DUBLIN, Ohio — There’s no place like home for Jason Day, even when his home is on wheels just a hop, skip and jump from his house in Westerville.
Day is staying in his RV parked in his driveway again this week to simulate a typical tournament week on the road. He and his family travel to events in highway luxury.
“I just get a little better structure in my routine and my preparation,” Day said after shooting a 75 that made the cut (+4) on the nose. “When I’m staying (in my) home, I’m just a little bit too relaxed.”
The driveway to fairway system began in 2020, when Day tied for fourth at the Memorial Tournament, his best finish in 14 starts at Muirfield Village Golf Club, where he is a member.
“My wife (Ellie) suggested that a few years ago. I played great the year we had COVID, the two tournaments here,” he said, referencing the Memorial and Workday Charity Open, which were played in back-to-back weeks. “So that has carried on since then.”
Some nights, Day will stay in a home near the golf course, but “I stay on the bus at home. It’s kind of funny. My bed is only 50 yards away.”
What about meals?
“Make my own breakfast,” he said. “Well, Ellie made me breakfast (Thursday) and brought it to me, so I’m very, very blessed to have a wife like that. But I make all my meals there. The idea is to keep everything as simple as possible.”
Even then, Day has found competing in the Memorial to be challenging.
“It’s kind of strange. Typically, if you have team events or you’re in a team sport, your home court advantage is a big thing,” he said. “You play well at home. You have the fans and everything. For me, I feel like it’s a bit of a distraction.”
For whatever reason, Muirfield Village does not fit Day’s eye.
“It doesn’t really set up for me,” he said. “I’ve always felt uncomfortable around the golf course even though I played here a ton.”
It wasn’t so much the course as the wind that caused Day trouble Friday.
“I feel like here and Augusta, when it’s windy there’s no bailout anywhere,” he said. “It’s difficult to find an easy up-and-down.”
It doesn’t help that Day has been struggling with his iron play.
“It’s frustrating, because I feel like I’m giving myself opportunities on the fairways, and then I just hit some poor irons,” he said.
