Crooked Stick GC, Carmel, Indiana …. Jason Day’s picture proudly holding aloft the gleaming BMW Trophy graces the front cover of the 2016 BMW Championship commemorative program.
Then in turning to page 22 there is the feature story headlined – Exceptional Day.
Victory a year ago, or to be precise on September 25th, 2015, not only presented day with second straight FedEx Cup Play-Off Series title but also handed the Queenslander the World No. 1 crown.
Day had virtually wrapped-up last year’s championship after just two days at Conway Farms, signing for rounds of 61 and 63 to tie the PGA Tour’s 36-hole scoring record of a 124 tally. He added back-to-back 69s over the weekend and cruise to victory by six shots.
Jason Day on the front cover of the 2016 BMW Championship commemorative program.
Rewind eight years to 2007 when Day gained his PGA Tour card. He hosted a conference call with members of the Australian golf media and declaring by age 22 he would become World No. 1. He had conducted the call from his mother’s bedroom but thought to himself, ‘That might not go over so well.’
Indeed, when he turned 22 on 12th November, 2009 Day was ranked 119th in the world.
Day would need to wait another six years before realising his dream in capturing last year’s BMW Championship, and at the time revealing how he’d been dreaming of becoming the game’s best golfer since 2000 when aged just 13.
“At age 13 that’s when I started really thinking about one day being No. 1 in the world,” he said.
“I thought about playing competitive golf more, but once I started playing golf, reading the book about Tiger Woods, watching him win in ’96, also, but I always thought, I think I could turn pro when I was 14, 15 years old, but I always — once I got to turning professional, I said, okay, now I want to try to accomplish getting to No. 1 in the world, and that’s kind of — around 18 years old when I really wanted to kind of push for that.”
Day became the 19th player to reach the pinnacle of golf’s world rankings, and the third Australian behind boyhood idol, Greg Norman and fellow Queenslander, Adam Scott.
However, Day’s reign as No. 1 was short-lived with Jordan Spieth taking back to the title at the Tour Championship before Day regained the crown a month later on October 18th and keep the top spot on the rankings for a further three weeks.
Spieth took back to the title on November 8th and would remain at the top for a further 20 months until March this year when Day captured the WGC – Dell Match-Play in Austin, Texas.
Since then Day has ruled the world for an unbroken 24 weeks and 28 weeks in total.
Seven year ago, Day’s World No. 1 dream may have smacked of youthful enthusiasm but then in first reaching the top of his chosen sport Day had a message for those doubters.
“I’d love to say I told you so, but that wouldn’t be very nice”, he said.
“It’s okay to dream big. It’s okay to say what you want to do. And for people that don’t respect that, then you really don’t need to give them the time, because who am I or who are they to tell you that you shouldn’t be able to do something, and to be able to sit up here today, No. 1 in the world, looking back when I was an 18 year old kid, very full of confidence, there’s not much I would say.
“I would still thank them because that was kind of the fuel that lit the fire for me, especially with the dedication over these last few years because I know that a lot of people were thinking against me on that. I’m glad I accomplished it.”
And Australian golf is also rightfully proud of Jason Day’s accomplishment and long may he reign as World No. 1
