Augusta, GA …
A night after being told to ‘man up-‘ by his wife the last thing Jason Day wanted was losing to the multiple winning Augusta National Club Champion on day three of the Masters.
Day had been in no mood for a long fireside chat after bogeying the last hole late on Friday to find himself last in the field among those who made the halfway cut.
It meant a first out tee-time at 10.20 am local time for the former World No. 1.
However, the night before it had not been the most pleasant of rides home in the Day family luxury motor-home according to Ellie Day, and the Australian’s wife of some eight years.
Jason Days wife tell him to man up and the Aussie responds.
“I just said to Jason to get it out of his system and if you have to, go to the bedroom and break someone,” she said.
“He was clearly upset but after a short while he was okay and as you could see today, he got over yesterday pretty quickly.”
It had been Day’s poorest opening 36-hole effort since making his Masters debut six years earlier.
And the 29-year old confirmed the tongue talking he received from his wife.
“Ellie was kind of ready to slap me in the face and because I was so negative with myself,” he said.
“And she was trying to get me, pick me up and give me a good boost. Which she did. Which was a good thing. That’s good to have a good wife when you have something like that happen. But, yeah, she’s like, you better get it out now before the kids get back.
“There were a few words in the bus where it got a little loud to myself in the back of the bedroom, so.
“And, it’s better than coming over here and giving a mouthful to you guys (laughing
Indeed, Day climbed from lying 53rd at the start of his third round and headed to the clubhouse sharing 23rd place after posting a three under par 69 to get back to three over par in the year’s first Major.
As is customary, Masters officials paired Day with an Augusta National club member and it was Jeff Knox, who at age 56, holds the course record off the member tees, a 61 in 2003.
Knox, also a three-time winner of the Georgia Mid-Amateur, has competed in the Masters many times but none more notable than in 2o14 when he was paired with Rory McIlroy when the Northern Irishman and then World No. 1 shot a 71 on Saturday, only to lose to Knox by a stroke.
It prompted McIlroy to later remark, “He is the best I have ever seen on Augusta’s greens”.
Little wonder then Day was playing not only for a higher position on the leader board but also for pride.
Day, dressed in a very eye-catching shirt, went out to nearly ace the par three, 6th hole and the cap his round with four birdies in succession from the 12th hole.
And while Knox got inside the Australian with his approach shot at the last, Day was delighted for a first sub-70 round after earlier scores of 74 and 76.
Day’s first remarks after his round was to apologise for not stopping to speak with the media after Fridays disappointment before expressing his delight on day three.
“I feel like I actually I can actually play golf again, which is great, when I play like that,” he said smiling.
“But then I just didn’t want Jeff to beat me, right. I heard that he beat Rory. He said he was nervous on the first tee and I’m like, in my head I’m like, I’m kind of nervous because I don’t want to let my marker beat me.
“So, it was kind of neck and neck. I bogeyed the second hole and he parred it and he was, kind of had a little 1‑up lead there for a bit, so I’m glad I ended up carrying out the back side.
“But then Jeff didn’t keep a score as he started picking up early on and I’m like, okay, I didn’t know what the thing was and I’m just like, you can do whatever you need to.”
Although it certainly was not the fastest two‑ball ever, and with Day often criticised for his slow play, with the duo taking three hours and 50 minutes and slightly longer than the last occasion Day recalled he was first out on his lonesome in a tournament.
“It was the John Deere Classic and I had the fastest round at John Deere classic of an hour and fifty five,” he said smiling.
“They also gave mean plaque, a picture saying, “Nothing runs like a Day,” so I mean it was good. It was an hour and fifty five I finished and I shot 72. I was pretty proud.”
