DUBLIN, Ohio — As Jason Day closed in three weeks ago on his first PGA Tour victory in five years, he remained calm.
But the final round of the AT&T Byron Nelson tournament in Texas fell on Mother’s Day, so it was mentally challenging for a reason beyond his victory drought: Day’s mom, Dening, died last March after a five-year battle with cancer. She had lived with Day’s family in Westerville in her final two years.
“It was pretty emotional,” Day said Wednesday after playing in the pro-am for the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club. “I wasn’t trying to think about it at all.”
That strategy worked, mostly, until after he’d won.
“As soon as people started to bring up my mom after the tournament, that’s when I started losing it,” Day said with a laugh. “I’m like, ‘Please don’t bring it up because I’m going to start crying,’ and I started crying. When one guy brought it up in an interview, (I lost it). As soon as that happens for me, I’m done.”
The Australian was once the top-ranked golfer in the world before bulging discs in his back sent his career spiraling.
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Jason Day poses with the winner’s trophy during the final round of the AT&T Byron Nelson golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports
“It was like solving a math problem, a complex math problem,” he said. “You’re just trying to figure one piece out, and then you go to the next problem and figure that out. You start unraveling everything. It’s amazing when you unravel one thing, and that causes a few other things to change. There’s a massive chain reaction.”
Day had minor procedures on his back but was able to avoid major surgery. Still, his recovery took a long time. Even now, his back is not 100%, but he said he can manage it and play at a high level.
For the last couple of years, he believed he was close to recapturing his old form. At the Byron Nelson, he did.
But the feeling of relief he expected to have experienced didn’t really set in. Day then realized that the small steps on the way to regaining his game were the real victories. Holding a trophy three weeks ago was merely the cap to that.
More: Jason Day through the years in photos
“It’s the journey that I get more excited about than the actual wins,” he said. “I do get…
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