Jason Day has chased a green jacket since he watched Tiger Woods win the 1997 Masters in record-smashing fashion, spurred on by a 2011 runner-up debut effort and third in 2013.
Now the 27-year-old Australian has healed a nagging thumb injury and enters the 79th Masters with confidence after a victory at Torrey Pines in February, fueling a hunger to win at Augusta National unlike any other event.
“To win this tournament, this is one of those things that has always been a life-long goal of mine,” Day said Monday.
“We’ve been gearing my golf game ever since I was 12, 13, to try and attack this golf tournament, building my game toward winning this tournament.
“Whatever I win after, that would be a bonus.”
But Day knows any weakness in his game is a doorway to doom on the back nine on Sunday at unforgiving Augusta National.
“Knowing that I’ve been close a couple times already in such a short time, it gives me a lot of confidence in my abilities,” Day said.
“But I’ve got to make sure I’m confident in my game, that I manage my emotions and attitude. You have to have everything in line — in your personal life, on the golf course — because if there’s one little chink in the armor, everything can unravel here.
“Once you start making mistakes out here, they can compound and you could pretty much play yourself out of the tournament pretty quickly.”
Day just missed a playoff two years ago when Adam Scott won to become the first Aussie to capture the Masters crown, but that near-miss and lost opportunity at homeland sports history did not diminish Day’s desire.
“I just want to win it even more now,” he said. “I would love to be able to slip on the green jacket. It would be an unbelievable feeling. I’m always going to try and improve and get better each and every year here, and that goes for every other tournament. But this one is that much more special.
“The two main goals I’ve always had, winning this tournament and getting to number one in the world. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
– His Day at long last? –
Day is conscious that he can want the victory so much that he makes it a harder prize to obtain, but he also figures that perseverance will pay off.
“The more times I try to put myself in contention, I think the easier it becomes,” Day said. “I just want to keep knocking at the door I think the more times I do it, hopefully it will fall my way soon. I just have to go out and try, but not try too hard.”
Day has spent hours the past few days working on chipping and putting angles all over the course, dodging passing groups playing rounds to test potential shots he might see in the tournament.
“The biggest thing for me is preparation, being able to come into an event like this with the expectation I can go out there and win it. I just have to finish it off,” Day said.
“I kind of involve myself heavily into the preparation just to try and distract myself away from (expectations) because this is one tournament that it’s been a dream goal of mine to win.”
But that also brings a pressure unlike any other Day has felt worldwide.
“I feel the most pressure here,” Day said. “It’s just a feel about the patrons and the people watching around the world. There’s much more buzz here. I feel like the way I’ve played here has definitely helped myself get over to that next hurdle, to be able to be a lot more consistent, to know I can go out there and win.
“The next step is mental and how much heart you’ve got is obviously huge. There’s so much that practice and natural talent can get you, but it’s all about the want and the will to get the ball in the hole.”