[Photo: Getty images]

Jason Day hammered two meat pies upon arrival in Australia for the first time in seven years. When he leaves on Monday, he hopes with an Australian PGA championship victory under his belt, there are plans to devour KFC as a reward.

“Australian KFC is … oh my god,” Day said in his pre-tournament press conference at Royal Queensland on Wednesday.

For a player who has been criticised, at times rightfully, for playing just twice in his homeland since 2013, he is making up for lost time. The former world No.1 Day is trying as best as he can to reconnect with old friends from his hometown of Beaudesert, an hour from Brisbane, and to sample the foods he’s missed while living in Ohio and playing the PGA Tour. Oh, and he plans to win the DP World Tour-sanctioned Australian PGA.

“I had two meat pies off the plane (on Monday) at a bakery in Forest Lake,” Day said. He admitted it was going to be “a very short trip” because he is going to play Tiger Woods’ Hero Challenge from December 5–8 and a week later defend the Grant Thornton Invitational mixed event he won with Lydia Ko last year.

“It’s going to be very quick and I’ve been trying to catch up with as many people as I possibly can,” Day said. “It’s a little bit emotional to see some of the faces (such as) my sisters. I haven’t seen them since my mum passed away (in March 2022), so it’s been nice to be able to catch up. I’ve got a lot of friends that will be here this week (at Royal Queensland), so really I’m looking forward to the four days.”

Day has never won a big Australian tournament but has compiled some solid results. He was fifth at the 2017 Australian Open, T-6 in 2013 and T-4 in 2011. He was also T-9 at the 2011 Australian PGA.

“I know that I’ve always wanted to win in Australia but I haven’t won as a professional here,” he said. “I’ve seen Jordan Spieth come down here (2014 and 2016), Rory (McIlroy, 2013) come down here and win the Australian Open. It’d be nice for me to be able to (win the Australian PGA), especially here in Brisbane, where part of my life I grew up, and especially at a place like Royal Queensland.”

Day is teeing up this week in the Australian PGA, which is the opening event of the 2025 DP World Tour season, alongside fellow Australian stars Cameron Smith and defending champion Min Woo Lee in a supergroup from the 10th hole at 6.10am Brisbane time. Smith, the 2022 British Open champion, is loking forward tot he grouping.

“We talk a little bit, but it’s great that he’s back down at home and I know he hasn’t been down here for a while, so hopefully he can get down here a little bit more,” Smith said. “As a competitor, you want to compete against, you know, some of the best in the world. Jason is obviously a Brissie boy as well. He’ll have a lot of people out there supporting him, and hopefully he goes well this week.”

Day has posted four top-10s on the PGA Tour this year and said at Royal Queensland ahead of the Australian PGA that, “I feel good about my game.” Day enjoyed a resurgent year in 2023 with a 13th PGA Tour win, which ended a five-year drought. He played for Australia at the Paris Olympics this year.

Next year, he is also determined to capture an elusive second major win to go with his 2015 PGA Championship crown at Whistling Straits. After a T-2 at the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool last year, Day now owns runner-up results in all four majors in addition to his Wanamaker Trophy.

“A goal (for 2025) is to try and win a major and another goal is to win an elevated (PGA Tour) event,” Day said. “The goal for me has always been trying to win all four (majors). I know I definitely have the game to win majors. It’s just being able to be healthy first and foremost, and then have the swing and the technique to back it up.

“I know that on my day, I’m the best putter in the world and my short game is (great). I just need the ball striking to match that. If I can do that, then I definitely have a shot at winning more majors than just my first one.”