Tiger Woods and Jason Day in February at the Genesis Invitational.
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Jason Day is laughing now, because it’s funny to him on several levels. On the other hand, Tiger Woods answered his question with self-deprecation. But there is also a nugget of hard truth in the answer that makes Day smile.
Question?
What has kept you at number 1 for so long?
Day was speaking on this week’s “The Smylie Show” — which you can listen to in full here — where part of the conversation looked at Day’s time on the golf course, and specifically the commitment to getting there. The podcast’s host, Smylie Kaufman, noted that Day’s dedication reminded him of Woods, and that led to this response:
“You had to have it, it was — it’s the coming of age, it’s a lifestyle choice,” Day said on the podcast. “Your whole life must be in that goal of being the best. You can’t — it’s too hard. Some guys can do it. Like Dustin Johnson and some of these guys, naturally they can get to No. 1, and like, how do you do it so easily? … They don’t train as hard as I do either, they’re just naturally gifted as much as they can be and it doesn’t seem to affect their lifestyle.
“And then there are people like me and even Tiger, for example.”
Woods? Really? At this point in the podcast, Day shared the story of his question — and Woods’ 14-word response.
“I always laugh at this because — hey, what kept you at No. 1 for so long?” Day said on the podcast. “And he looked at me and walked away. I don’t have the same skills as you, so I had to work harder than you.
“I would say, that is such a heavy burden. He is more talented than me. But again, what he did very well was match a good strategy with an incredible work ethic and a good mental game. If you have those three-prong results, it will give you success. “
Was Day more talented than Woods? Did Woods work harder than Day to win 69 more than him? (Woods has 82 victories; Day 13.) Was Woods kidding himself? Was he Jabbing Day? We’ll let you find that out.
But Day also appreciated Woods’ driving. Day, too, did not leave the golf ball.
“Going back to being No. in the world, it was, what do I eat, how do I sleep, is there any drama in my life that I need to get rid of?” Day said on the podcast. “Because things that happen at home affect you on the golf course, so you have to understand that having a toxic relationship or having drama on the golf course affects you on the golf course. And then you go, what’s my training schedule, what’s my gym routine and then you have to attack it from all different angles and go, OK, well, everything works in order, go out and play, and then my goal is, if I want to do it and I’m willing to push it, then- then you will, at some point, if all those things work in order, you will get there.
“But, God, it’s hard.”
Editor’s note: To listen to the entire podcast of “The Smylie Show” on Day, please click here. And watching Day on GOLF’S “Breakthrough,” please click here or scroll below.
