There is controversy surrounding Jason Day, with fans believing he isn’t “worthy” enough to represent Australia alongside Min Woo Lee since he hasn’t played there in over eight years. However, taking a look at the golfer’s ethnic background reveals some surprising details. What are they?

Day’s father Alvyn Day, was of Irish-Australian descent, while his mother Dening Day, was of Filipino descent. His father suffered from stomach cancer and, sadly, passed away when Day was only 12 years old. 11 years ago, during Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, Day tragically also lost eight of his family members. His grandmother was among his relatives who passed away in the aftermath of the disaster.

The golfer was born in Australia and holds Australian citizenship. However, he also has Filipino heritage thanks to his mother. In 2013, he openly spoke about his ethnicity and said “For me, being half-Australian, half-Filipino, after something like that happens, you tend to bend towards that way. But I [also] know that this is a big week for Australia and for us to really represent Australia well,” after the typhoon tragedy as revealed on the Sydney Morning Herald website.