Jason Day battles 'relaxed week' at 2024 Memorial Tournament by sleeping in an RV - "My wife suggested it"
Jason Day is at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, to play in the Memorial Tournament. As part of his preparation for the event, the Australian has adopted an unusual accommodation strategy.
Day resides in Columbus, less than a 30-minute drive from Muirfield. For that reason, in his previous appearances at the event he stayed at his own home, something that changed for the 2024 edition.
Given Jason Day's poor results in past editions of the Memorial Tournament, his wife suggested that he sleep in a recreational vehicle (RV), in which he also attends other tournaments.
"So my wife suggested it. In the past, I've had some poor results here and she's said, 'I think you're too relaxed and you're out of structure. And you need to treat it as a tournament week,'" Day said in an interview for SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio. "So we have a spot where we park our bus in the driveway and, yeah, I'm staying there."
He added:
"In team sports you typically play better at your home stadium or if it’s a home game you typically play better because you’ve got the fans. For me I think it’s just a busy week, you’ve got family and friends coming in and out. It is a little bit more of a relaxed week, even though it is a tough golf course."
Jason Day has played 14 editions of the Memorial Tournament, with nine cuts made and only one Top 10 (T4, 2020). His most recent participation was in 2023 when he missed the cut.
A look at Jason Day's performance at the 2024 Memorial Tournament
Jason Day started the first round of the Memorial Tournament 2024 with a birdie on the 1st hole. He then parred the 2nd and 3rd and made a bogey on the 4th. After making par on the 5th, he birdied the 6th and 7th and seemed to have his round on track.
But that's when his problems began. Day bogeyed the 8th, double-bogeyed the 9th and bogeyed the 10th. He birdied the 11th and his score is 1 over through 12th.
The Muirfield course has always been challenging for Day. Of the 46 rounds he has played there, he has only managed 10 in the 60s, with a personal best of 66. His best score for 72 holes has been 9 under.
With the first round remaining, Adam Hadwin leads the leaderboard with a score of 6 under, with eight birdies and two bogeys. Scottie Scheffler is in second place, one stroke behind.
Xander Schauffele and Ludvig Aberg are temporarily tied for third place, with a score of 4 under. Collin Morikawa has the same score playing the 10th hole.
Defending champion Viktor Hovland is tied for sixth place (3 under) with Billy Horschell, Akshay Bhatia and Corey Conners, the latter playing the 13th hole.