"He was playing some tremendous golf": 2015 PGA Championship winner looks back on playing alongside Jordan Spieth
The golf world entered the week of the PGA Championship as it does every year, remembering the great moments in the history of this tournament. One of the most memorable was Jason Day's victory in the 2015 edition, defeating the then-world number one, Jordan Spieth.
Jason Day gave an interview to Golfweek from Valhalla Golf Club, the venue of the event, during which he reminisced about his victory nine years ago. Day said that defeating Spieth in 2015 was a very special moment, as the American was the best player in the world at the time.
"I was playing really well leading into that tournament," Day said. "I had just won the Canadian Open and coming off the back of nearly winning the British Open, where I was in the final group with Jordan Spieth, the same year that Jordan won The Masters Tournament and the U.S. Open, so he was playing some tremendous golf.
"He was the best player in the world at the time," Day added. "And trying to beat someone of that calibre at the time was very difficult with how well he was playing. We both won five times in 2015, so he was playing some really good golf and to try and beat him, I needed to be at the top of my game."
Jason Day won the event in 2015 with a score of 20 under, three strokes ahead of Spieth. Day remained in contention throughout the tournament and even took the lead after the first 36 holes.
Jordan Spieth, meanwhile, played his first round for a score of 71 that kept him out of the top 10. But he bounced back with consecutive rounds of 67 and 65 that placed him second after 54 holes, just two strokes behind the Australian.
Nevertheless, Day kept his game at a high level during the fourth round, scoring 67 to Spieth's 68. That year, the American won The Masters and the US Open, finished T4 in The Open Championship and second in the PGA Championship.
Jason Day on 2024 PGA Championship venue: "You have to be precise to do well at Valhalla"
During his interview, Jason Day offered his thoughts on Valhalla Golf Club, a course where he played in the 2014 PGA Championship. According to Day, the Louisville, Kentucky venue is "big" and "wide."
"It will definitely play long. It’s a big, wide golf course. You have to be precise to do well at Valhalla. For the most part, at PGA Championships, they do a great job at making it fair ... They want low scores but not scores that are too low."
The Valhalla Golf Club course was designed by Jack Nicklaus and inaugurated in 1986. Despite being a relatively young facility, the venue has a rich history, having hosted the PGA Championship three times (1996, 2000 and 2014), one edition of the Ryder Cup (2008) and two editions of the Senior PGA Championship (2004, 2011).