The honesty that characterizes Jason Day continues. We are better because of you

We have been look on Jason Day a lot this year – the man gets more attention for his clothes than his game – but has he been to obey to him? Sneaky has been one of the best quotes in pro golf, not necessarily revealing information or clues about where the game is going, but leaving us with integrity about where he’s been. And we are all better for it.

The world’s best golfers are repeatedly put in front of the microphone after good rounds to talk about their birdies on the 14th, the decision on the 7th, or just what it was like to play in the same group as Adam Scott 63. These moments are rare. which heals. They are generally considered to be a pull bond, where the quick and easy response, will end quickly and easily. (Is this because of the questions, or the frequency of these meetings? Maybe.) But on the face of it, Jason Day has been good lately, treating them as opportunities to work on his thoughts. So you don’t rush to the next question. Accepting to be followed. Simply … share.

It goes back to the Olympics, two months ago, when Day represented Australia. He was overcome with emotion on the first day of the competition and was surprised at how nervous he was when he looked down and saw the colors on his chest.

“It’s surprising, we’re not playing for money this week, obviously. We are playing for a medal and you have come to play for free,” he said. “But my point is, it feels completely different. It’s the most nervous I’ve ever felt standing on top of a box of clothes I put on for the first time.”

Day was learning something about himself at the time and he wasn’t afraid to tell the world about it. We, too, learned something about him that we did not know. This is a huge advantage of talking to the media – telling your story, adding layers of content to everything we know – and one that has been lost in the age of social media, where players can’t control the narrative of their careers the way they want. When it comes to Olympics, we knew he missed out on 2021, and we knew he opted out of 2016, citing concerns about the Zika virus. But did we know that he regrets it?

Day shared that during the Olympics, too.

“At that time, I think I was like No. 1 or 2 in the world,” said Day, “and I think I was at the point where I was exhausted, and the last thing on my mind was representing Australia in the Olympics.

“Looking back, I should have just absorbed it and gone down and played. I think if that’s the case, it would be a good thing for me to come down and represent something bigger than you.”

We don’t have to be mad at a golfer who shares his truth, but at the core of it is someone who just admits a mistake. A change of perspective. In a world where paleness is often considered a sin, there could be room for us to embrace it more. As time passes, Day’s eyes widen, and his stature is so small that he cannot speak out loud.

This week, Day is competing in his fifth Presidents Cup, making him one of the most experienced players on the international side. Only Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama played more. On Tuesday, he was thrown in front of the microphone again, and he responded by sharing another of his Presidents Cup adventures.

“I think that in my younger days I didn’t consider the President Cup as something I wanted to play in because it is a people’s game, and I never cared much about playing in the President Cup because I cared about it. he was playing on the PGA Tour and trying to win,” Day said. “Obviously, the Olympic games opened my eyes a little to know that it is more than you. To be part of the President Cup team — look, if I play one game, I will do everything I can. I’m just here for the team to try to support you as much as I can. If they play me five times, I’m ready to go five times. I don’t care how much it is.”

Why Day couldn’t compete in this biannual team event — where players don’t compete for prize money or individual honors — certainly has something to do with him. But if he could take a little walk down memory lane, he felt like he was following the path blazed by his international teammates around him.

He says: “Just think when I started, I was very excited about it. “And I felt like there are guys who don’t have the same drive as other guys. When all are not working towards the goal, then it hurts.

“Then you rush ahead of the others, I didn’t have the drive like the other guys, and that hurts the whole team. You have to have all the guys going for that goal of trying to win the cup.”

It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve heard players admit they struggle to enjoy the occasion of playing a team game at the end of a long season of individual play. But that’s happening now, the night before that team game, setting the stage for the entire Day week, and he didn’t have to give that information.

Day continued to elaborate on this point, even citing the 2015 Cup, in Korea, as the one he was not. up for. You know, that cup that was decided by the last game, where the Internationals almost won. Why is this information important, all these years later?

Because “I think that hurts the team spirit,” Day said. “I will not be there to say, Hey, they didn’t drive and I did the same thing, coming a few years later.”

It is clear that Day plans to be a better President Cupper going forward. But thanks to sharing his journey with the Cup, we can all understand him better, too. On a big level, whenever he becomes captain, and on a small level, when he reacts to his performance this week. If he doesn’t play well, it will highlight his emotions even better. If he plays well and leads his team to an upset victory, there’s your Hollywood ending. Simply put, their fans know he even better. And to keep the good vibes rolling, the questions he gets from the media later will be even better. We can only hope that the tour of loyalty will continue then. It’s a lot of fun to ride.