Golfer Jason Day, and his wife Ellie, welcomed their first child on July 11 and have named their son Dash James. Dash Day was born in Ohio weighing 8 pounds 4 ounces (3.7 kg), and Jason has pulled out of the British Open to spend time with  his wife and new baby.

Jason is from regional Queensland, has been playing golf since the age of 6, and winning competitions since the age of 8. Jason’s mum, who is originally from the Phillipines, enrolled him in schools where golf was taken seriously as a sport. Using Tiger Woods’ scores as a standard to reach for, he won his first big event at the age of 13 in a 2000 Australian Masters junior event on the Gold Coast. As an amateur, he twice he won the Junior Order of Merit, and competed successfully in junior events in both Australia and the United States.

Jason turned professional in 2006, signed up with two major sponsors, and began playing in PGA Tour events. He won his first Nationwide Tour event in 2007 at the Legend Financial Group Classic, becoming the youngest man to win on any of the PGA Tour’s three tours. In 2010 he became the youngest Australian to win a PGA Tour event when he won the HP Byron Nelson Championship; later that year he made his debut at the PGA Championship. Last year Jason made the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings at #9, and ranked ninth on the PGA Tour money list.

Ellie (nee Harvey) is from the tiny village of Lucas, in Ohio. Jason and Ellie met while they were both still teenagers, in an Irish pub where beauty school student Ellie was working part-time. They became friends and remained in contact, but didn’t see each other often.

Ellie and Jason started dating in 2007, and within six months were living together in Florida. Ellie’s dad had a conniption – apart from Jason being a professional athlete, which sent up “Danger, danger, warning, warning!” signals to Mr Harvey, apparently being an Australian was also a red flag moment. Dad seems to have calmed down slightly once Ellie and Jason got engaged.

Ellie and Jason were married in 2009, and had a country-style wedding in a barn; the couple now own a country property in Ohio. Ellie’s mother says she always knew Ellie would marry someone famous, but wasn’t expecting Jason – she had American country singer Brad Paisley picked out for her. Both the Harveys are now very fond of Jason and his unassuming manner, and they figure that after all, he is  a country boy.

Ellie and Jason have become one of the most written-about and photographed young couples on the golf circuit, with Ellie Day listed as one of the “hottest” golf wives. However, they’re really just country folk at heart, and the Days have picked out a name for their son that has a very country feel to it.

NB Brad Paisley has been married to actress Kimberley Williams since 2003, and has two young sons, William Huckleberry and Jasper Warren.

(Picture shows Jason and Ellie with their dachshunds, Charlie and Lola, in their RV while on tour)