Adenil ‘Dening’ Day, mother of former World No. 1 golfer Jason Day, has sadly died at the age of 65 after a five-year battle with cancer.
Day was due to compete at this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational but withdrew on the eve of Thursday’s opening round, citing “personal reasons.” In an emotional Instagram post, the 34-year-old Australian then confirmed on Thursday that his mother had passed away.
He wrote: “Last night, my mum peacefully left us after battling cancer for five years. We are heartbroken but incredibly grateful for the gift we had in her living with us for the last almost two years full time.
“She fought so hard until the very last breath. I am forever indebted to her for the sacrifices she made for me to be successful, and for the person she helped me to become. We will miss her so much.”
In an emotional press conference at the 2017 Dell Technologies Match Play, Jason revealed his mum’s first lung cancer diagnosis. At the time, doctors gave Dening a year to live, but thanks to specialist treatment her prognosis improved significantly.
However, the cancer returned and forced Dening to leave Australia to be with Jason, his wife Ellie, and their four children.
“My mum having cancer, I definitely need to keep improving myself as a person and trying to get better,” Day said in 2019. “The distractions that have happened with my mother the last couple of times, that’s something that I’m going to prioritise as No. 1 - more than golf - to make sure things are taken care of.”
After a five-year battle, Dening passed away at the age of 65, leaving behind Jason and daughters Kim and Yanna. Jason’s dad Alvyn also died from cancer when he was just 12.
