Jason Day facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Jason Day
Day at the 2025 Travelers Championship
Personal information
Full name	Jason Anthony Day
Nickname	J.D., Jaydee, Jay Day
Born	(1987-11-12) 12 November 1987 (age 37) Beaudesert, Queensland, Australia
Height	6 ft 0 in
Weight	88.5 kg (195 lb; 13.94 st)
Nationality	Australia
Residence	Forest Lake, Queensland, Australia Westerville, Ohio, U.S.
Spouse	Ellie Harvey (m. 2009)
Children	5
Career
Turned professional	2006
Current tour(s)	PGA Tour
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour of Australasia
Professional wins	19
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	13
European Tour	3
Web.com Tour	1
Other	5
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 1)
The Masters Tournament	T2: 2011
U.S. Open	2nd/T2: 2011, 2013
The Open Championship	T2: 2023
PGA Championship	Won: 2015
Achievements and awards
Greg Norman Medal	2015, 2016
Mark H. McCormack Award	2016

Jason Anthony Day (born 12 November 1987) is a famous Australian professional golfer. He became a professional golfer at a young age and quickly joined the PGA Tour. In 2015, Jason had an amazing year, winning five big events, including the PGA Championship. This is a very important golf tournament, and winning it helped him become the number one golfer in the world!

He continued to play very well in 2016, winning three more tournaments, including The Players Championship. He kept his top ranking for a while. After that, his game became a bit up and down, and his ranking dropped. But in 2023, he made a great comeback! He won the AT&T Byron Nelson tournament again, which was the same event he won for his very first PGA Tour victory. This helped him get back into the top 20 golfers in the world.

Early Life and Golf Journey

Jason Day was born in Beaudesert, Queensland, Australia. His father, Alvin, was Australian with Irish roots, and his mother, Dening, moved to Australia from the Philippines. He has two sisters, Yanna and Kim.

Jason started playing golf at the Beaudesert Golf Club when he was just six years old. He was allowed to play six holes each day. When he was eight, his family moved to Rockhampton, and he started winning local golf events. Sadly, Jason's father, Alvin, passed away when Jason was 12 years old.

After his father's passing, Jason's mother sent him to the Kooralbyn International School, which had its own golf course. Later, he went to Hills International College, which has a special golf academy. His coach, Col Swatton, moved there too. Jason was inspired by a book about the famous golfer Tiger Woods. He started practicing golf early in the morning, during lunch, and in the evening, using Woods' scores as a goal to improve his own game. His first big win was at age 13 in a junior event on the Gold Coast in 2000.

Amateur Golf Success

Before turning professional, Jason Day was a very successful amateur golfer. He won the Australian Junior Order of Merit twice, which is a big award for young golfers. He also finished seventh in the Queensland Open, being the best amateur player there.

In 2004, he won the Australian Boys' Amateur championship. He also won the Boys 15–17 division at the 2004 Callaway World Junior Championship in the United States. He was even a runner-up in the 2005 Porter Cup. Jason was part of the Golf Australia National Squad, which helps train top young golfers.

In 2005, he almost won a professional event called the Greater Building Society QLD PGA Championship. He lost in a playoff to another golfer named Scott Gardiner.

Becoming a Professional Golfer

Jason Day at the 2025 Travelers Championship

Starting His Professional Career (2006–2010)

Jason Day became a professional golfer in July 2006. He immediately started playing in PGA Tour events. He did well, making the cut in five of his first six tournaments. He tried to earn his PGA Tour card for 2007 but didn't quite make it. Instead, he earned a spot on the Nationwide Tour.

In July 2007, Jason won his first Nationwide Tour event, the Legend Financial Group Classic. This made him the youngest player ever to win on any of the PGA Tour's three main tours! This win helped him earn his PGA Tour card for 2008. He kept his card for 2010 after finishing second at the Puerto Rico Open.

In May 2010, Jason made history again by becoming the youngest Australian to win a PGA Tour event, the HP Byron Nelson Championship. He also played in his first major championship, The Open Championship, and finished in the top 60. Later that year, he had a top-10 finish at the PGA Championship. He ended the 2010 season ranked 21st on the PGA Tour money list.

Challenging for Major Titles (2011–2014)

Jason Day came very close to winning his first major championship at the 2011 Masters Tournament. He birdied the last two holes but finished just two strokes behind the winner, Charl Schwartzel. He tied for second place and set a record for the lowest score by a first-time participant at the Masters.

A few months later, at the 2011 U.S. Open, he finished second again, this time behind Rory McIlroy. These great performances in major tournaments helped him enter the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time.

He continued to play well in majors. At the 2013 Masters Tournament, he was in the lead during the final round but ended up finishing third. Later that year, he was a runner-up for the third time in a major at the 2013 U.S. Open. He tied for second place, just two strokes behind the winner, Justin Rose.

In February 2014, Jason won his first World Golf Championship event, the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. This big win moved him up to fourth in the world rankings.

Becoming a Major Champion and World Number 1 (2015)

The year 2015 was a huge one for Jason Day. In February, he won the Farmers Insurance Open after a four-way playoff. This was his third PGA Tour win.

At the 2015 U.S. Open, Jason felt dizzy and collapsed on the course due to vertigo. Even though he wasn't sure if he could play, he bravely finished the tournament tied for ninth place. The next week, at The Open Championship, he came very close to joining a playoff but missed a birdie putt by inches, finishing tied for fourth.

Just a week later, he won the RBC Canadian Open by making birdies on the last three holes! Then came the 2015 PGA Championship, where Jason played incredibly well. He shot a score of 20-under-par, which was a new record for a major championship! He won by three strokes, earning his first major championship title.

