Young Jason Day had no love for Riviera Country Club, one of the most iconic courses in the United States and home of the Genesis Invitational.
Australians were therefore faced with the dilemma of whether to skip the Riviera or change their attitude towards this place.
He chose the latter, and it certainly paid off.
Day closed with a 6-under 65 at Riviera on Thursday and is now one stroke behind leader Patrick Cantlay.
“I felt like I wasn’t too out of position,” Day said of the opener.
“Even when I was in the rough, I was able to get back to the green, get a par and move on.”
While the younger Day would have been frustrated by those errant tee shots, the 2015 PGA Championship winner has learned to embrace this historic venue.
“When I first started, I hated this golf course,” Day said.
“It’s so easy to hate [Riviera] If you’re out of position, you can’t run anything to the green. “Because the green is stuck in front of him,” he explained.
“When I get out of the rough and onto the green, I go over the back. Otherwise I get frustrated and think, ‘I don’t like this golf course.'”
Until last year, Day had competed in the event five times. His best finish was a tie for 64th in 2017. He missed qualifying three times at Riviera, finishing tied for 67th in the other.
So Day decided to correct his attitude, which resulted in a top-10 finish at Riviera a year ago.
“It’s changed my mindset and my attitude. This is one of my favorite places this year because it’s a great golf course,” Day said. “Rich history. Some of the greats who played on tour played here and won here.”
Known as “Hogan’s Alley” thanks to Ben Hogan’s 1948 U.S. Open victory, the Riviera has tested the world’s best players over the years. But Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus never won there.
“That attitude was huge for me in trying to change that mindset,” Day added.
“Obviously, we’ve found some success, and that’s a good thing.”
The day is over 4 birdies on the back nine To climb the leaderboard and join the fray. And maybe he can continue to win this week and cement his place among the greats.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
