Day heeds Olympic lessons in hunt for PGA Tour glory

Jason Day reflects on his Olympic experience as a powerful reminder of the urgency required to perform at the highest level, especially when there’s no reward without a top-three finish in Paris. Day, who competed alongside Min Woo Lee at the Tokyo Games, is now the most promising of the three Australians still vying for a spot in the PGA Tour Playoffs and is determined to reignite his climb to world No. 1.

At 36, Day’s resurgence after the struggles of the 2021 and 2022 seasons, particularly in the wake of COVID-19, has seen him return to the world’s top 30—currently ranked 26th. His impressive comeback has also secured him a place on the Presidents Cup team, gearing up for a face-off against the U.S. next month.

As Day prepared for the BMW Championship in Colorado, where the top 30 ranked players will advance to the Tour Championship, he took a moment to reflect on his Olympic journey, which ended in a tie for ninth place. The experience, he said, brought him back to a fundamental mindset, especially after years of playing for substantial prize money.

The Olympic Games, he explained, shifted his focus away from financial gain and back to the essence of competition. “It taught me that it’s not always about the money we play for,” Day said. “At the Olympics, it’s all about placing in the top three. If you don’t, you go home with nothing.”

Day admitted that finishing tied for ninth made him realize how different the stakes were. “I finished T9 and thought, ‘Congratulations, you finished T9; you don’t get anything. You go home.’ It highlighted the urgency of needing to go out there and win.”

This urgency, he continued, is something that can sometimes get lost when playing in professional tours, where even a top 10 or top 5 finish is often seen as a success. “When your back is against the wall, and you’re forced to perform, that’s a level of motivation and intensity I’d love to maintain all the time,” Day said. “But sometimes, you get in your own way, thinking that a top 10 is good enough when really, it’s not.”

The lesson from the Olympics, according to Day, is clear: “You either finish first, second, or third, or it’s not good enough.”

When asked about the cash bonuses offered to medalists from various countries—rewards that could be life-changing for some—Day emphasized that for him and many Australians, the financial aspect is secondary. Although Australian Olympic medalists do receive a cash bonus from the Australian Olympic Committee, Day stressed that this is merely a bonus and not the primary motivation for competing.

“In Australia, the way we view the Olympics is different,” he explained. “The money they pay out is just icing on the cake. The real goal is winning a medal. That’s what we’ve always focused on as Australians—gold, silver, bronze. Did the person win a medal? That’s the main focus.”

Day’s reflections on the Olympics underscore a renewed drive to succeed at the highest levels of professional golf, with a focus on winning rather than simply placing well. As he prepares for the BMW Championship and beyond, Day’s experience in Paris serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining a winning mentality in every competition.