Jason's amazing streak continued with wins at The Barclays and the BMW Championship, which are part of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Because of these wins, on September 20, 2015, Jason Day became the world number one golfer for the very first time!

Continued Success (2016)

In 2016, Jason Day continued his winning ways. He won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and then the WGC-Dell Match Play. This second win helped him take back the world number one ranking from Jordan Spieth.

He then won the 2016 Players Championship by four strokes, which was his tenth PGA Tour victory. Many people, including other golfers, compared his amazing play to that of Tiger Woods.

Jason decided not to play in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro because of concerns about the Zika virus. By July 2016, he had earned over $33 million in prize money on the PGA Tour!

Changes and Comeback (2017–2023)

In 2017, Jason Day joined Nike Golf, wearing their clothes, shoes, and gloves. He also made a big change by parting ways with his caddie, Colin Swatton, who had been with him for 11 years. Swatton remained his swing coach.

In 2018, Jason won the Farmers Insurance Open for a second time after a long six-hole playoff. This win brought him back into the world's top 10. He also won the Wells Fargo Championship that year.

In 2019, Jason continued to deal with ongoing back pain. He even tried unusual treatments like "blowing into balloons" to help align his body and ease the pressure on his back. He also worked with Tiger Woods' former caddie, Steve Williams, for a short time.

In October 2019, Jason won The Challenge: Japan Skins, a special event against other top golfers like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

After a few years of challenges, Jason Day made a fantastic comeback in May 2023 by winning the AT&T Byron Nelson. This was his first victory in five years! He also finished as a runner-up at the 2023 Open Championship, meaning he has now finished second at every major championship. In December 2023, he won the first-ever Grant Thornton Invitational mixed team tournament with his playing partner, Lydia Ko.

Personal Life

Jason Day married Ellie Harvey in 2009. They live in Westerville, Ohio, with their five children. In 2015, while watching a basketball game, Ellie was accidentally bumped by basketball player LeBron James and needed medical attention. She was okay after being checked at a hospital.

Jason had previously lived in Orlando, Florida, and Fort Worth, Texas.

In November 2013, a powerful storm called Typhoon Haiyan affected the Philippines, and sadly, some of Jason's relatives were impacted.

Awards and Honors

In 2015, Jason Day received The Don Award from the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
In 2015, he won the first-ever Greg Norman Medal.
In 2015, he was named the Queensland Sports Star of the Year.
In 2016, he won the Greg Norman Medal again.

Amateur Wins

Jason Day had many wins as an amateur golfer:

2003 Adina Watches Junior Tournament
2004 Queensland Amateur, Australian Boys' Amateur, New Zealand Under 19 Championship, Callaway World Junior Championship (Boys 15–17), ADINA Watches Junior Tournament
2005 Victorian Junior Masters, South Australian Junior, Queensland Junior
2006 Australian Amateur Stroke Play, Master of the Amateurs, Queensland Amateur

Professional Wins

Jason Day has won 19 professional tournaments, including 13 on the PGA Tour.

PGA Tour Wins (13)

Jason Day has won many important tournaments on the PGA Tour, including one major championship and two World Golf Championships.

HP Byron Nelson Championship (2010, 2023)
WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship (2014)
Farmers Insurance Open (2015, 2018)
RBC Canadian Open (2015)
PGA Championship (2015) - This is a major championship!
The Barclays (2015)
BMW Championship (2015)
Arnold Palmer Invitational (2016)
WGC-Dell Match Play (2016)
The Players Championship (2016)
Wells Fargo Championship (2018)

Nationwide Tour Wins (1)

Legend Financial Group Classic (2007)

Other Wins (5)

Jason has also won other special events:

ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf (2013) - with Adam Scott
World Cup of Golf Individual Trophy (2013)
Franklin Templeton Shootout (2014) - with Cameron Tringale
MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins (2019)
Grant Thornton Invitational (2023) - with Lydia Ko

Major Championships

Jason Day has won one major championship:

2015 PGA Championship

He has also had many top finishes in major championships:

Masters Tournament: T2 (2011), 3rd (2013), T10 (2016), T5 (2019), T8 (2025)
U.S. Open: 2nd (2011), T2 (2013), T4 (2014), T9 (2015), T8 (2016)
The Open Championship: T4 (2015), T2 (2023)
PGA Championship: T10 (2010), 2nd (2016), T9 (2017)

In total, Jason has played in 56 major championship events, making the cut in 42 of them. He has 1 win, 5 second-place finishes, and 1 third-place finish. He has finished in the top 10 eighteen times!

The Players Championship

Jason Day won The Players Championship in 2016. This is a very important tournament, often called the "fifth major."

2016: Won by 4 strokes.

He has also had other good finishes at The Players Championship, including T6 (2011), T5 (2018), and T8 (2019).

World Golf Championships

Jason Day has won two World Golf Championships:

2014 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship
2016 WGC-Dell Match Play

He has also had several top-10 finishes in these big events.

PGA Tour Career Highlights

Jason Day has had a very successful career on the PGA Tour. He has earned over $57 million in prize money. Some of his best years for earnings and ranking were:

2011: Ranked 9th in money list.
2015: Ranked 2nd in money list, winning 5 tournaments including a major.
2016: Ranked 2nd in money list, winning 3 tournaments.
2018: Ranked 10th in money list.
2023: Ranked 18th in money list, with a comeback win.

Team Appearances

Jason Day has represented Australia and the PGA Tour in several team events:

Amateur

Australian Men's Interstate Teams Matches (representing Queensland): 2004 (winners), 2005

Professional

Presidents Cup (representing the International team): 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2024
World Cup (representing Australia): 2013 (winners)
Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing PGA Tour): 2012 (winners), 2013