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THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP MEDIA CONFERENCEApril 22, 2010Jay HaasBill HaasLAURA HILL: Thank you to the media for joining us this afternoon. We have Jay Haas calling in from the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf up in Savannah, and Bill has a week off so he is graciously giving us a few minutes to chat. As most of you on the phone know, Bill and Jay will be the first father/son duo to compete in the same PLAYERS Championship. We have had some other fathers and sons with PLAYERS' experience, but never before have they both played the same year together. Jay, who was has won nine times on the PGA TOUR and 14 time on the Champions Tour qualified through winning the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship last year. And then Bill, of course, has been on a great streak this season winning his first title on the PGA TOUR at the Bob Hope classic in January. So we are pleased to have them both join us today, and I would ask maybe both Bill and Jay to give a comment on coming back to The PLAYERS Championship, but this time, with a twist of being able to play in a field as father and son. JAY HAAS: I'm looking forward to getting back playing with Bill there in the same event as Bill. We did it a few times back in I guess maybe '05, '06, not a lot of times, but quite a few, and it was a treat every time. It's been a long time since we have done it now, so I'm looking forward to that part of it. The course has changed a little bit since the last time I played there, so I'm a little apprehensive about that, and not playing my best right now. But I'm looking forward to being out there on the range with him, competing and seeing a lot of the guys that I haven't seen for a while, too. Just being on the biggest stage in golf, so looking forward to it. BILL HAAS: Yeah, I feel the same way. I'm excited about going and playing. It has been four years now I think since we have played in a tournament together and to be in such a big event, probably the strongest field of any event, including the majors, to be playing it together is a pretty cool thing. I can't wait to get there, I think the next couple of weeks are a great stretch of golf, two tough courses, down there at Quail and TPC. It's going to be a good week. Q. The sport of golf lends itself to situations like this where father and sons can be inside the ropes. Obviously there's been a lot of guys who have had their sons caddie for them. You had Tom Watson and Kenny Perry with their sons at the Masters just recently, and now you guys, not for the first time are playing together. Everybody remembers the Griffeys in baseball; they didn't hit a home run, but golf really lends itself to this. Wondering is this always one of the charms of this sport, especially considering that most sons learn how to play golf from their father? JAY HAAS: You know, I think more and more you're going to see it. I think for a long time, there was not -- there were not many sons coming out and playing professional golf, maybe a little bit. But I think we are looking at a different era now where college golf is getting so prevalent now and every program seems to be thriving. There's so many different places to play golf for a junior player, and to give him an opportunity; whereas I don't think those opportunities were as plentiful back 30, 40 years ago. But I think the sport lends itself to that; just the fact that here I'm 56 years old and I'm still doing that. You've got Tom Watson at 60 still competing and obviously has a son old enough to be -- to be competing if he wanted to or if he could have and all that. It is a charm of the sport I think, and probably not as unusual as in, say, baseball. Certainly not as football. I don't think that would even be a contest there when guys are retiring at 32, 33 and 34. But you know, I've been blessed in the fact that I got into this sport and was successful at it and was able to do it as long as I have here. You know, to play with Bill, and Jay Junior actually qualified at Quail Hollow about four years ago, five years ago, and we played there; the three of us played in the same event. Any time we can do that is an unbelievable thrill for me, and you know, and then to see the maturity of Bill on the course and how he's handled himself and how his game has improved, I get a big charge out of it. Q. Bill, I wanted to ask you a question: Do you remember the circumstances and how old you were when you beat Jay for the first time in an 18-hole match? BILL HAAS: I don't know if we were in matches growing up but just playing together, I think I was always trying to beat him. And I do remember, I know that up in the mountains at Keowee Vineyards (ph) the golf club, I know it was December 21st or 31st, right around New Year's. And it was cold out on the lake, it was later than you think, 14 or 15, maybe even 16. In high school is the first time I beat him head-to-head. We weren't really keeping score, but in our heads I think we knew what was going on. And I think he said to me on like 17, "You're 2-up on me right now" or "you're 1-up on me right now." But I definitely remember that first day beating I am. Q. You didn't let him win, did you? JAY HAAS: I told them every time we played: "I want you guys to beat me every single time we go out but I will never make it easy. I will never it give it to you because then it won't be as satisfying to you." And then I do remember that day, I want to say it was '98 or '99, something like that, but I can't