Jason Day’s banned Augusta jersey raises a lot of money for charity

Jason Day rocking his “busy” Malbon jersey at the 2024 Masters.
Ben Jared/PGA TOUR
The sometimes unspoken rules and regulations of Augusta National Golf Club are famously focused on the behavior and appearance of the people who police it, not just members and patrons during Masters week. The rules extend to Masters competitors, as Jason Day found out this year.
But now Day has turned an awkward run-in with Augusta club officials at the 2024 Masters into an opportunity to raise huge sums of money for charity.
On Friday at this year’s Masters, Day arrived on the course early on Friday to start the first round alongside Tiger Woods. Australia and former No. 1 was sporting a Malbon ivest sweater with large block letters that quickly became the topic of conversation on social media.
But when Day started his second round later on Friday, the jersey was gone. Rumors swirled that Augusta had asked Day to remove the offending jersey, and Day confirmed as much over the weekend.
Reporter: “Did you hear anything — is it okay with the green jackets, the designs and the things you were wearing? They can be a little restrictive.”
Day: “Are you just talking about Augusta? Yes, they asked me to take it off – I took the vest off yesterday. “
Reporter: “Are you busy?”
Day: “Yes, you are busy. Respectfully, you do that because it’s all about competition here, and I understand that. I respect the competition. That’s what we came for to try to play and win the green jacket.”
A reporter. “Did they explain to you why they want you to take it off? Is the logo too big?”
Day: “I don’t know. I didn’t ask. They said, can you take it off? I said, yes, no worries.”
Kudos to Day for not overreacting with the dress-code shakedown, but he deserves even more credit for what he did with the jersey.
Day runs a non-profit called the Brighter Days Foundation. The foundation was started by Day and his wife, Ellie, to “partner with local nonprofit organizations that work to meet basic needs, provide hope, and deliver high-quality programs and services with measurable, impactful results, ensuring that every dollar raised goes back into the local community,” According to the organization’s website, the charity is based in Columbus, Ohio, where the Day family lives.
On September 8-9, the foundation held its annual Brighter Days Invitational, which included a Tee-Off Party, concert and celebrity golf event, and served as the organization’s primary fundraiser.
As is often the case, this year’s Brighter Days Invitational also featured a silent auction. Among the things offered to visitors? The “busy” Malbon day jersey he was asked to remove from the Masters.
An Instagram from Golf Magic posted Monday showed Day standing next to a Malbon jersey at auction. It also reported that the jersey fetched $18,000 at auction, although GOLF.com has not independently verified that number.
Regardless of the jersey’s final auction price, it’s clear that Day took a negative situation and used it for a good cause.
The jersey incident also didn’t seem to affect Day’s performance, as he ended up with a T30 at the Masters, his best finish at Augusta since 2019.
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