Jason Day Explains Why He's Ready To Miss Birth Of Fifth Child

Jason Day says his pregnant wife has told him to carry on playing in the Tour Championship even if his fifth child arrives during the tournament

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Paul Higham
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Jason Day has explained why he'll miss the birth of his fifth child if they arrive during the Tour Championship - because he's been told to by his pregnant wife Ellie.

Ellie Day is due to give birth to the couple's fifth child in just under two weeks, which would usually mean a golfer is on high alert to drop his clubs and head home if word comes of an early arrival.

The former World No.1 missed the 2012 Open Championship to attend the birth of his first child Dash, but has been given orders this time around to concentrate on winning the Tour Championship.

Days says he's hoping his wife will not give birth until after the PGA Tour finale at East Lake, but even if she does she has told him to stay in Atlanta and finish the tournament.

“I'm just hoping that Ellie holds out another week or two weeks and I can be there and spend some time with my family,” Day told Golf Digest. “I think if this was my first, I’d be a little bit more nervous about it.

“She (Ellie) said, ‘You're not likely to make it back in time if I do go into labour. We're having a home birth. She said I may as well just play the tournament and try to win.”

It's a tough task for Day to come out on top in the Tour Championship though, as he starts the even nine shots behind Scottie Scheffler in the adjusted leaderboard.

“I've got to play some of the best golf have ever played and I need a little bit of help, too,” said Day.

“It's nice in a sense that at nine shots back, you can just go out and play and not have to worry about being around the lead. I'm hoping to rekindle some of that form and iron play from earlier this year and continue to drive it well.”

Day has had something of a renaissance this season, winning his 13th PGA Tour title with victory at the Byron Nelson and finishing tied second at the Open Championship last month.

And big leads can be overcome at the Tour Championship, as Rory McIlroy showed last year.

"I fell 11 shots behind Scottie after two holes of the tournament," McIlroy recalled of last year. "So if I can come back from 11 shots, I feel like everyone in this field should feel like they have a chance to win."

Paul Higham
Paul Higham
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Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website.  Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush. 

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