be sure. And I remember Bill saying, "Well, that didn't count. You didn't play all that good. " I said, "No, that counts because I tried my butt off on every shot, and you just clipped me." You know, for a while, I would get the best of him and then it was kind of even, and now, I don't think I give it much of an effort anymore because it's kind of a losing battle. (Chuckling). Q. I was wondering if you're a grandfather yet. JAY HAAS: No, we have a couple more weeks yet. Actually three more due date-wise, they are not going to try to move her up by I think she's a little ahead of schedule, so it could be any time now. Q. I wanted to ask you, I know I talked to Bill a bunch of times about this, but is it hard for an established golfer like yourself, and then you have a son, for the son to kind of -- I don't want to say pass you or whatever, but just become successful? I know there's been a few along the line, but I know when Bill won, it's kind of a rarity for a father and son to have won the same tournament and things like that. But how hard do you think it is for a son to kind of follow in his father's footsteps, especially in golf? JAY HAAS: I guess I don't know how Jay and Bill feel about it. You know, I've tried not to make it any kind of huge legacy to live up to or anything like that. I've hopefully never given him that feeling or anything. You know, I had a little bit of that with my uncle, Bob Goalby, and I never personally felt like I needed to do -- accomplish what he had accomplished or better what he had done or anything like that. I guess I just felt fortunate that I had him to tutor me and mentor me and all of the different aspects of TOUR golf. The only thing I wanted to do that he had done was to win the Masters so I could share a locker with him up in the Champions Room. I always thought that was my goal. I always thought the Masters was kind of "the" tournament, and the same place every year, all that different stuff. Hopefully I've made Bill and Jay want to be a professional golfer and want to try to be successful. But as far as trying to surpass me or whatever, I sure hope they do. But just to -- I don't know, have fun with it and be successful and enjoy it. That's kind of the bottom line. Q. Do you think it was more pressure early on for you, in college and stuff, and now that you've become established on the PGA TOUR, do you think that all kind of goes away a little bit and you can be your own man? BILL HAAS: Yeah, I don't know if there was extra pressure. Especially in college, because I had Jerry, my dad's brother, as my coach. So I always had family there. So I think I always had family encourage me to play better. They never really gave me time to think this is how I should play or I should play better because of them. I don't even know if that makes sense. But I don't know if I ever had any extra pressure because of who my dad was or wasn't out on the golf course; I think the same way they said about my Uncle Bob, his Uncle Bob, is I always felt fortunate to have him to go to to answer questions about whether it was a golf swing or how to play this kind of shot. So it was almost like an extra, because I could call my dad and say, this is what happened here, what can I do to do better. I don't know, I definitely never felt pressured to play golf or to play golf well, for that matter. Q. And are you surprised that there's not more sons that have kind of -- I know Kevin Stadler is doing pretty well and things like that, but I guess there are more coming along here in the next few years I guess. BILL HAAS: Yeah, I think there will be more. But I mean, still you've got to -- a player can be a good player and be a good college player. Our sport, we don't get drafted. We don't get signing bonuses or guarantees for multiple years on TOUR or anything like that in other sports. You've still got to go earn it, no matter who your dad is. I just think the odds of getting on TOUR -- (line static) -- look forward to be two in the same family, just makes it that much harder or that much more of a chance to do so. Q. I see you're doing much better this year with the victory, that's obvious, but what has enabled you to sort of get over the hump? I know you struggled with pro golf early on, maybe even had some doubts about whether you should be playing it. So what happened and describe your situation now. BILL HAAS: You know, I think the frustrations of wanting success and maybe my one issue was expecting success, which you can't do. I think you just go out there and play your game. If you play well, then you'll get it and you can't expect anything in this game. You just kind of have to let it come to you. I don't know what happened. I worked out over the off-season pretty good. When I wasn't playing, I felt like I was doing something to help my game a little bit. The win didn't come out of nowhere, but I did not play well the first event, and then that week, everything kind of clicked. I think it made me realize that, you know, one shot, one day, or the first round doesn't maybe necessarily assume you have it, and just keep playing. And I've been able to do that a few events this year where I may be didn't get off to a hot start and was able to turn it around and have a decent finish. I think if you do that as the year progresses and every week, week-in, week-out, if you just hang if there and play solid golf, then you can have good finishes and it equals to a better year. Q. It seems funny, from your comments, it's as if a guy has to play as best he can, but he doesn't know that he'll ever be