Jason Day delays Masters decision

by Mark Hayes

Jason Day wells up with emotion while telling of his mum's cancer battle. Picture: GETTY IMAGES

AUSTRALIAN GOLF NEWS
Jason Day remains unsure of playing the Masters as his mother recuperates from surgery for life-threatening lung cancer.
The world No.3 told the Press Association that he expected to travel to Augusta on Friday to begin his preparations for the year’s first major, but said his final decision to play was dependent on his mother’s prognosis.
Dening Day had surgery on Friday, American time, to remove a lump in her chest. While doctors deemed the surgery successful, the family is awaiting information on whether or not the cancer has spread to lymph nodes.
“Obviously, I'm still nervous because we're still waiting to see ... if it has spread or not," Day said.
"From there, we have to kind of come up with a game plan whether to go chemo — a form of chemo radiation — or something else.
"It's still kind of a bit of an emotional time for me," said Day, whose father died of cancer when he was 12.
“I've been hanging out with my mum and seeing her and she's recovering well. She's a tough lady, but it's hard because I look at her and she's on the pain-killers and all that stuff, what she needs to do to recover.
"But I can't help but think of my dad when I see her in that situation because when they go through such a traumatic surgery like that it just can be tough."
Day revealed that his mother had cancer after withdrawing from the WGC Match Play last week and that an initial terminal diagnosis came in Australia at the start of 2017.
"My mum told me not to worry about it," Day said today.
"It's hard to do that. It's easy to say ... but it's really, really difficult. So currently I'm scheduled to play Augusta ... but if things don't come back the way we want them, I don't know what's going to happen."
Day said he "hasn't touched a golf club at all" since rejoining his joining his mother in Ohio last week.
"It's very, very difficult to even think about playing golf when a loved one is going through such a traumatic experience," he said.
"Once I get past this initial stage, hopefully I'll find some balance and I'll be able to kind of move on and really focus on getting my game back.
"Unfortunately, I'm human. I like to feel like I'm always on it, I'm always ... ready to go and trying to compete and I want to get back to that stage, but sometimes it's very, very difficult.”
Day loves the Masters and has enjoyed success in Georgia without taking home the green jacket. He finished T2 in 2011, third in 2013 and T10 last year