2011 Masters runner-up Jason Day seemed caught off guard Tuesday when he learned he would be playing the first two days at Augusta National with Tiger Woods.
You should always get an honest response. Day certainly had a comical reaction to that.
“Who am I? I had no idea,” Day said. “That’s fun. That makes me happy. It’s a good combination. I didn’t get it. As long as I can beat that old man, I’m happy.”
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Of course, Woods is not your typical 48-year-old playing in the Masters.
He is a five-time Green Jacket winner and 15-time major champion. Woods has played in the Masters 23 times in a row, and he wants to make history. This is the all-time record, tied with Gary Player and Fred Couples.
Fred Couples played a nine-hole practice with the legend Tuesday and came away impressed.
“I don’t think he ever thought about qualifying,” Couples said Tuesday.
“Can he win here? I just watched him play nine holes, and the nine holes are just Tuesday’s nine holes, but he never misses a shot. But he never misses a shot. The idea of doing that, I think he would laugh at it, because he’s not here to do that. He’s here to win. Because he plays really hard. I’m here to.”
Needless to say, Day will need to bring an A match if he wants to beat Woods this weekend.
The week is off to a good start this year.
He finished 10th at the Sentry, the first signature event of the 2024 PGA Tour season. He then had back-to-back top-10 finishes at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational.
However, he has lost a bit of form in recent weeks, finishing 35th and 36th at the Arnold Palmer, Players, and Houston Opens, respectively.
Meanwhile, Woods, who was forced to miss the Genesis Invitational due to illness, will begin his once-a-month approach at Augusta this week. They will join Max Homa on the first tee at 1:24 p.m. ET Thursday.
Who do you think will perform better in the first two days, Day or Woods? Let us know in the comments below.
Kendall Capps is the senior editor of SB Nation’s Playing Through.For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social media platforms.
