Jason Day
Encyclopedia
Jason Day is an Australia
n professional golfer
who is a member on the PGA Tour. He has had some notable results in the major championships
with two consecutive second place finishes at the 2011 Masters
and the 2011 U.S. Open
. In June 2011, Day broke into the world's top ten for the first time in his career, rising to world number nine after his runner-up finish at the U.S. Open. In July 2011, Day rose to world number seven, his highest world ranking position to date.
to an Australian father and Filipino
mother. His father took him to Beaudesert Golf Club and enrolled him as a junior member just past his sixth birthday. He was allowed to play six holes a day as a junior. At the age of eight his family moved to Rockhampton
and during this period he began to win events in the surrounding districts.
Day's mother sent him to school at Kooralbyn
, just a 30 minute drive south of Beaudesert. The Kooralbyn International School
has a golf course attached. Later he was to go to Hills International College where they have a Golf Academy at the behest of his coach, Col Swatton, who had moved there when Kooralbyn school closed down.
Day borrowed a book about Tiger Woods
from his roommate and was inspired, by it, to improve his golf by practising in the early morning, at lunch-time and in the evening. He used the book's reports of Woods's scores as his benchmark for improvement and as a reachable standard. His first big win was at the age of 13 in a 2000 Australian Masters junior event on the Gold Coast
where he won with scores of 87, 78, 76 and 76.
.
, signing with TaylorMade
and Adidas
and immediately began playing PGA Tour
events, principally through sponsors' exemptions. He made the cut in five of his first six PGA Tour events as a pro with a best finish of eleventh at the Reno-Tahoe Open
and with official winnings of over $160,000. He entered PGA Tour qualifying, or Q-School
. Placed in the second of three rounds, he tied for first in his section of the second round, advancing to the Q-School finals. However, in the six-round finals he played poorly, shooting fifteen shots higher than the score needed to qualify. Accordingly, he failed to earn his 2007 PGA Tour card but earned conditional status on the Nationwide Tour
for 2007.
Day won his first Nationwide Tour event in July 2007 at the Legend Financial Group Classic
, becoming the youngest man to win on any of the PGA Tour's three tours. The win jumped him to eighth on the Nationwide Tour's money list. He ended up finishing 5th on the money list to earn his PGA Tour card for 2008. He had a mediocre season, but had conditional status for 2009. A second place finish at the Puerto Rico Open
helped Day retain his card for 2010 and he finished 69th in the money list.
In May 2010, he became the youngest Australian to win a PGA Tour event, winning the HP Byron Nelson Championship. Day gained entry into his first ever major championship at the 2010 Open Championship
after Greg Norman
withdrew. Day went on to make the cut and finish in a tie for 60th place. In August 2010, Day made his first appearance at the PGA Championship
where a 66 on Saturday helped him to finish seven-under-par for the tournament and earn his first top-10 in a major. This run of form continued during the FedEx Cup
playoff season where Day enjoyed top-five finishes at the first two playoff events to qualify for the season ending Tour Championship. He would go on to finish T17 at East Lake Golf Club
and ended the 2010 season ranked 21st on the PGA Tour money list.
At the 2011 Masters Tournament
, Day birdied the last two holes, but came up two strokes short of eventual winner Charl Schwartzel
. Day tied for second with Adam Scott and at -12 set the Masters record for the lowest score by a first time participant. This was Day's best performance in a major championship and throughout the final round Day was tied for the lead on a number of occasions before eventually finishing in a tie for second after Schwartzel made four consecutive birdies to win the tournament.
In June 2011, Day participated at Congressional
for the 2011 U.S. Open
, his maiden appearance in a U.S Open. Following his successful run at the Masters, Day achieved consecutive second place finishes in the majors, this time finishing alone in second, some eight strokes behind runaway leader Rory McIlroy
. He shot the equal lowest round of the week on Saturday, a 65, to jump up the leaderboard into a tie for third after round three. On Sunday, although he did not challenge for the lead, he was the best of the rest of the field as the Open was dominated by wire-to-wire winner McIlroy. As a result of his major performances, Day moved into the Official World Golf Ranking top-10 for the first time in his career at ninth. Despite not winning a tournament during 2011, Day ended the season ranked 9th on the PGA Tour money list.
, on 3 October 2009. The couple lives in Columbus, Ohio
.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n professional golfer
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
who is a member on the PGA Tour. He has had some notable results in the major championships
Men's major golf championships
The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
with two consecutive second place finishes at the 2011 Masters
2011 Masters Tournament
The 2011 Masters Tournament was the 75th Masters Tournament and was played from April 7–10 at Augusta National Golf Club. It was the first major championship of the 2011 season. South African Charl Schwartzel won the 2011 event by two strokes over Adam Scott and Jason Day.Eight players held a share...
and the 2011 U.S. Open
2011 U.S. Open (golf)
The 2011 United States Open Championship, the 111th U.S. Open, was played June 16–19 at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. It was won by Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, who set 11 U.S. Open records on the weekend, including the lowest total 72-hole score and the lowest total under...
