- Day was so poor growing up his first golf club was a 3-wood his father pulled out of the town rubbish dump. His father died of stomach cancer when he was 11, leading to day running into a host of troubles as a teenager.
- Day’s caddie and coach, Colin Swatton, had the biggest influence in turning Day’s life around. Swatton forced Day to harness his talents as a golfer as a way of staying out of trouble. “He means the world to me,” Day said. “I love him to death.”
- He met his wife, Ellie, when she was a waitress at an Irish pub in Twinsburg, Ohio, in 2005. They didn’t go on their first date until two years later.
- Day raised a stir in 2007 when he made his clear his ambitions to be the best in the world. “I’m sure I can take [Tiger Woods] down. My goal is to be the No.1 golfer in the world and I want to chase Tiger.” Those who chuckled at him look silly now! He became Australia’s youngest ever world No.1 at 27 following his BMW Championship victory.
- Day’s putter is a tour-only Ghost Itsy Bitsy Spider Mallet that is black in colour (instead of white). The Taylormade Tour Preferred ball he uses is a number 87 (for the year he was born) and features a kangaroo stamped on it representing his Australian roots. He also carries two 47-degree pitching wedges, but one is bent 3 degrees strong to keep the proper yardage gapping.
- The 2015 BMW Championship was his fourth win in his past six starts, making him just the fifth man in history to win four times or more in the span of six events. The others to do it are Tom Weiskopf, Nick Price, Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods.
- His winning score of 20-under at Whistling Straits is the lowest score in relation to par in Major championship history.
- Day and family often stay in a motor home they own when competing on tour.
- His success has come despite a series of injuries and health problems, including an ongoing thumb injury and severe bouts of vertigo.
- With just one win (2010 Byron Nelson) in his first six full seasons on the US PGA Tour, Day was once considered a bit of a disappointment.
- Day also learned the game by studying Australian Golf Digest. “Golf Digest had all the old school swings, and my favourite swing, ever, was Nick Faldo’s swing. And it had all the greats, Ernie Els and Nick Faldo and all that stuff and I had the pictures of their swing sequences on my wall,” he said in 2010.
- Unlike most tour players who live in the sun belt, Day lives in Dublin, Ohio because that’s where Ellie is from, and is a member of Muirfield Village.
- Since moving to Ohio, the Queenslander has become a huge fan of Ohio sports, including the Buckeyes (American football) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA).
- He and his wife run their own charity, the Brighter Days Foundation.
- He’s mates with Tiger Woods and frequently plays Major practice rounds with him.
- He, Ellie, and son Dash go all out for Halloween.
- Not only did he win on the Nationwide Tour at 19, he was (and still is) the youngest ever winner on the tour.
- He excels at holing long-distance putts. Through the US PGA Championship, Day leads the tour this season in percentage of putts made from more than 25 feet (10 per cent), converted them at nearly twice the average rate on tour.
- He lost eight family members, including his grandmother, when Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines in 2014. In the wake of the tragedy, Day’s foundation provided assistance to other survivors.
- He’s a regular contributor to Australian Golf Digest through his instruction contributions. So keep an eye out!
