MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian golfer Jason Day paused several times to compose himself when he spoke about the deaths of eight of his relatives, including his grandmother, in Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

“They found, I think, eight of our relatives. Six of them were children, and my grandma, and a couple more,” Day said after practicing at Royal Melbourne, where he’s scheduled to play in the World Cup as part of Australia’s team with Adam Scott. “It’s such a tragedy. I feel for my mother.”

Day said the most difficult part was not being able to contact his relatives, many of whom lived in the area around Tacloban, the capital of hardest-hit Leyte province. The typhoon has killed nearly 4,000 people and left more than a thousand missing.