. In June 2011, Day broke into the world's top ten for the first time in his career, rising to world number nine after his runner-up finish at the U.S. Open. In July 2011, Day rose to world number seven, his highest world ranking position to date.
Early life
Day was born in Beaudesert, QueenslandBeaudesert, Queensland
Beaudesert is a town located on the Mount Lindesay Highway, some 64 km south of Brisbane. It is possibly named after Beau Desert Park, the property of Charles Henry Alexander Paget, 6th Marquess of Anglesey in Staffordshire, England...
to an Australian father and Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
mother. His father took him to Beaudesert Golf Club and enrolled him as a junior member just past his sixth birthday. He was allowed to play six holes a day as a junior. At the age of eight his family moved to Rockhampton
Rockhampton, Queensland
Rockhampton is a city and local government area in Queensland, Australia. The city lies on the Fitzroy River, approximately from the river mouth, and some north of the state capital, Brisbane....
and during this period he began to win events in the surrounding districts.
Day's mother sent him to school at Kooralbyn
Kooralbyn, Queensland
Kooralbyn lies in the Australia's Gold Coast hinterland, approximately 20 km south-west of Beaudesert, itself some 64 km south of Brisbane in South East Queensland, and 56 km west from Queensland's Gold Coast...
, just a 30 minute drive south of Beaudesert. The Kooralbyn International School
The Kooralbyn International School
The Kooralbyn International School is an independent, co-educational, boarding and day school, located in Kooralbyn, about 64 km south of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.-History:...
has a golf course attached. Later he was to go to Hills International College where they have a Golf Academy at the behest of his coach, Col Swatton, who had moved there when Kooralbyn school closed down.
Day borrowed a book about Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
from his roommate and was inspired, by it, to improve his golf by practising in the early morning, at lunch-time and in the evening. He used the book's reports of Woods's scores as his benchmark for improvement and as a reachable standard. His first big win was at the age of 13 in a 2000 Australian Masters junior event on the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
where he won with scores of 87, 78, 76 and 76.
Amateur career
As an amateur, Day was twice awarded the Australian Junior Order of Merit. He finished seventh and was the leading amateur at the Queensland Open. His amateur success extended to the United States where he won the Boys 15–17 division at the 2004 Callaway World Junior Championship and was runner-up in the 2005 Porter CupPorter Cup
The Porter Cup is a 72-hole, medal-play elite amateur golf tournament held annually at the Niagara Falls Country Club in Lewiston, New York. It was first played in 1959 and over the years has hosted some of the biggest names in golf...
.
Professional career
Day turned professional in July 2006 after winning the Green Jacket at the NEC Master of the AmateursMaster of the Amateurs
The NEC Master of the Amateurs is an amateur golf tournament. The event is a World Amateur Golf Ranking event that is one of the top world wide amateur golf events.The championship runs qualifying events for amateur golfers with a handicap not exceeding 2.4...
, signing with TaylorMade
Taylormade
Taylormade or Taylor Made may refer to one of several things:*TaylorMade-adidas, a golfing products company**TaylorMade KSB Open former name of the Munsingwear Open KSB Cup golf tournament*Taylormade Media, a New Zealand media graphics company...
and Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
and immediately began playing PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
events, principally through sponsors' exemptions. He made the cut in five of his first six PGA Tour events as a pro with a best finish of eleventh at the Reno-Tahoe Open
Reno-Tahoe Open
The Reno-Tahoe Open is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in northwestern Nevada. Founded in 1999, it is an alternate event played annually in August at the , located midway between Reno and Lake Tahoe. Opened in 1997, the par-72 course was designed by Jack Nicklaus and plays at ; its...
and with official winnings of over $160,000. He entered PGA Tour qualifying, or Q-School
Qualifying school
In professional golf the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S. based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the tour for the following season, otherwise known as a...
. Placed in the second of three rounds, he tied for first in his section of the second round, advancing to the Q-School finals. However, in the six-round finals he played poorly, shooting fifteen shots higher than the score needed to qualify. Accordingly, he failed to earn his 2007 PGA Tour card but earned conditional status on the Nationwide Tour
Nationwide Tour
The Nationwide Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either failed to score well enough at that level's Qualifying School to earn their PGA Tour card, or who have done so but then failed to win enough money to stay at that level...
for 2007.
