Australian Jason Day is gearing up to play in his sixth Presidents Cup so he brings a wealth of experience to the International side but not all of it is good.
Day made his debut in the competition on home soil in 2011 in a side that featured five Australians along with captain Greg Norman, four South Africans, three Koreans and Ryo Ishikawa as the lone Japanese representative, and he feels that the team element has improved dramatically in the intervening years.
“I would say over the years, just watching over the years, the guys have gotten a lot closer, and not necessarily the same guys over and over again, but I’m just saying that the actual team element, the team environment has shifted a lot since when I first started,” he said.
“I know that it’s improved dramatically, especially when Ernie [Els] kind of took over, changed the flag to the shield, and then we had Nick Price, as well, who was a great captain.
“But I’ve missed the last couple, so it’s nice to be able to get into a room and have guys very passionate about trying to win the Cup, which is, I think — back in my day, maybe not a lot of the guys were maybe bought into the Presidents Cup as what I’m seeing now, myself included. I felt like I probably could have done a little bit more.
“But it’s nice to be able to sit in those team rooms, hear the guys talk. The tournament has improved dramatically since I first started. The way when you walk into the player area, having the locker rooms, everything like that, it means so much more now than what we had before.”
Day’s 2015 was his standout year on Tour, winning five PGA Tour titles including the PGA Championship and ascending to the top of the world rankings, but a dismal performance at the Presidents Cup in Korea saw him take just a half-point from five matches as the United States triumphed in what was the closest contest since the infamous tied match at Royal Melbourne in 2003.
And he admits that the drive to compete at the top of his game wasn’t there in Korea compared to what it had been when he made his first appearance in 2011.
“I’m trying to be as open and honest as much as possible because I could come up and give a very political correct answer,” he replied when asked why he feels that the team dynamic is very different this time around. “I’m not going to do that. I feel like I’m just dancing around an answer.
“I’ve really wanted to play in the Presidents Cup. My first Presidents Cup I was excited. I’m not sure the team environment was as passionate as we have now. That kind of hurt my drive to want to compete because I’m like, well, if some guys aren’t wanting to push, then why do I need to push. That happened when I wasn’t as driven in, like, Korea. I wasn’t as driven there to compete.
“I think that hurts the team environment.
“I can’t be there saying, ‘hey, these guys didn’t drive’ and I’m doing the exact same thing, come a couple years later.
“It definitely opened my eyes when I played the Olympics and how much more it means to playing the game of golf and what the game of golf has given me, and then obviously seeing the guys and how they are, that definitely opens my eyes to wanting to play as hard as I can for these guys.”
And Day’s own shift in attitude is one that he sees reflected in his 11 team mates this week as the International side look to avoid 10 successive Presidents Cup defeats.
“I just see the difference in the team room, how much the guys care, and when everyone is kind of pulled in and playing together and they’re all pulling towards a goal, it makes you want to go even further, too, for the guys,” he said.
“It’s nice to have a team of guys that are willing to go that extra mile.”
Leave a comment