The Aussie golfer has shut down rumours he may move to LIV golf after taking out the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational.
Following his victory in the PGA Tour’s season-ending event in Florida in 2023, Jason Day put an end to speculations that he might switch to LIV golf. At the first-ever Grant Thornton Invitational mixed teams competition, Day and Lydia Ko of New Zealand won the competition by a single shot, earning them over $1.5 million in prize money.
Day refuted speculation that he would join Jon Rahm in joining the Saudi-sponsored tour, calling the rumors “totally false” and even going so far as to say he finds it difficult to watch the league. “I am aware of the rumors that I am leaving. They are untrue in the extreme. I’m not sure where these rumors originate,” he remarked.
Day hasn’t said he will attend the Games, but he is in a great position to guarantee Australia a spot in the Olympics in Paris. Last week, he surpassed Cameron Smith to become the highest-ranked male golfer in Australia. Smith struggles to earn ranking points because he can’t play in LIV events.
Day, who placed 11th in Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge last month, is now ranked 19th in the world. Day won his 14th title at the Byron Nelson in May of 2023, ending his title drought without a PGA victory. It was his first victory since 2018. His years of hardship, during which he battled a combination of injury and swing problems, were the foundation of his success.
Jason Day says he ‘picked the brain’ of Lydia Ko
After winning the Grant Thornton Invitational for the second time this year, Day claimed he had been “picking the brains” of two-time major champion Ko while they were playing. Ko and Day led by two strokes going into the last round and won by one shot on Sunday after making six birdies without making a bogey. Day claimed that because he was confident Ko would perform well under duress, he felt secure the entire time.
“It was an extremely stress-free victory as I had no doubt that (Ko) would come through in the end, which was amazing,” Day remarked. “Playing with her, picking her brain, and observing how she handles pressure has been an absolute pleasure. As a golfer, I can learn from a variety of sources, and this is the ideal situation where I can learn from Lydia, who has been a great player for a long time.
“I feel like I’ve grown as a person after this week, and I’m going to use the information I got from her about her wedges going forward because I know it will greatly improve my game. I’m hoping for a strong wedge game the following year. Playing with Lydia has been so much fun this week; we’ve definitely become lifelong friends.”
Ko is interested in seeing more mixed competitions going forward and liked the format of the season-ending mixed-gender tournament. “This has been a fantastic beginning for the two tours combining and hosting a mixed event,” Ko remarked. “I sincerely hope that this is a long-term endeavor.”
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