'I had bruises all over me': Australian golf star Jason Day reveals his father physically abused him as a child - and would beat him in the parking lot if he shot a bad score
- Day said his father was a 'violent alcoholic' who beat him regularly
- His father Alvin punched him with closed fits when he was 11-years-old
- Day said he would not have succeeded if his father had not died
- As a pre-teen, Day went off the rails and fought on the streets
- His mother sent borrowed money to send him to a golf academy
Golf superstar Jason Day has revealed his father physically beat him when he was a child.
While Day's troubles through poverty and the loss of his father when he was 12 have long been part of the 27-year-old Queenslander's inspiring narrative, he had kept the violence private.
But in an interview with GOLF magazine in the US, Day has spoken of physical altercations with Alvin Day who he says was a 'violent alcoholic'.
'I remember once shooting a (poor) score, and he goes, 'You're going to get it in the parking lot',' Day told GOLF writer Cameron Morfit.
Australian golfer has spoken for the first about the abuse he received in the hands of his violent father (stock image)
Jason Day of Australia with his son Dash and wife Ellie (stock image)
Jason Day celebrates with the winner's trophy after the Final Round of the BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club in September 2015 in Lake Forest, Illinois (stock image)
'So I get in the car. I'm scared. We drive out of the club, he stops on the side of the road. He just starts whaling on me with both hands, closed-fist punching. I was 11. I had bruises all over me. But I mean, it is what it is.'
Day hinted at the violence on a number of occasions in the aftermath of his record-breaking US PGA Championship win in August, his first major, without going into specific details.
While he credits him for introducing him to the sport, Day is also adamant that had his father not died of stomach cancer in his youth, he would not have become the star he is.
His death triggered a chain of events that would add up to him becoming world No.1.
After going off the rails, fighting and drinking in the streets as a pre-teen, his mother Dening shipped Day off to Kooralbyn International School with its golf academy in a desperate move.
She borrowed money to pay her son's way.
Jason has overcome a difficult childhood and rebellious teenage years (stock image)
'If I played bad golf my dad would belt the crap out of me,' golfer Jason says of his late father (stock image)
Jason Day with his son Dash after winning the 2015 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in August 2015 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin (stock image)
'If my dad didn't pass away, I don't think I would have been in a good spot. When a door closes, another door opens up for that opportunity,' Day has told AAP.
'And where I was based, I mean it wasn't the greatest place and who knows where I would have been.
'For my mum to sacrifice and my sisters to sacrifice for me, so I could get away to a golf academy and work hard, it's something I'll always be grateful for.'
There he met current coach and caddie Colin Swatton, who became the father figure Day craved.
Jason Day had an unhappy childhood. He says his father beat him regularly, punching him with closed fists when he was just 11-years-old
Jason Day credits his mother for coming to his rescue, borrowing money to send him to a golf academy
Together they forged a path that this year netted over $US9 million ($A12.40 million) in prizemoney, five US PGA Tour victories including the major and a stint at world No.1.
'It's a weird situation,' Day told AAP.
'If I played bad golf my dad would belt the crap out of me.
'I was so scared of playing bad golf because I would get a hiding but I guess that's what made me play so well.
'But then to have a loving person such as Col, and have him raise me from 12, his influence has been immeasurable. I owe him more than I could put into words.'
Jason Day has expressed gratitude to his mother who borrowed money so she could send him to a private school
Jason Day (right) has turned to his caddie and now coach Colin Swatton (left) for support after an abusive childhood. Mr Swatton is the father figure Day has long craved for (stock image)
The death of Jason Day's father triggered chain of events that would add up to him becoming world No.1.
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