19 Things You Should Definitely Know About Jason Day

By golfdigest.com

19 Things You Should Definitely Know About Jason Day

August 16, 2015

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL - MAY 14: Jason Day of Australia jumps up in the air after hitting his shot from the fairway on the 12th hole during the third round of THE PLAYERS Championship on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on May 14, 2016. (Photo by JD Cuban/PGA TOUR)

Photo by US PGA TOUR

Day was so poor growing up his first golf club was a 3-wood his father pulled out of the town dump.

His father died of stomach cancer when he was 11, leading to Day running into a host of troubles as a teenager.

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Day's caddie and coach, Colin Swatton, had the biggest influence in turning Day's life around.

Swatton forced Day to harness his talents as a golfer as a way of staying out of trouble. "He means the world to me," Day said. "I love him to death."

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

He met his wife, Ellie, when she was a waitress at an Irish pub in Twinsburg, Ohio, in 2005. They didn't go on their first date until two years later.

Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Day raised a stir in 2007 when he made his clear his ambitions to be the best in the world.

"I'm sure I can take [Tiger Woods] down. My goal is to be the No. 1 golfer in the world and I want to chase Tiger." It doesn't seem so far-fetched now.

Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Before his breakthrough win at Whistling Straits, Day already had nine top-10 finishes in 20 career major starts, including three runner-ups.

GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images

His winning score of 20 under at Whistling Straits was the lowest score in relation to par in major championship history.

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Day and family often stay in a motor home they own when competing on tour.

@ellielaneday

His success has come despite a series of injuries and health problems.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

With just one win (2010 Byron Nelson) in his first six full seasons on the PGA Tour, Day was once considered a bit of a disappointment.

Hunter Martin/Getty Images

Day also learned the game by studying Golf Digest.

"Golf Digest had all the old school swings, and my favorite swing, ever, was Nick Faldo's swing. And it had all the greats, Ernie Els and Nick Faldo and all that stuff and I had the pictures of their swing sequences on my wall," he said in 2010.

Dom Furore

Unlike most tour players who live in the Sun Belt, Day lives in Dublin, Ohio because that's where Ellie is from, and is a member of Muirfield Village.

Courtesy of JIM MANDEVILLE

Since moving to Ohio, Day has become a huge fan of Ohio sports, including the Buckeyes and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

@ellielaneday

He and his wife run their own charity, the Brighter Days Foundation.

backpacks with blessings

He's buds with Tiger Woods and frequently plays major practice rounds with him.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

He, Ellie, and son Dash go all out for Halloween.

@ellielaneday

Not only did he win on the Nationwide Tour at 19, he was (and still is) the youngest ever winner on the tour.

Chris Condon/PGA/Getty Images

He excels at holing long-distance putts.

Through the PGA Championship, Day leads the tour this season in percentage of putts made from more than 25 feet (10 percent), converted them at nearly twice the average rate on tour.

Montana Pritchard/The PGA of America via Getty Images

He lost eight family members, including his grandmother, when Typhoon Haiyan hit the Phillipines in 2014.

In the wake of the tragedy, Day's foundation provided assistance to other survivors.

The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images

He uses a Red Spider Limited Itsy Bitsy Spider

The putter, first shown to tour staff at the Northern Trust Open at Riviera in February, has all the characteristics of the Itsy Bitsy used by Day for the better part of the last 18 months, except this one incorporates the color of the Redback Spider, which is found in Day’s homeland of Australia.