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Australian star Jason is determined to slip on the Green Jacket at Augusta

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Aussie rules: Jason Day says he would love to be the first Australian to win the Masters Tournament

Jason Day has said that winning the Masters this week, and thereby becoming the first Australian to pull on the Green Jacket, would be like finding the ‘Holy Grail’.

Day impressed on his debut at Augusta National last year, finishing tied for second alongside fellow countryman Adam Scott. In the second round, he shot a 64, which equalled the lowest round for a first-time participant in the Masters.

Now, a year on and buoyed by that experience, 24-year-old Day is determined to go one better and bag his first his major title.

“For me, this is the Holy Grail to win this tournament,” he said. “I would love to win it one day. I do believe that an Australian will win it soon. We have conquered a lot of different sporting events around the world. This is probably one of the last few that we would like to get to.

“But I would be very, very happy if one of the Australians this week won. I think that would kind of ease the pressure off our shoulders and we can just go and play instead of worrying about being the first person to win.

“I think this week, I’ve just got to focus on my own game and not worry about anything else, not worry about the outcome of what could happen if I do win.  If I have a chance to win, I’ve just got to focus on what I need to do out there.”

He added: “There’s no other place like it, there really isn’t. The amount of tournaments I’ve played around the world, there’s just nothing like it. This is my favorite week of the year.

“I really do enjoy coming back, and seeing the members and the patrons and just playing the course. There’s just so much history and tradition here, it’s a fun place to be at.”

If he is to win, Day expects that he will have to overcome the challenge of Tiger Woods amongst others.

A four-time winner at Augusta, Woods won his first PGA Tour title in 30 months just over a week ago at the Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Invitational. Based on that, Day is sure that he will be a contender this week.

“If he has momentum rolling on Sunday like he used to, Tiger is a guy that can roll off four or five birdies on the back nine and do it pretty easily,” he said. “If he has the putter rolling, it makes it very simple for him.

“That’s the hard thing . We have to try and focus on what we need to do out there. It’s like anything. If you’re out there driving a car, you don’t want to focus on the person driving next to you and what they are doing. You have to focus on what you need to do and you have to drive your own car.

“I think a lot of the guys five, six, seven years ago were caught up in what he was doing and not themselves. That’s how they made poor decisions or mental errors and that’s how Tiger came back a lot, just by guys making a lot of mistakes and him birdieing a lot of the holes coming in.

“It’s Tiger, he’s won 14 majors, he can get that back in a heartbeat, especially around here with the crowds. They are on his side and, if he’s playing good, you’ll definitely hear it – and that’s kind of chilling.”

 

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Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered

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