Jason Day greets spectators during the Presidents Cup in September.
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Over the past three years, many professionals have been considering a continuing life LIFE Golf. Some of them took it, others passed, but many of them at least took it seriously. They thought they should.
One of those gentlemen whose name seemed to stick in the LIV discussion was Australian Jason Day. Former world no. 1 carried a resume similar to many members of LIV. He had won a major, won multiple times on the PGA Tour, was NO an American, and seemed popular enough to captain his franchise.
In other words, he would fit in well with Martin Kaymer, Louis Oosthuizen, Cam Smith, Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson – fellow major international winners who were past their prime. Day wasn’t afraid to explore those options.
“I didn’t give it back,” Day said recently in an interview with the Aussie Code Sports publication.
“What happened was, it was a business move to go in and explore the potential of what would happen or what the price would be.”
Day was not alone in this endeavor. Many Tour pros who did not ultimately leave or LIV were given offers, or relative dollar amounts they would likely receive in the event of contract negotiations. On a smaller scale, these ‘business moves’ happen all the time for Tour pros, who are their own companies. Agents and their managers explore everything on the table to find every option.
“My agent, who has represented a lot of guys there, said ‘Hey, I’m just going to go out and see what happens.’ The day continued.
“And I said ‘No worries, I’m happy with where I’m at, but it’s always good to know.’
Unfortunately for Day, what he found as an answer was something he already knew all too well. That his years since that incredible peak in 2015 have been heavily marred by injuries.
“And they said, ‘We love Jason, but he’s so injured, he just gets so many injuries,'” Day recalled.
Perhaps more than any modern star not named Tiger Woods, Day’s past decade has been fraught with problems. Most have been related to his back, a nagging ailment that he has worked with trainers and coaches to alleviate, even changing his swing in recent years with Chris Como.
Day said he doesn’t blame LIV for following him and for the most part it ended well for all parties. Day stuck with the tournament and triumphed in 2023, ending a five-year winless drought at the AT&T Byron Nelson.
Importantly, it also retained world ranking points and access to the PGA Tour, allowing Day to play in the Paris Olympics this summer and lead the international team in the Presidents Cup this fall.
