Jason Day is very aware of the fact no one has ever repeated as winner of the Players Championship.
He hopes to create history.
The defending champion met with the media on Tuesday to discuss all things golf and how this course, with the famed Par-3 17th, has him hoping he can once again get in the victory circle.
Day won last year wire-to-wire, the first golfer to do so since Hal Sutton did it in 2000. He said the weather and conditions should make for a great week of golf
“It’s pretty special to come back as defending champion,” said Day. “The course is in tremendous condition right now. It should be a tough championship. I’m looking forward to coming back and defending.”
Oddly enough, the last time Jason Day won a golf tournament was here in 2016. There have been other “factors” which has taken his attention away from the game. Now, Day said he is focusing on not only winning more titles but is also taking aim at regaining the world number one ranking he once held. Right now, he is third in the world, behind Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson.
He told the media being the top player in the world took a toll on him, where it was getting tough mentally. The expectations were something he had to grow accustomed to dealing with.
“I’d love to win every week, but it’s very, very difficult,” he explained.
The Players, known by many as the unofficial “fifth” major. According to usgolftc.com, The TPC at Sawgrass will again take center stage this week when it hosts the unofficial “fifth major,” The Players Championship. From rough beginnings to the home of the PGA Tour, Sawgrass has come a long way since the early 80s.
Back then, it was just 400-plus acres of Florida swampland, until former PGA Tour Commissioner Deane Beman had a vision for it. He wanted a permanent home for the tour’s Players Championship tournament and it had to have a stadium-like feel to improve the overall fan experience.
Working with renowned course architect Pete Dye, they went about creating a course that was certainly unique. Featuring deep pot bunkers, grass bunkers, waste area, railroad ties, huge mounds, palm trees and water in play on the majority of holes, TPC Sawgrass was truly unlike any other course that came before it.
Jason Day and the players who tee off starting Thursday hope to take advantage of the dry conditions. Also, warm temperatures. This is his seventh appearance here at the Sawgrass Country Club.
“Firstly, there is a lot of history behind this golf course. I think it’s a difficult golf course. It tests every aspect of your game.”
Getting back to being on top of the golf world drives Day. He said he needs to focus on what made him great in the first place. He will have that opportunity starting at 8:16 am when he is joined by Rickie Fowler and Henrik Stenson.
When asked why he thought he was successful last season, resulting in the victory, Day said he played the back nine better than his competitors.