|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
BMW CHAMPIONSHIPSeptember 15, 2017Jason DayCarmel, Indiana AMANDA HERRINGTON: We'd like to welcome Jason Day into the Interview Room. Jason, familiar name around here as the last winner at Conway Farms and now with the 64, 65 to start the 2017 BMW Championship. Jason, great playing and the Hole-In-One on 17. Overall, how are you finding your game this week? JASON DAY: It's good. I mean I got off to a fantastic start. Obviously to have two eagles and a Hole-In-One definitely helps. I'm driving a lot better this week and the iron shots are a lot cleaner. Putting is coming around, too, which is nice. The last two days were fantastic. Obviously I got to focus on trying to see if I can do that over the next two days as well. This is a playoff event, huge for us. My biggest goal is obviously to try and worry about winning but, you know, the goal behind that is to get to the Playoffs, to the Tour Champs to give myself a shot at winning the FedExCup. Right now I'm in a good spot for that and hopefully I can finish it off. AMANDA HERRINGTON: Not only was that a second career Hole-In-One on Tour, but here at the BMW Championship for the first player to win, to earn a Hole-In-One at the BMW Championship, BMW donates a four year scholarship to a deserving caddy in the Evans Scholar Foundation. Not only was it an ace but you're giving back in a huge way. JASON DAY: Yeah. Yeah. I'm in a very fortunate position with being able to be sponsored by Lexus and -- I'm getting to a point here (laughter). We definitely, to be out here on Tour we give back a lot and BMW be able to give back as well to a student being able to go through college is huge. That's why earlier I said I'm going to donate that car back to help another student because I am in a fortunate position and being able to not only impact one person but be able to impact another person's life, to be able to get them to go through college as well is huge. Like I said, I'm in a fortunate position, very blessed to be able to try to bless someone elsewhere. AMANDA HERRINGTON: Great thing. We will start with questions and start with Steve. Q. The specifics on the ace. JASON DAY: 186 yards. Wind was out of the left, kind of like a blowing in from like if the hole is 12:00, like 11:00, blowing in. Actually watched Bill Haas hit a 6-iron, kind of float it up with a high draw back into that breeze. Hit it to about four, five feet. I was actually going to play a little bit left. Pushed it a little bit but I was trying to hit a high shot, 7-iron about 182 yards and land it there. Probably landed at maybe 181 yards. Landed just off the green and kind of rolled down. One of those ones you kind of get away with it. Obviously going back to the eagle on 14, not birdieing 15 and not birdieing 16 were huge so being able to have a Hole-In-One I think it made up for it. Q. Are you surprised at your position? JASON DAY: No, I don't think so. It's just -- it has been awhile since I've been in this position but I'm not saying that it's not a surprise, no, because I feel like the first Playoff event -- the PGA, first Playoff event, two weeks ago at Dell Technologies -- there's been so many changes, I can't remember. Been out here too long -- I finished T 25th or something like that. You take that out, actually heading in the right direction, coming back to a tournament golf course that I played well in the past, I think I shot -- I can't remember what I shot in the tournament here but I've shot 7-under and 6-under. So, the cumulative score under par since being here is pretty low. Hopefully I can keep pushing that forward that way. Q. Jason, when you won here a couple years ago, I think there was a couple nights during the week there was several inches of rain fell. We haven't had that weather this week. Is the course playing a lot different than two years ago or still pretty much the same? JASON DAY: Yeah. It's obviously -- it's dryer. The greens -- the course staff, the superintendent out here and staff is doing a fantastic job with regards to the greens are firm but they're not crazy quick. I mean I shouldn't say they're not crazy quick. It feels like they're 12 1/2 or so across the board which is very consistent throughout the whole round. I'm hitting -- when I played the practice round or my Pro-Am on Wednesday, I was kind of scratching my head because I can't believe the drives I was hitting back in 2015 when I won I hit a lot of drivers everywhere. Take 3, for instance. It's just an easy little layup down the fairway but I hit driver down there. I'm scratching my head why I did do that. Obviously it worked out. Back then when I won, I was driving it great, hitting half decent wedge shots and just putting the dots off it. This week I'm driving it a lot better. Hitting, like I said, cleaner iron shots and my putting is coming back which is nice. Not to the effect of what it was back then but I'm giving myself good opportunities. So, I think that's why, you know, I'm playing well but also there's a little bit