The 2017 Masters already could be missing Tiger Woods and its signature azaleas, and now it could be without Jason Day.
Day, who currently is the No. 3 ranked golfer in the world, withdrew from the Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin, Texas last Wednesday due to his mother’s ongoing battle with cancer.
Day’s mother, Dening, had surgery for lung cancer in Columbus, Ohio., on Friday and while Day will travel to Augusta, Ga., to practice at Augusta National, his status for the prestigious tournament will be dictated by his mother’s prognosis, according to The Associated Press.
“Obviously, I’m still nervous because we’re still waiting to see … if it has spread or not,” Day said, per The Associated Press. “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. Obviously, I’ve been hanging out with my mom a bit 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 painkillers and all that stuff, what she needs to do to recover.”
Day lost his father to cancer when he was 12, but said that the doctors deemed his mother’s surgery successful.
The 29-year-old major champion has fared well at Augusta National in the past, tallying four top 20 finishes in his past six starts. But, his quest for his second major championship might be put on hold despite his mother’s wishes.
“My mom told me not to worry about it,” Day said. “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.”
The former world No.1 hasn’t picked up a club since he returned from Austin last week.
“It’s very, very difficult to even think about playing golf when a loved one is going through such a traumatic experience,” Day 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.”
The 2017 Masters begins April 6.
Thumbnail photo via Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports Images
