With 13 PGA Tour titles under his belt, Jason Day is one of the finest golfers of the last decade. But the story that shaped the golfer he is today isn’t as great as his numbers. He had to endure physical abuse from his own father when he was just eight years old.

In a recent podcast, the former World No. 1 recounted the early days of his golfing journey. “I remember one time we were on the golf course, and it was just me and him. And he would do little things to hurt me around the golf course,” recounted the Australian.

“Finally, after five holes on the golf course, where we’re in the deepest part of the golf course, where no one’s at, I just had enough and I started walking the other way. And he said, ‘Come back.’ And I didn’t listen. And he then, for some reason, [he] talked me into coming back, and for some reason, he goes, ‘I’m going to say sorry blah blah blah.’ So I walk back, and as soon as I walk back, he knocks me out. He closed fist knocks me out,” Jason Day told Ryan McPartlin.

“I mean, it was tough because you go through that, you love something so much. And I had some friends at school, but I just loved golf so much, and I was willing to go through the pain of it all just to play golf because I really thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Day’s father, Alvin, worked at meat processing plants, relocating for jobs. And it all started when they moved from Beaudesert to Rockhampton. The 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson winner said his father’s upbringing and alcohol consumption led to his abusive nature.

But irrespective of the cause, Day has been open about the difficulties he faced growing up with his father’s abuse. But when Day was just 12 years old, Alvin died of stomach cancer.

His father’s death exacerbated his turmoil. Day was involved in school fights and, at 12, developed an alcohol addiction. His mother, Dening, a Filipina immigrant, later sold their home to send him to Kooralbyn boarding school in an attempt to rein in his behavior.

This was the turning point for Day, as coach Colin Swatton became a father figure and long-term caddie. “He’s taken me from a kid that was getting in fights at home and getting drunk at 12 and not heading in the right direction to a major champion,” Day once said.

While his childhood was undoubtedly tough, Jason Day still took something positive from it. “I definitely have memories of him beating me up on the golf course and obviously outside the golf course. But the one positive that I always take away from it, which is like never a positive that a little kid like that should ever go through, it made me and forced me to focus really hard on the golf course because if I didn’t, I knew I was going to get whooped back home,” Jason Day said.

“But because I loved the game of golf so much, I wanted to play the game of golf so much, it didn’t matter. For some reason in my mind, I still remember saying this, I’m like, ‘I don’t care if I get whooped every day. I just love golf so much.'”

He emphasized that this pressure forced focus at a young age, turning a negative into a driver for excellence. Day’s passion for the game outweighed the pain.

Since turning pro, Day has won flagship tournaments like the 2015 BMW Championship, 2016 THE PLAYERS, 2018 Wells Fargo Championship, and, of course, the 2015 PGA Championship. One of the biggest reasons behind this consistency is Jason Day’s chipping. Even Tiger Woods himself turned to the 13-time PGA Tour winner for advice on chipping.

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Jason Day’s chipping secrets

Back in 2015, when Day was one of the best golfers who won five times that season, Tiger Woods asked for his help. The 82-time PGA Tour winner was struggling with his short game. Chris Como, who was coaching Woods at that time, admired Day’s chipping. He, in fact, analyzed Day’s technique with 3D models and decided they both should pick his brain.

So, Day received a message from Woods about a practice session. Needless to say, he said yes. They went over the chipping basics, discussing wrist hinge, arm movement, and more. Interestingly, Day later claimed it helped him more than him helping Woods.

That was the first time he met Como, and Day was impressed. “I’m just like, hey, man, this guy [Como] is pretty smart. Then fast forward a few years later, I gave him a call. He was the only guy I wanted to call to see if he could coach me.” The veteran coach ended up working with Jason Day after 2020 and helped him get his game back in shape. He also got massive help from Woods himself.

Day’s journey shows how resilience can push an athlete beyond circumstances that would break most people, shaping both his character and his game. His openness about the past, paired with the expertise he now shares, reflects a player who turned hardship into lasting influence on and off the course.