of a change in the course but that's only just because it's dryer and a little bit firmer. Q. Jason, when was your last Hole-In-One? JASON DAY: 2008. It's been awhile. I've been on a massive dry spell. Back then, it was at Turning Stone up in New York. I holed two iron shots from the fairway and had a Hole-In-One. Hopefully I can keep doing that. Q. How close do you feel to 2015 here? JASON DAY: It's so hard. I don't even know if I'll ever get back there. That's obviously the goal, to be able to get back to 2015 because it was a very dominating year. Obviously Jordan had five wins as well. But, being able to get to No. 1 was special. So, it's just slowly building, slowly building. I'm just trying to do that. If I can feel like the wins come easy like it was back then, that's the main goal is to try and make it feel like they come just easily and you're not really thinking about it. But, you know, at the start of the year felt like I was kind of fighting an uphill battle with myself, trying to force things too much and I feel like I'm just kind of relaxed out there right now. Even after the Hole-In-One I wasn't even amped. I felt my heart would be pounding more. I kind of went about my business. That tells me my mind is in the right spot. Q. Jason, is part of having your mind in the right spot taking, having to take ownership of what club you're going to hit, yardage, do you feel like there's a correlation between that and these first two rounds? JASON DAY: I think my mindset is a lot different. I feel like I'm a lot more excited having my buddy on the bag. Luke is doing a great job. He walked the course two, three times this week just to make sure all the numbers are correct. I think he was a little nervous starting yesterday's round. Had to tell him to get out of the way, people's lines and stuff. But saying that he's starting to kind of find his way. That's the biggest thing for me is for him to be able to be comfortable enough to have that conversation, the conversations with me out there because I mean I'm out there saying should I hit this club or that club and we grew up together. He's seen me hit a boat load of shots. We've played pretty much every Wednesday and every Saturday together throughout our high school years, and being able to have those conversations, putting my hundred percent trust in his ability to be able to tell me okay, I think you should take a little bit off or put more on or hit a different club, that's the communication that is needed, especially for me to be able to perform the way I have over last two days. Q. Can you give an example of when that communication worked particularly well? JASON DAY: 17. He said hit it further so I did and it went in the hole. I was trying to hit like I think 78 -- 180 yard shot. He said I think a little bit more, maybe 82 or 83 shot. We can get it to the yard. But that's just one thing where I'm standing out there, I just need to hit it a little bit harder. I did and it worked out great for me. Q. Jason, two questions if I can. One, did Luke ever used to beat you in your younger days? JASON DAY: Definitely. He was actually better than me. He worked harder than anyone in the school. He's actually the guy that I got the book off about Tiger Woods. That's why I changed the way I practiced when I was a kid. He's the reason, one of the reasons why I am here today because of that book that he gave me. He was the first guy that would get up at 4:30 because we -- it gets really light early in the Queensland. He would be up at 4:30, 5:00, be practicing. He was better than me at one stage. He won one, two tournaments, beat me a couple times in a couple tournaments. Q. Does your Lexus endorsements stipulate that you can't accept -- JASON DAY: No. No. No. Lexus -- I'd be happy to take the car. Like I said, I'm very blessed to have Lexus as a car company and partner but I got off the golf course and I realized that someone came and said they're giving hundred thousand dollars to the Evans Scholars Foundation. I'm like that goes towards helping someone go through college. I'm -- well, I talked the my agent about it, can we do that with the car? You know, I'm hoping that that person that is impacted by that foundation goes on to do great things, whether they're helping their local area or maybe helping people elsewhere. I think if they're helping themselves they usually helping other people as well. That's the main goal. Q. Jason, last year Rory had kind of a so-so season and came on like gangbusters at the end and won the FedExCup. JASON DAY: That would be nice. Q. Have you had that conversation with Rory, has it crossed your mind? JASON DAY: I haven't had the conversation with Rory. I had it with Bud. I think last year I came into the FedEx Playoffs No. 1 in the regular season points and then 2015 I think I was No. 1 going into the Tour Champs. It was ripe for the pickings if I played well. Unfortunately, I didn't do it and it would be nice to be able to get a win here and then get a win next week. That's the ultimate goal. But I just got