Day won his first Nationwide Tour event in July 2007 at the Legend Financial Group Classic
Legend Financial Group Classic
The Legend Financial Group Classic presented by Cynergies Solutions was a golf tournament on the Nationwide Tour. It was played from 2005 to 2007 at Stonewater Golf Course in Highland Heights, Ohio, U.S.....
, becoming the youngest man to win on any of the PGA Tour's three tours. The win jumped him to eighth on the Nationwide Tour's money list. He ended up finishing 5th on the money list to earn his PGA Tour card for 2008. He had a mediocre season, but had conditional status for 2009. A second place finish at the Puerto Rico Open
Puerto Rico Open
The Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com is a professional golf tournament played for the first time on the PGA Tour from March 20 to March 23, 2008. The prize fund was US$3.5 million with $630,000 going to the winner. The tournament was played at the Trump International Golf Club Puerto...
helped Day retain his card for 2010 and he finished 69th in the money list.
In May 2010, he became the youngest Australian to win a PGA Tour event, winning the HP Byron Nelson Championship. Day gained entry into his first ever major championship at the 2010 Open Championship
2010 Open Championship
The 2010 Open Championship was the 139th Open Championship, the oldest of golf's four majors, and was played from 15–18 July over the Old Course at St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. It was celebrated as the 150th anniversary of the founding of The Open in 1860...
after Greg Norman
Greg Norman
Gregory John Norman AO is an Australian professional golfer and entrepreneur who spent 331 weeks as the world's Number 1 ranked golfer in the 1980s and 1990s...
withdrew. Day went on to make the cut and finish in a tie for 60th place. In August 2010, Day made his first appearance at the PGA Championship
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
where a 66 on Saturday helped him to finish seven-under-par for the tournament and earn his first top-10 in a major. This run of form continued during the FedEx Cup
FedEx Cup
The FedEx Cup is a championship trophy for the PGA Tour. Its introduction marked the first time that men's professional golf had a playoff system. Announced in November 2005, it was first awarded in 2007 after a NASCAR-like points race. Bill Haas is the current champion...
playoff season where Day enjoyed top-five finishes at the first two playoff events to qualify for the season ending Tour Championship. He would go on to finish T17 at East Lake Golf Club
East Lake Golf Club
The East Lake Golf Club is located in the neighborhood of East Lake which is in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. East Lake Golf Club was the home club of the legendary golfer Bobby Jones. It is also the permanent home of The Tour Championship.-History:...
and ended the 2010 season ranked 21st on the PGA Tour money list.
At the 2011 Masters Tournament
2011 Masters Tournament
The 2011 Masters Tournament was the 75th Masters Tournament and was played from April 7–10 at Augusta National Golf Club. It was the first major championship of the 2011 season. South African Charl Schwartzel won the 2011 event by two strokes over Adam Scott and Jason Day.Eight players held a share...
, Day birdied the last two holes, but came up two strokes short of eventual winner Charl Schwartzel
Charl Schwartzel
Charl Adriaan Schwartzel is a South African professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour, European Tour, and the Sunshine Tour. He won the 2011 Masters Tournament. Schwartzel's highest world ranking has been number seven, in May 2011....
. Day tied for second with Adam Scott and at -12 set the Masters record for the lowest score by a first time participant. This was Day's best performance in a major championship and throughout the final round Day was tied for the lead on a number of occasions before eventually finishing in a tie for second after Schwartzel made four consecutive birdies to win the tournament.
In June 2011, Day participated at Congressional
Congressional Country Club
The Congressional Country Club is a country club and golf course in Bethesda, Maryland, USA. Congressional opened in 1924 and has hosted three U.S. Opens and a PGA Championship, and is an annual stop on the PGA Tour, with the AT&T National, hosted by Tiger Woods. The tournament was first...
for the 2011 U.S. Open
2011 U.S. Open (golf)
The 2011 United States Open Championship, the 111th U.S. Open, was played June 16–19 at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. It was won by Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, who set 11 U.S. Open records on the weekend, including the lowest total 72-hole score and the lowest total under...
, his maiden appearance in a U.S Open. Following his successful run at the Masters, Day achieved consecutive second place finishes in the majors, this time finishing alone in second, some eight strokes behind runaway leader Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy is a Northern Irish professional golfer from Holywood in County Down. He has represented Europe, Great Britain & Ireland, and Ireland as both an amateur and a professional. He had a successful amateur career, topping the World Amateur Golf Ranking for one week as a 17-year-old in 2007...
. He shot the equal lowest round of the week on Saturday, a 65, to jump up the leaderboard into a tie for third after round three. On Sunday, although he did not challenge for the lead, he was the best of the rest of the field as the Open was dominated by wire-to-wire winner McIlroy. As a result of his major performances, Day moved into the Official World Golf Ranking top-10 for the first time in his career at ninth. Despite not winning a tournament during 2011, Day ended the season ranked 9th on the PGA Tour money list.
