ORLANDO, Fla. – Jason Day withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the third time in four years on Wednesday, though this time it wasn’t because of injury.
Day announced Thursday that his mother, Dening, died on Wednesday night after a five-year battle with lung cancer.
“Last night, my mum peacefully left us,” Day said. “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.”
Dening Day took on the role of primary parent after Jason’s father, Alvin, died of stomach cancer when Jason was just 12 years old. When she was diagnosed with Stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer in late 2016, Dening was given a year to live by doctors in Australia. Jason, one of Dening’s three kids, soon flew his mother to the U.S., where she underwent surgery in March 2017 and received a much better prognosis.
Around that time, Day withdrew from the WGC Match Play, saying that it was hard to focus on golf when his mom’s health was in jeopardy.
“It affected me a lot,” Day said then. “I know mom was sitting there going, no you go ahead and play. Don’t worry about me, but I can’t do that.”
The latest WD comes at a difficult time for Day, who at No. 92 is trying to make a late push into the Masters, which he hasn’t missed since his debut T-2 in 2011. But as Day has stated before, family comes first.
It’s unclear if Day will return for next week’s Players Championship.
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