Joy Chakravarty: Jason Day is the complete package

March 30, 2016: With the Masters round the corner, Golfing Indian caught up with Joy Chakravarty one of India’s finest journalists with extensive experience of covering golf across the globe. Joy works for Sport360 and travels the world writing on major golfing events.

What does it look like this Masters…
This really is proving to be a fantastic build-up to the Masters, with so many past champions and top stars in the game in dazzling form.

With his exploits over the past two weeks in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and WGC-Dell Match Play, and fact that he always seems to do well at Augusta National, Jason Day will be the overwhelming pre-tournament favourite.

But then, there was the 2013 champion Adam Scott who also won back-to-back tournaments before Day got into the act. So, he too is in good form.

Defending champion Jordan Spieth may not have had the best of times on the golf course in the last couple of months, but given how strong his putting is, he can never be ruled out of any tournament, least on a course like Augusta National where the greens could baffle some of the best players.

The two lefties – Bubba Watson and Phil Mickelson – have outstanding record at the Masters (five wins in between them) and both are playing well. The there is the South African duo of Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 champion, and Louis Oosthuizen.
Of course, we can’t count Rory McIlroy out of it. He is always going to be a big story at the Masters because if he wins, he gets a career grand slam, and that is a big motivation for the Northern Irishman.

What makes Day a great champion for the Masters?
Obviously, he is the complete package. He hits booming drives that can match Dustin Johnson for length, and he has phenomenal touch on an around the green. All that definitely helps, not only in Augusta, but on any golf course in the world.

But I think the greatest thing about Day, even before he went on this sensational run since July fourth week in which he has won six titles in 13 starts, is the fact that he has got this insane ability to lift his game for a big championship. There are many players who are much more talented than him, but to be able to produce at the biggest stage, you’ve got to have terrific mental strength, which really is Day’s greatest asset.

Anirban Lahiri is playing the masters again …wiser and experienced this time?
I am sure that is the case. Last year, he finished tied 49th, which is not bad at all for a rookie at Augusta. There is a reason nobody has won the Masters on debut in recent years – it is a golf course that is difficult for a newcomer to unravel. Sometimes, with particular pin positions, it makes more sense to miss the green in certain places than hit it in regulation and face a sure-shot three-putt bogey.

One of Anirban’s great strength is his course management skills. We have seen him do that at various links courses during the British Open, and also at the Delhi Golf Club. So, I am very confident that he has a much better plan for Augusta National this year.

Also, having recorded his best finish in his last major start – the 2015 PGA Championship where he was tied fifth – he is very keen to do something similar once again at the biggest stage of world golf.

What kind of elements do you think Anirban will need to watch?
I think there is only one thing that Anirban needs to be wary of – the weight of his own expectations. Otherwise, he has the game to take on any golf course, Augusta National included.
Last few months, he has complained about his putting time and again. The truth is that there is nothing wrong with his putting. He is missing a few from the 10-15 feet range, and if he starts converting a couple of them every round, we definitely have a world top-five player in him.
So, Anirban needs to be patient, and he needs to have complete trust in himself.
On the golf course, he will have to take care of the par-5s because that is the only way you can have a good score at Augusta National.

Your favourite memory of Masters?
I have loved the heroics of Tiger Woods and the ingenuity of Phil Mickelson and the shot-making skills of Bubba Watson at the Masters, but a few memories of Masters just stand out.

One was my earliest memory of watching golf, when my favourite golfer at that time, Greg Norman, collapsed on the final day and handed over the Green Jacket to Nick Faldo in 1996. I could literally feel the pain of Norman that day.

The second was following Charl Schwartzel and watching him make four birdies in a row from the 15th hole onwards and win the 2011 Masters. That was easily the most awesome finish in any major.

Third was in 2007 when I was walking with Vijay Singh’s group during the practice round. On the 16th hole, each player tries to hit a hop, skip and jump shot over the water and tries to land it on the green. There are thousands of patrons who gather around the hole and it is a fantastic atmosphere. On that day, Singh actually holed his shot!