to try and focus on playing well tomorrow. Q. Jason, this is kind of off of his question, how would winning a tournament change how you perceive this season? JASON DAY: This year? It definitely -- I mean I think at the least you need to win at least once to have a successful year, not especially like say -- successful year. If you won that means you've done something good to keep things going. I mean it's not weighing heavy on my mind. I just know that I kind of need to focus on what I have done. I know that I can do it. I just -- there's a lot of good players out there. Am I going to be nervous over the next few days? Probably. But that's just how it is. Looking back after this off-season stuff that I've done with regards to going Overseas and playing, looking back at the season you're thinking okay, well, playing well, there's a lot of disappointing areas that have kind of plagued my game, just from -- just from the sheer lack of not being able to work as hard is kind of frustrating but I look at it, I still have my mom here with me as well. So, priorities change as the years go on and being able to focus on something that was more important to me at the time but now I think through that, through not working, I lost a little confidence in myself and my game and the ability to go out and get the win. Seeing the last two days I know I still have it in myself to be able to hit the correct shots and go out there and try and win. Q. When you were on 13-under in or around the lead by the end of the day, who knows, what is your outlook for the weekend now and how does that compare with times when, as you said, when winning felt easy? JASON DAY: What was the last bit you said? Q. I don't remember. How does your outlook for the weekend now compare with your outlook when you were being in this position at the time when winning felt easy to you? JASON DAY: Yeah. It's more of a grind. I'm looking like okay, I need to make the Tour Champs. That's my ultimate goal. When I was playing well I didn't need to worry about it. I just knew regardless of what I did I was going to play well. It didn't matter what I do. I could go out there -- I felt like I could hit 2-iron everywhere and still play well just because I was putting so well. Even my attitude was so much better. Even if I did hit an errant shot, it didn't matter. I'd go in there with a good attitude. Always seemed like I had a better lie and better bounces, and when you have kind of this year my attitude hasn't been as great as it should have been on the golf course. Just seems like when you look at it that way just seems like you get the worse bounces and the bad breaks and all that stuff and can't really look at it that way. I've changed a little bit of my attitude over the last few weeks and the play is kind of picking up. It's tough. You try not to force the issue because, like you said, when everything is going great it's great but when it's not, that's the hardest time. That's when you learn the most, obviously, and it's been a very -- it's been a very big learning year for me just with regards to everything around me. Q. Secondly, how long have you only had a driver in the bag and why do you do that as a matter of not wanting Luke to lose a headcover or what? JASON DAY: I like hitting a 2-iron. I typically hit a 2-iron pretty good. I got the new 2-iron from TaylorMade, the tungsten blade that I have and trying to get that to go at least 275 in the air. That's usually a 3-wood, right? Maybe 2 3-woods for you. Q. You have roughly a 25, 30 -- JASON DAY: 2-iron -- 2-iron ultimately off the tee will go like 270, 275 on a nice day like this. Obviously, colder, it goes shorter. The 3-iron goes about 245, 250 and it progressively goes down. Q. Driver? JASON DAY: Driver, depending on the day -- like I hit a nice drive down 8 yesterday 367 yards. If I'm confident it goes forever. If I'm not so confident I'm trying to hit the little cut down the middle. AMANDA HERRINGTON: Last question. Q. You talked about the goal being making it to Atlanta. Does your approach this weekend or mentality change now that you're in contention here and sort of off the bubble this week to potentially win a FedExCup next week in Atlanta, does anything change with preparation or mindset? JASON DAY: The ultimate goal is to win this week. That's the thing I've been trying to do this whole season is be able to at least, like I said, at least win once and try to build on that. I've been working very, very hard over these last, you know, couple months trying to get myself into contention and, like I said, getting to the Tour Champs is huge. Everyone has a mathematical chance of winning the FedExCup if you go ahead and win that week. The better I play here not the easier but, you know, better mathematical chance I have winning the Tour Champs but also the FedExCup. So, I'm just trying to do my best each and everyday and if I can win this week, that's a great start going forward. AMANDA HERRINGTON: Thanks for joining us, Jason. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|