Jason Day, of Australia, poses with the Wanamaker Trophy after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament Sunday, Aug. 16, 2015, at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wis. AP PHOTO
On the heels of Jason Day’s PGA Championship on Monday, the Fil-Aussie’s mom bared that the sport of golf saved her son’s life.
READ: Fil-Aussie Jason Day wins PGA Championship | Jason Day win also hailed in Manila
In a report on The Courier Mail in Australia, Dening Day said that her son’s fascination with golf helped him go to the right direction when teenage troubles loomed over his life.
His work ethic and dedication for the sport changed Day’s life path, opening up the floodgates for the success he is currently garnering now.
“We knew he had the potential and the commitment but the waiting was making us anxious,” said Dening Day.
It was really a courageous stand for Jason, who lost his father Alvyn when he was 12.
Alvyn was the one who introduced Jason to the sport and gave him his first club, an old three wood from a local tip at Beaudesert, and it was tough on the young son to recover from depression after his dad’s death.
“It was when Alvyn passed on that Jason lost his footing. He had no one and I was a little bit soft for him,” said Dening. “He was drinking and listening to his peers instead of his parent. But he was committed to his sport. Golf saved him.”
After the unfortunate incident, the Day family sold their house in Beaudesert and moved to Rockhampton, where Jason attended boarding school at Kooralbyn International School.
“It was the last resort to sell the house but it was not a choice because, for me, I had to give him that chance to be the very good golfer he had the potential to be,” she said.
Jason also hooked up with coach Col Swatton, who helped him not just in golf but in his life.
“I’m glad Col was there when Jason was starting out at Kooralbyn,” Dening said. “Col understood there were some underlying problems with character, he was able to accept the situation and work really well with Jason. Put together, he was mentor and a father figure.”
Looking back, it’s what makes Day’s journey to the top of the mountain more special, after all the hardships the Days had to endure.
“When you are poor, you become more hungry. It gives you more reason to reach your goals,” Dening said.
As for her husband, Dening feels that Alvyn is brimming with joy with what their son has accomplished.
“He’d be doing cartwheels in heaven. He’d be very, very proud too,” she said. IDL