Jason Day Discusses Mother's Cancer Diagnosis After Withdrawing from Match Play

Jason Day withdrew from the 2017 Match Play Championship six holes into his first-round matchup Wednesday, citing his mother's impending surgery for lung cancer.

"It's really hard to even comprehend being on the golf course right now," Day told reporters, saying his mother was diagnosed at the beginning of the year. "It's been really hard to play golf lately. It's been very, very emotional, as you can tell. I've already gone through it once with my dad. And I know how it feels."

Dening Day is scheduled to undergo surgery Friday in Ohio, per ESPN's Jason Sobel. Doctors originally suggested she had 12 months to live, but Day's family hopes the procedure will provide optimism about her condition. 

"As of now, I'm going to try to be back there with my mom for surgery and make sure everything goes right with her," Day said. "Emotionally, it's been wearing on me for a while. My mom says not to let it get to me, but it really has. ... This has been very, very tough for me. I'm going to do my best and try and be there the best I can for her, because she is the reason that I'm playing golf today.

"Family is first. It's just a hard time."

Day was three holes down to Pat Perez before leaving the course after completing No. 6. He was the event's defending champion, and two of his 10 career PGA wins have come in match play events. 

The world No. 3 has only one top-10 finish in five PGA events this season, pushing him back two spots in the rankings after entering the year as the world's top golfer. He is slated to play in April's Masters Tournament but did not confirm his commitment to the event Wednesday.

Day previously lost his father to stomach cancer at age 12.