Australian world No.7 Jason Day will miss the British Open if the impending birth of his child conflicts with the tournament.
Day and wife Ellie are expecting their first child on July 11, just a week before the world’s best converge on Royal Lytham St. Anne at Lancashire in England for the third of four majors.
The 24-year-old broke the news to AAP as he prepared for his 2012 US PGA Tour debut at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
“If the baby is coming that week, I will definitely be missing the British Open,” Day said.
“There is no way I will miss the birth of my first child. Golf is one thing but family is everything to me.
“Golf isn’t going to be there if I break my leg or if I lose the plot and forget how to swing a club – my family will be there. It’s family first every time.”
Day had a breakout year in 2011, finishing runner up at the Masters and US Open while also adding a further eight top 10s on the US Tour.
He also finished inside the top 10 in the Australian Open and PGA Championship at the back end of the year to move his world ranking up from 38th to eighth. With a runner up finish in Qatar a few weeks ago, he jumped back to seventh in the world – a career high.
But Day insists the biggest high he is likely to get will come from the birth.
“I am a little nervous and a little scared but, obviously, also thrilled,” he said.
“It’s our first baby so I don’t know what to expect but it’s very very exciting.
“I have talked to a lot of people and they say it changes you for the good but I don’t know how it will change me yet.
“I get bursts of excitement just thinking about the baby coming.”
Day said he wouldn’t commit to flying out to England even if the baby came on its due date, or perhaps a little early.
“I am very big on preparation. If I have the baby on Monday or Tuesday, I won’t be flying over there because there is no preparation – plus of course I’ll have a new baby,” he said.
“I never like coming into a tournament without preparing well and if I went over and wasn’t competitive – plus missed those early days with my child – it would be a complete waste.”