Personal life
Day married Ellie Harvey, of Lucas, OhioLucas, Ohio
Lucas is a village in Richland County, Ohio, United States.Lucas was founded in 1836, and is part of the Mansfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 620 at the 2000 census....
, on 3 October 2009. The couple lives in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
.
Amateur wins
this list may be incomplete- 2003 Adina Watches Junior Tournament
- 2004 Queensland Amateur, Australian Junior, New Zealand Under 19 Championship, Callaway World Junior Championship (Boys 15–17), Adina Watches Junior Tournament
- 2006 Australian Amateur Stroke Play, Master of the AmateursMaster of the AmateursThe NEC Master of the Amateurs is an amateur golf tournament. The event is a World Amateur Golf Ranking event that is one of the top world wide amateur golf events.The championship runs qualifying events for amateur golfers with a handicap not exceeding 2.4...
, Queensland Amateur
PGA Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 May 2010 2010 PGA Tour The 2010 PGA Tour season ran from January 7 to November 14. The season consisted of 46 official money events. This included four major championships and three World Golf Championships, which are also sanctioned by the European Tour.-Schedule:... |
HP Byron Nelson Championship | 2 strokes |  Blake AdamsBlake Adams Blake Adams is an American professional golfer currently playing on the PGA Tour.- Background and family :Adams was born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, but only lived there for six months. His family moved to Dalton, Georgia, were he lived until he was sixteen years old... , Brian GayBrian Gay Joseph Brian Gay is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour.- Early years :A military brat, Gay was born in Fort Worth, Texas, but was raised primarily at Fort Rucker, Alabama, where his father was a U.S. Army noncomissioned officer involved in flight operations... , Jeff OvertonJeff Overton Jeffrey Laurence Overton is an American professional golfer.Overton was born in Evansville, Indiana. He attended Indiana University, graduating in 2005 with a degree in Sports Marketing and Management.... |
Nationwide Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 Jul 2007 2007 Nationwide Tour The 2007 Nationwide Tour season ran from January 25 to November 4. The season consisted of 32 official money golf tournaments; three of which were played outside of the United States. The top 25 players on the year-end money list earned their PGA Tour card for 2008. Nick Flanagan earned his PGA... |
Legend Financial Group Classic Legend Financial Group Classic The Legend Financial Group Classic presented by Cynergies Solutions was a golf tournament on the Nationwide Tour. It was played from 2005 to 2007 at Stonewater Golf Course in Highland Heights, Ohio, U.S..... |
1 stroke |  Scott GardinerScott Gardiner Scott Gardiner is an Australian professional golfer.Gardiner has played on the PGA Tour of Australasia and its developmental tour, the Von Nida Tour, where he won once. He played on the European Tour from 2001 to 2003. He currently plays on the Nationwide Tour where he has one once, at the 2010... |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | T2 |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | 2 |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
T60 | T30 |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
T10 | CUT |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Summary
- Tournaments played: 6
- Wins: 0
- 2nd: 2
- 3rd: 0
- Top 10s: 3
- Top 25s: 3
- Missed cuts: 1
- Most consecutive cuts made: 5
Results in World Golf Championships
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|
| Accenture Match Play Championship WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship The WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship is one of the annual World Golf Championships. It is a knockout event and is staged in January or February each year... |
DNP | R16 2011 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship -Ben Hogan bracket:-Gary Player bracket:-Sam Snead bracket:-Final Four:-Breakdown by country:-Prize money and FedEx Cup points breakdown:* Sources: -External links:*... |
| Cadillac Championship | DNP | T45 |
| Bridgestone Invitational WGC-Bridgestone Invitational The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational is one of the annual World Golf Championships for male professional golfers. It is sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours and the prize money is official money on both the PGA Tour and the PGA European Tour... |
T22 | T4 |
| HSBC Champions | DNP | DNP |
- DNP = Did not play
- QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
- "T" = tied
- Yellow background for top-10.
Team appearances
- Presidents CupPresidents CupThe Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world less Europe. Europe competes against the U.S. in a similar but considerably older event, the Ryder Cup. The Presidents Cup is held biennially...
(representing the International team): 20112011 Presidents CupUnited States 19 - International 15The 9th Presidents Cup Matches were held from 17 to 20 November 2011. They were played at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia. The United States team won by a score of 19 to 15 over the International team. Jim Furyk won all five of his...
Equipment
- Driver - Taylormade Burner SuperFast 2.0 TP
- Woods - Taylormade R11 Fairway
- Hybrids - Taylormade Rescue 11
- Irons - Taylormade R9 TP
- Wedges - Taylormade TP with xFT Wedge
- Ball - Taylormade Penta TP