U Can’t Touch This: Jason Day removes vest for Masters officials, but still looks Too Legit to Quit

AUGUSTA, Ga. ― For a guy who made the cut by one shot then finished his third round at 8-over, far out of contention, Jason Day certainly attracted a lot of eyeballs in his 13th appearance at the Masters. At least, his baggy-pantsed combos and eye-popping designs have drawn a lot of attention.

In January, Day left Nike and signed with Malbon Golf, a 7-year-old apparel line founded by eponymous Los Angeles culture vultures Stephen and Erica whose website says they seek to swaddle “meticulous and tasteful customers” who wish to express themselves through their golf ‘fits.

Augusta National and the Malbons have very different ideas regarding meticulous taste.

Apparel companies script their players’ wardrobes; they seldom have much say, or care to. On Friday, Day wore a garish white, black, and red sweater vest emblazoned with “Malbon Golf Championship” (a fashionista affectation; there is no such tournament). In the middle of the round, Augusta National officials asked him to de-vest himself. It being the powerful green jackets and all, he quickly complied.

“Yeah, they asked me to take ... the vest off yesterday,” Day said Saturday. “Respectfully, you do that because it’s all about the tournament here, and I understand that. I respect the tournament.”

Many ultratraditional golf clubs have rules regarding apparel that go far beyond no hats in the clubhouse and jackets in the dining room — rules that limit logo size on your shirt to inseam lengths on your shorts.

Augusta National officials did not respond to requests for clarification as to why they asked Day to disrobe. Day said he was not given a reason why his hosts decided his getup had to go.

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask,” Day said. “They said, ‘Can you take it off?’ I said, ‘Yeah, no worries.’”

While the vest caused a one-day stir, the pants have been a weeklong sensation. The shirts have a little extra room, but the slacks are so roomy they look like they’d fit John Daly, and high winds the past two days made Day look ridiculous at times.

“If it’s down breeze, these things puff up pretty quick,” Day said, laughing.

On Saturday, he wore a pair of gray nylon pants with an elastic waist, gathered at the ankles, with a black mesh pocket on the outside of his right thigh, where he stored his sunglasses. All he needed was some 80′s hip-hop music and he’d have been straight out of Yo! MTV Raps. Fans offered a few comments, both derisive and chummy, but Day said he generally ignored the riffraff.

Day is 36, and he and wife, Ellie, recently had their fifth child, but Day doesn’t have anything close to a dad-bod, which makes his outfits all the more outlandish.

Asked if the clothing affected his performance, Day noted that his idol, Tiger Woods, wore baggy shirts and hyper-pleats back in the 1990s, and that didn’t keep him from ascending to golf’s highest heights. In fact, Day said, he’s so comfortable that he might never go back: “It feels like I’ve got nothing on.”

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Brutal conditions and worse play led to several big names bombing out of the Masters, including Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland, and, for the second straight year, a late collapse from Justin Thomas. That left room for some compelling replacements.

Five-time winner Tiger Woods was in 21st place, at 1-over, five shots better than the 6-over cut, and was 1-over through five holes Saturday, but his revival was short-lived. He shot 10-over in his next 12 holes, with double-bogeys on Nos. 7 and 8, and left Saturday night at 11-over, tied for 52nd, only three shots out of last place.

Akshay Bhatia, a 22-year-old former drive, chip, and putt champion, made the field by winning the Valero Texas Open last week. It’s his second major after finishing tied for 57th at the 2021 U.S. Open. He was at 5-over after three rounds.

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Neal Shipley, an Ohio State senior from Mt. Lebanon, Pa., outside of Pittsburgh, made the field by finishing second at last year’s U.S. Amateur Championship and made the cut by three strokes. Amateurs are allowed five trips to Augusta National before the Masters. Shipley used all five, made the cut, and stood at 11-over entering Sunday.

Vijay Singh, 61, made the cut for the first time since 2018, at 4-over, but a 10-over 82 on Saturday put him in last place after three rounds. He’s the oldest golfer to make the cut this week, but not the oldest ever. Fred Couples made it last year, when he was 63 (Couples missed it this year). Fellow past champions Phil Mickelson, 53, and José María Olazábal, 58, also made it; Phil, at 4-over, and Olazábal on the number. Mickelson finished tied for second in 2023 and was 6-over entering Sunday. Olazábal last made the cut in 2021 and stood at 9-over after three rounds.