A look at the 20 top players in the world of Golf today: Jason Day
Jason Day was born in Queensland, Australia on 12th November 1987 to an Australian father and Filipino mother. He started playing golf just after his 6th birthday after his father joined him as a junior member at his local golf club. At the age of eight
his family moved to Rockhampton, this is where he started to play in the nearby districts and started to win some local events.
Day’s love for golf began after his father picked up a 3-wood from a heap of trash and gave it to Day, who instantly grew fond of it. Although Day’s career began with mediocrity and almost in poverty, he and his family made sure that it does not end there.
Day's mother sent him to school at Kooralbyn International School which had a golf course attached and Colin Swatton in its faculty who later became Day’s coach and mentor.
After Day finished school he joined the Hills International College which had its own Golf Academy. It was there that his love of the game turned into his ambition as well, a very exciting combination for success. He borrowed a book about Tiger Woods from
his roommate and instantly found a liking and a burning ambition to emulate if not break records set by tiger at particular ages. Day decided he has to equal whatever Tiger achieved during his career, and thus started a strict routine regimen, he got up at
5 am to practice and then went to school at 8 30 am to 1 30 pm and then practice till 5 pm.
Day finished seventh and became the leading amateur at the Queensland Open. He was also awarded the Australian Junior Order of Merit twice in his amateur career.
Despite his solid game as an amateur, Day needed the support and backing of people such as Adam Scott fellow countryman and golfer, and Swatton before turning pro. "He's quite mature, but I could sense his work going into amateur events was becoming a little
less than what he'd normally do," says Swatton in an interview. "I thought, 'I could let him go one more year as an amateur,' but two things: It was not going to help his bank account, and it also was not in his best interest."
Day, 18, has elected to forgo college and go directly to the pro game, boldly aiming at its highest level. Day turned professional in July 2006 after winning the Green Jacket at the NEC Master of the Amateurs. He tied for 67th in his professional debut at
the John Deere Classic last month and has silenced would-be critics with his early play.
Day became the youngest man to win on any of the PGA Tour’s three tours with his first Nationwide Tour Event win. In May 2010, he became the youngest Australian to win a PGA Tour event, winning the HP Byron Nelson Championship
At the 2011 Masters Tournament, Day birdied the last two holes, but came up two strokes short of eventual winner Charl Schwartzel. In June 2011, Day participated at Congressional for the 2011 US Open, his maiden appearance in a US Open. As a result of his
major performances, Day moved into the Official World Golf Ranking top-10 for the first time in his career at ninth.
At age 23 if Day can keep up his determination and hard work aligned with his ambition to emulate his inspiration, Tiger Woods, he is bound to make it to the top.
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