LATINO SPORTS NETWORK
By Mike Rojas
La Jolla CA 1/29/18
World No. 19 Alex Noren Sunday Photo
The sixth hole of the 2018 Farmers Insurance Open playoff – between World No. 14 Jason Day and World No. 19 Alex Noren – will resume on the 18th hole at 8 a.m. Monday at Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course) in La Jolla, Calif. The playoff initially included Ryan Palmer, who was eliminated on the first playoff hole, No. 18, with a par (Noren and Day made birdie). Noren and Day proceeded to play the second through fifth holes of Sunday’s playoff (Nos. 18, 16, 17, 18, respectively) in birdie-par-par-birdie before play was called due to darkness at 5:34 p.m.
FINAL ROUND INTERVIEW –
January 29, 2018
JASON DAY
Q. You just mentioned the fact that you were glad you didn’t hit it in the fairway and
you got to lay it up. That wedge game, pretty impressive right now?
JASON DAY: Yeah. So I was at the Vintage in Palm Springs like the last two weeks and I
was just grinding on my wedge game because I wasn’t quite happy with it. Last season I
wasn’t very happy with my driving, obviously that didn’t help the cause missing the fairway, but you know, I really kind of wanted to get on top of my wedge game, on top of my short game and I felt like I really did that in preparing wise coming into this event. I don’t think I could have done any different. So being able to lay up there after seeing what Alex did, you know, try and take advantage of it and give myself a little kick-in was nice.
Q. How about the shot that Alex hit, that was, what, two yards from perfect?
JASON DAY: Yeah, that’s the same — you know, mine could have done the exact same
thing yesterday with the 5-iron coming in. I landed a yard over the water on the green and that could have pulled up a little bit shorter and done the same thing and we wouldn’t be having this chat today. But when you’re in a position like that, especially for me, I missed the fairway, I have to take the second shot. Going for the green was out of my hands anyway so I’ve just got to lay up. For him, he had the opportunity whether to go for it. To this pin location, I think it’s a lot easier to lay up and wedge on, especially when you’re trying to go for the green and get the win.
Q. Congratulations. Number 11.
JASON DAY: I’m very happy. It’s amongst a lot of great names to be multiple winner here
and hopefully it’s not my last.
Q. Six away from Tiger, good job.
JASON DAY: Thanks.
Q. With the winner here at the Farmers Insurance Open, Jason, six-hole playoff over
two days. How did you get it done on Monday?
JASON DAY: Well, I was up all last night. I thought the way myself and Alex played in that
playoff stretch going shot to shot, I was a little nervous coming out today because I know
how much of a good player he is. He won four times last year, I think he had eight top-10s and he’s one of those guys that he’s been around for a very long time. Although you haven’t heard much of him over here, in Europe you know a lot of him. He’s a very tough competitor, so I just knew coming out I had to be on top of it. So when I was warming up on the range I went to the wedge distance. I moved up from where I was about 25 yards or so and went to that distance because I knew, well, the chances of me hitting the fairway more so than him hitting the fairway, you know, I just knew that I needed to work on that distance and luckily enough it paid off.