Jason Day ribs Tiger Woods at The Masters upon learning of pairing

Jason Day, the 2011 Masters runner-up, was taken aback on Tuesday upon learning he’d be paired with Tiger Woods for the first two days at Augusta National. His reaction was candid, yet laced with humor.

“Who, me? I had no idea,” Day exclaimed. “That’s exciting. I’m happy about that. That’s a good pairing. I had no idea. As long as I beat that old man, I’m happy.”

Of course, referring to Woods as just another “old man” belies his stature in the golfing world. Woods, a five-time Green Jacket winner and 15-time major champion, is not your typical 48-year-old competitor at the Masters. He’ll be aiming to make history once again, as he’s made the cut an impressive 23 consecutive times at Augusta, tying him with Gary Player and Fred Couples for the most ever.

Couples, who played nine practice holes with Woods on Tuesday, was left in awe. “I think the last thing he’s thinking about is making the cut,” Couples remarked. “Can he win here? I just watched him play nine holes, and he never mishits a shot. But the idea of making a cut—I think he would laugh at that because he’s not here to do that; he’s here to win. He’s here to play really, really hard.”

Clearly, Day will need to bring his A-game if he hopes to outshine Woods and secure a spot in the weekend rounds.

Despite Day’s solid start to the year, including a 10th place finish at The Sentry and consecutive top-10s at The Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational, he’s experienced a slight dip in form in recent weeks, with finishes of 35th, 36th, and a missed cut at the Arnold Palmer, Players, and Houston Open respectively.

On the other hand, Woods, who had to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational due to illness, is adopting a play-once-a-month approach, kicking off his campaign this week at Augusta. The trio of Day, Woods, and Max Homa will tee off from the first tee on Thursday at 1:24 PM ET, promising an exciting start to the tournament.