Jason Day and His Unlikely Journey to the Top

Jason Day has been tearing it up on the TOUR the last few months and has even made a case for himself as the best golfer in the world (a discussion we will save for another time). One thing is for sure, Day has easily been the best golfer on TOUR since The Open Championship.

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After falling just short of grabbing the Claret Jug, the Aussie bounced back in a huge way. He has three wins in his last four starts. Since the British Open, his collective score is -73 where the next closest golfer is Justin Rose at -49.

Not only is he on top of the sport, but he’s also winning in life. Jason has a beautiful wife named Ellie along with his son, Dash Day, and another son on the way. They reside in Westerville, Ohio close to where Jason met Ellie.

He’s in a great place in his life, but for Day, his journey hasn’t been an easy one. He’s overcome torn ligaments in his thumb, bulging discs in his back, and a nasty case of vertigo, but that’s only part of his journey. To understand the full extent of everything Jason Day has been through, we need to revisit his childhood.

Day came from a poor family and was first introduced to the game of golf at the age of six when his father brought home a rusty 3-wood home he found at a junkyard. He gave it to Jason and the lad showed promise right off the bat.

“I remember watching (my mother) cut the lawn with a knife because we couldn’t afford to fix the lawn mower,” Day said. “I remember not having a hot water tank, so we had to use a kettle for hot showers.”

Unfortunately, his father Alvin passed away from stomach cancer when Jason was only 12 years old. After the passing of his father, everything went to hell for the Aussie. He turned to booze to cope with the pain of losing his dad and became an alcoholic before the age of 13.

Jason was getting into trouble in any way that he could and was constantly in fights at school. Fearing that she would lose her only son to the streets, Dening Day took matters into her own hands. She sold their house in Rockhampton, Queensland and borrowed money from relatives in order to send Jason to Kooralbyn International boarding school a few hours away.

It was there Jason Day turned his life around and got back on track to becoming one of the greatest golfers in the world.

There was nothing around the boarding school, so it was easier for Day to stay away from the bottle while he focused on school and golf.

"“It was very easy to stop partying because there was nothing else to do except go to school and golf. There was literally nothing around us,” Day said. “So I was pretty much forced to go to school and golf. And I realised what my mom had done, and that I needed an education.”"

It was at boarding school that Day came across a book that motivated his whole career. Jason borrowed a book from his roommate that was on the life of Tiger Woods and it inspired Day. He started putting in 32 hours of practice a week. He saw what kind of scores Tiger was shooting and thought “Why am I not shooting these scores?”

Another life-changing moment Day had at boarding school was the moment he met Colin Swatton, who is one of his best friends and current caddie today. Their relationship had a rough beginning as Day was still in the punk stage of his life. Swatton tried to tell Jason that he should be practicing his short game, while Day wanted to play the par 3 course and responded by telling Swatton to “F— off.”

Realizing the mistake he made, Day went an apologized to Swatton in front of a group of peers, a move that he owes much of his career to. The two eventually joined forces to form the caddie-player relationship that they have today. Day even considers Swatton to be a father figure for him.

Swatton convinced Day to join him at the Hills International College Golf Academy and it was there they began their journey. Day turned pro in 2006 after winning the Green Jacket at the NEC Master of Amateurs, signed with TaylorMade and Adidas, and began playing on TOUR regularly.

The rest is history. He grabbed his first career victory at the 2010 HP Byron Nelson Championship and would go on to win five more times on TOUR, including his first major win at the 2015 PGA Championship.

The death of Alvin Day played a crucial part in the success Jason has had in his life.

"“If my dad was alive, I wouldn’t have gone to boarding school and I wouldn’t have had the success I’ve had,” Day said. “I don’t believe I’d be here today. I think I’d be working at the meat-processing plant, like he did.”"

Starting from a poor family with very little, Day has overcome adversity his entire life. Just as he used Tiger Woods as motivation to build his career, Jason Day has also become an inspiration. Every time he finds himself in contention at a golf tournament, people will be reminded of something LeBron James once said, “Nothing in life is given; everything is earned.”

Next: Ryan Palmer At The Barclays: Inspiration and Motivation From Dad

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Jason Day and His Unlikely Journey As One of the Game’s Best Golfers

By Matt Cochran | Sep 1, 2015