The Masters: Jason Day feels 'blessed' as he defies the pain
Friday 12 April 2019 23:15, UK
Jason Day admitted "the thrill" of playing in the Masters helped him defy a back problem as he carded a five-under 67 to move to seven under at the halfway stage.
The 31-year-old Australian, who has been battling back issues in recent months, suffered his latest injury ahead of the first round on Thursday.
"I was on the putting green yesterday and I went down to kiss my little girl about two minutes before I had to walk on to the tee, and my back went out," said Day.
"It's obviously not the way you wanted to start this year's Masters, but you know, overall, it happened in a different spot. It was more on the left‑hand side than previous spots and typically happens on the right‑hand side.
"Everyone's playing through a little bit of pain. Sometimes it's worse than others.
"But I just enjoy this tournament so much. I get a thrill out of coming here and it's my favourite tournament to play just because they do such a fantastic job with regards to how they treat everyone, not just the players, but everyone that walks through the gates and is walking around the grounds.
"It would be more of a disappointing feeling for me to be able to go home yesterday, knowing that I had to pull out because of my back, and I feel very blessed to be able to play, especially over the last two days, and being able to go out there today and shoot 67, was a very, very good score.
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"So I can't get ahead of myself. There's still 36 holes left, so the main goal is to get myself into contention and hopefully I can do that by Sunday, and if I can do that, then maybe capitalise on the opportunities and hopefully grab a green jacket. That would be nice."
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