall I'd say my mental game has improved a lot, and you know, just grown in confidence.

Q. How are you feeling today?
JASON DAY: Actually right before the last chip shot on 18, my heart started beating really fast, like it was -- it felt like it was like beating irregularly, so I had to stop for a little bit because sometimes I have that little problem where it just kind of beats off and on, and it felt like it was coming out of my chest. That was the only issue today.

Q. What were the goals that you wrote down?
JASON DAY: I wanted to be inside the top 30 on the FedEx. I wanted to be inside the top 30 on the Money List this year. And I wanted to secure a top 50 in the World Golf Rankings this year, as well. As of now I'm on my way to reaching those goals, but there's a lot of golf to be played, and I just want to -- I think if I can do well here, that'll pretty much set it up for the rest of the year.

Q. And I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with your health issue. What is it?
JASON DAY: It's been ongoing since the Sony Open. I've been sick for eight months now or nine months now, and it's just been a number of things. The main thing it was -- it has been was a chronic sinus infection, which has turned into a bunch of different things. As of now I'm not too sure what it is. I think after the FedExCup I'm going to go see some people that my agent, Bud, has recommended to me, and we'll see how it goes.

Q. But in general how do you feel on the golf course?
JASON DAY: I felt great last week, but as the weeks go on, I'm feeling a lot weaker. I haven't been -- I probably haven't been -- I haven't struck the ball as well as I'd like to. My distance kind of decreased a little bit from last week, and I can just feel my body not moving as well. I don't know, it's just -- I'm getting a lot more tired out there.

Q. Could you talk about -- you mentioned that you've matured mentally in your golf game. Could you give some examples of things that you don't do when you used to when you weren't quite as mature?
JASON DAY: Yeah, every time I'd stand over the ball and have a negative thought in my head, I'd be standing over the ball, I'd pull the trigger and hit the shot. And 100 percent of the time it would be a really bad shot. You know, I'm still doing some of -- sometimes I'll do that, but I can recognize it. I'll recognize a lot of my mental mistakes out there these days since I've been writing down -- I've got a journal, as most of you guys out here know, and the biggest thing, me writing down what I've done well and what I needed to improve out there mentally, physically, tactically and technically has improved my game tenfold.
Yeah, just pretty much I'd go in there and stand over a shot, think negatively, pull the trigger and I'd hit a bad shot. But now these days I'm backing off shots and not hitting that shot until I'm fully committed.

Q. Any other ways that you can illustrate that?
JASON DAY: That's pretty much it. I'm just trying to stay -- be a lot more committed, show a lot more discipline, and nothing really else. Just making sure that I'm committed to a shot.

Q. If you hadn't already won this year, would you go into the final two rounds with maybe a little bit more nervousness?
JASON DAY: Yes, yes, by far. Obviously the best golfers of the PGA TOUR are here, and if I didn't win, I'd be really nervous out there. You know, it helps a lot, especially with the finishes that I've had in the past couple of tournaments that I've played. It's just showing that I'm improving a lot, and with playing well in those big events, I know that I can play in a top class against the big guys. It's exciting.
MARK STEVENS: Thanks a lot, Jason. Good luck.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297