Jason Day Points to Childhood Trauma When Crediting His Golf Success

The former world No. 1 joins The Dan Evans Show to discuss his upbringing, his career, competing with Jordan Spieth and new partnerships on the way.

Dan Evans

The Dan Evans Show: Jason Day on his upbringing and overcomging tragedy.

Jason Day did not have the same path to the PGA Tour as a lot of the guys you see playing on Sundays.

The former world No. 1 golfer grew up in Australia, and his childhood was shaped by a loss that changed the direction of his life. Day’s father died when he was just 12 years old after being heavily involved in his golf game from a young age.

Losing a parent at 12 can derail someone’s entire life. For Day, it changed everything, but not in the way some might expect.

After his father’s passing, Day’s mother sent him to Kooralbyn International School in Australia. That is where he met longtime coach and mentor Col Swatton, who became one of the most important people in his golf career.

From there, Day kept chasing his goal of becoming a professional golfer. He did not ignore the pain from losing his father. Rather, he used it as motivation.

That motivation led Day to one of the best careers of his generation. He became a major champion, reached world No. 1, and has earned well millions on the PGA Tour.

Day has also worked with brands such as Malbon and TruGreen, and unlike some athletes who just attach their names to sponsorships, Day has found ways to make those partnerships feel like they actually fit him.

With Malbon, Day has become one of the most uniquely dressed players on Tour. His outfits stand out every week, and whether fans love them or question them, they have made him one of the most interesting players in golf fashion.

Jason Day is one of the most uniquely dressed players on the PGA Tour. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The TruGreen partnership has been a little different, but just as fitting. As part of the campaign, Day listed some of his actual lawn care equipment on Facebook Marketplace because TruGreen was now taking care of the yard work for him.

It was a funny idea, but it also worked because Day committed to it. He did not just show up for a standard ad read or a basic sponsor post. He leaned into the joke and made it feel natural.

That is a big reason why Day has become such a fan favorite. He has the résumé, but he also has a personality that makes people want to root for him.

On The Dan Evans Show, Day also talked about competing with Jordan Spieth during one of the biggest stretches of his career and hinted at more partnerships coming in the future.

But the strongest part of the conversation still came back to his upbringing.

Day went through something at 12 years old that could have sent him in a completely different direction. Instead, it helped push him toward the career he has now.

To this day, he has not let that trauma define him, but fuel him.