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Home Field Advantage

Sent on Saturday, September 28, 2013

Jason Day has a home game next week when the 10th playing of The Presidents Cup comes to Muirfield Village Golf Club. Ironically, he'll be playing as a member of the “away” team as one of the 12 players on the International Team that takes on the host Americans.

Day, 25, a native of Queensland, Australia, moved to the Columbus area two years ago, and he is a frequent visitor to Muirfield Village as an honorary member. Day's wife, Ellie, is an Ohio native – they met in Twinsburg, Ohio, near Cleveland, when Day was playing on the Web.com Tour - and the couple decided to make Columbus their home base.

Perhaps being at “home” could be an advantage, regardless how he will be received by patriotic fans who want to see the U.S. extend their lead in the series. The American team leads 7-1-1. Two of those wins, and an historic tie in 2003 in South Africa, were achieved with Jack Nicklaus as captain.

“Yeah, it's going to feel good, because any kind of help I can put towards the team to help us win at the end of the week will be a blessing,” Day told Australian journalist Ben Everill last week at the TOUR Championship presented by Coca Cola. “I've played there a lot of times now. With it being fall, it's going to be a different wind, a cooler wind coming from the north, so that means the course will probably play a lot harder.”

Day doesn't figure to be totally void of local support during the four days of competition at Muirfield Village, which previously hosted a Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup – the only course in the world to host all three major professional match play events.

“I just want them to be there and supporting me,” said Day, who is the second-highest ranked International player in the Presidents Cup behind countryman Adam Scott, coming in at 16th in the Official World Golf Ranking. “Even if they are American and also supporting the American team, I know they will be rooting for me, too, which is nice.

“I think they [friends and family] will be rooting for the International Team. Their support for me is very strong. It's going to be tough, but it should be fun. A lot of the members there have told me that they want me to play well, but they want the Americans to win.  That's what I've been getting around the club.

“It's certainly going to be an interesting week.”