Imagine, for a second, being a member at a club like Muirfield Village Golf Club. Would you ever leave the Ohio property? The milkshakes alone would keep you coming back day after day, to the point where you’d eventually have to be asked if you have a home, Judge Smails-style.
Of course, in that scenario, you aren’t a tour professional like Jason Day, who has access to just about any top golf course in the world if and when he wants it. But still, as a member at Jack Nicklaus’ place, which is less than a 30-minute drive from his home in Columbus, you’d think Day would get over there every once in a while. You’d be wrong.
While it still technically is a “home game” for the Ohio-based Queenslander since he lives nearby, it’s hardly that when Day actually puts the tee in the ground.
“I play four-and-a-half rounds a year [at Muirfield Village],” Day said today. “Nine holes with a pro-am and then typically, or, depends, could be three-and-a-half or two-and-a-half or four-and-a-half, depending. But, yeah, so just usually the week of.”
If we’re reading that correctly, Day is claiming he plays Muirfield Village, where he is a member, literally only on the week of the Memorial Tournament. Wait, what?
It’s true, and it’s something Day has conceded before. Last year, after a third-round 68, Day said “Everyone says it’s my home club and it is to a certain degree. But before this week I only played nine holes in the past two years here. Even though I live, like, 30 minutes away. I’m too lazy to get in my car and drive 30 minutes to a championship golf course. I’d rather go to [Double Eagle], another championship golf course 10 minutes away.”
Understandable. Well, somewhat. Sure, convenience is always key, but Muirfield Village seems like one of the handful of places in golf that’s not only worth a 30-minute drive, but maybe even a multiple-hour trek.
In 13 PGA Tour official trips to Muirfield Village, Day has managed just one top-10 finish. A second seems unlikely this week after Day’s first-round 76, which caused him to admit that he should probably play his “home club” more.
“I just don’t get over here enough. I should. I probably should, with the way that I played.”
