Do we like them?

Do we like Jason Day?

Our score: 7 out of 10. A decent bloke with no harmful words or acts found and a bit of real charity, but little on record about wider causes.

Day was born in Beaudesert, Queensland, and his story is a hard-luck one. His Filipino heritage is a big part of him, and in 2013 eight of his relatives died in the Philippines in Typhoon Haiyan, just before he went on to play. He went on to become world number one and win the 2015 PGA Championship, and he's now one of the better-known Aussies on the American tour.

As for scandals, the closest he gets is a run of public tiffs that are more eye-roll than outrage. He pulled out of the 2016 Rio Olympics, citing Zika, and when critics said golfers were dodging because of the money, he said “we’ve got enough money, you know what I mean.” In 2019 he copped a pile-on after being photographed at Disney World the day after withdrawing from Bay Hill, and fans called for him to “man up”.

On the harm test, honestly, there's very little to go on. Searches on LGBTQ+ and trans issues, women, migrants, vaccines and climate turned up nothing he's said or done that's harmful, and nothing on the other side either. There's no sign of him platforming grievance merchants or conspiracy theories, so it's a clean pass, with the caveat that he mostly keeps his politics to himself.

The most recent flap was in April 2026, when he spoke to the AP ahead of the Masters about Tiger Woods, who had crashed his car in March and faces two misdemeanour charges. Day said Woods is “just a human being like everyone else”, but also that it was “a little bit selfish of him to drive”. He was reportedly the only player to put it that bluntly. It's an opinion some will think harsh, but it's his own call and he wasn't cruel about it.

The rest of 2026 has been rough on the course. Day withdrew from the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills on the first day, after a poor start and telling reporters “It's been a tough year.” Then came the Presidents Cup call, with Ogilvy picking Bezuidenhout instead. His wild Malbon outfits have also drawn plenty of ribbing from fans, which is more fashion crime than real crime.

The good stuff is quiet but real. After Augusta National officials asked him to take off his busy Malbon sweater vest at the 2024 Masters, he did so with “Respectfully, you do that because it's all about the tournament here.” The vest was then auctioned at his Brighter Days Invitational, a charity event that supports Central Ohio nonprofits. He agreed to match whatever it raised, which was reported as about $17,300.