Tiger Woods delivered a remarkable remark to Jason Day when questioned about how he remained a dominant force in golf for so long.
Widely regarded as possibly the top golfer ever, Woods ruled the greens through the latter part of the 90s into the noughties. At 48, he stunned fans with his awe-inspiring resilience and triumph at the 2019 Masters marking his 15th major win after an epic 11-year major drought.
Throughout those golden years, Tiger towered over the golfing world, clocking up a staggering 683 weeks as the globe’s numero uno player. Curious about Tigers recipe for unmatched achievement, Day sought answers from Woods himself.
Chatting with Smylie Kaufman on his podcast, Day reminisced about a significant interaction with Woods that stuck with him.
Day disclosed that he once inquired of Woods: “What kept you at number one for so long? ” Woods’ response was straightforward: “I’m not as talented as you, so I had to work harder.”
Day, taking Woods words at more than mere modesty or levity about his own abundant talent, branded it “a load of crap, he’s way more talented than me! “.
Day, who turned pro in 2006 around the time when Woods had already bagged ten major wins, boasts one major victory under his belt the 2015 PGA Championship. He’s been within touching distance of victory in each of the other three major tournaments, including a notable 2nd place in the 2023 Open where he ended six strokes adrift alongside four others, trailing behind victor Brian Harman.
Reflecting on his stint at the pinnacle of golf during 2015 and 2016, which included his PGA Championship win among eight out of his thirteen PGA Tour victories, Jason Day shared insights about his rigorous fitness regime at the time.
“In 2015, 2016 when I was the best, I was doing super sets of everything,” Day opened up. “I was training to failure, I was doing two-a-days (in the gym), I was eating chicken and broccoli for every meal of the day. I never worked on technique… it was all target orientated and then the injuries obviously came.”
Kramer Kaufman noted a parallel with Tiger Woods’ experience and questioned if Day saw reflections of himself in the legend’s path.
Day acknowledged, “To get to the best it was a lifestyle choice. Some of these other guys can do it, like a Dustin Johnson and some of these other guys can naturally get to No. 1… They don’t practice as hard as you or I.
“They’re just kind of naturally gifted in a way that they can do it and it just looks like it doesn’t affect their lives as much. And then there’s people like me, and even Tiger for instance,” he explained.
Emphasizing the combination of techniques, hard work, and mental strength, Day concluded, “What he did great, was that he matched great technique with unbelievable work ethic and also a great mental game. And when you have that three-prong effect, it’s just going to give success.”