rewarded. BILL HAAS: I think in order to -- yeah, if you play the best you can, but if somebody plays better, you are not rewarded the win if they play better than you. But that also equals to the satisfaction in our sport: If I do play my best and I win, then I beat everybody else out there. I don't get to physically do anything to a player to play defense. I have to go out there and do my best and hopefully it's enough. But it's definitely a frustrating sport. I mean, in theory, I'm 1-for-145, when you count wins. But I think there's definitely successes out here that don't equal wins. I think you can have a good week and not win. Q. So do you think experience rewards experience; do you have any expectations for yourself in a couple of weeks? JAY HAAS: You know, everybody has been telling me that I can compete there just because it's not that long and all that, and other than a second place finish one year and maybe another Top-10 another time in 20 events or whatever there, I really didn't have a whole lot of success. I think the course is very difficult. I'm always amazed at the cut line at the tournament. I do think if you play well, you're rewarded there, but there's a lot of holes to me that don't just fit my eye, and there's a lot of courses that do. I just get up on tees and I feel like I'm going to hit a good drive and I'm going to hit a good shot into the green. But at THE PLAYERS, I don't necessarily feel that. I think the big key for me there is driving the ball in the fairway. Again, it's not that long and hopefully the weather will be such that the ball will be going pretty good, and length won't be a huge issue for me. But you know, I don't know what my thoughts are as far as where I expect to finish or what I expect to do. I guess I never really think, well, if I don't win this week, I'll be disappointed or if I don't make the cut or whatever. I just kind of want to go out there, enjoy the week, obviously, with Bill, and I feel like if I play well, I can at least get to the weekend. You know, who knows? Freddie obviously had a really good Masters and Bernhard had a good week, or a good first round, at the Masters, and there's some of the Champions Tour guys that have been playing well at some of the PGA TOUR events. So I'm removed from that a few years, but like Bill made a comment there earlier that there's no defense out here in golf, and if I play well and hit the shots, then it shouldn't matter how old I am, or you know, how many tournaments I've played or haven't played. It's just, you know, right now my goal I guess is to drive it in the fairway on the first hole there and go from there and not really think about the end result too much. Q. Jay, you're going to be an answer to a trivia question once you hit that first drive because you'll be the only person to have played in March and May at both courses; but is that just a product of age right there? JAY HAAS: Certainly a product of age, yes. I think that, again, this game, and me being able to play at 56, not many professional sports do guys make it past 40. There's a few guys in baseball, pitchers and things like that, that have played on into their 40s, but it's just the nature of this game, and it's not necessarily the strongest and the fastest and all that that succeed. There's so many ways to do this game. But we were talking the other day about some of the horror stories of playing across the street there in Ponte Vedra at the initial Sawgrass, and that course just used to beat us up with the old Persimmon-headed clubs with the steel shafts and all that and the ball wasn't going very far. It was a bear. And to have seen The Players Club now grow into what it is and the beautiful clubhouse they have and everything -- I remember being out on the TOUR for a few years and seeing Sam Snead and all that stuff, and not comparing myself to him at all, but certainly in age, seeing guys in their 50s and stuff and thinking, wow, they have seen a lot of golf over the years, and I certainly have now. Q. Bill, I wanted to ask you about Quail Hollow, what separates that tournament from a lot of other regular season events? Is it the hospitality or what do you think that they do different? I know you've played there a few times now but is it kind of set apart from the other regular season events? BILL HAAS: Bill I think so, especially for me being close to him, I feel like it's a home event, home-course event. Really they are so good -- the course is beautiful, it's hard but it's fair. It seems to be always in good shape. The crowds are great. I think that's a big part of a lot of tournaments is if the crowds are good and they make you feel like a bigger event, and that's what it seems. Q. Also the field is pretty good, too. Does that make it more of an upper echelon event, too, in your mind? BILL HAAS: Yeah, I think so. I think the strength of field helps the World Ranking and recall that. I mean, definitely, if you have the opportunity to beat a Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson or whoever else that is there that is high in the world, it only makes it feel like a bigger deal. So I think definitely the field plays a big factor. Q. For Jay, Bill was talking about how difficult it is to win out there, I wonder from your perspective how has professional golf changed in terms of competitiveness and from being a game that you could win when you started out until the 1970s? JAY HAAS: I think without question, the fields are deeper now than they are ever were, and I think in each kind of era, if you go by a ten-year program, 50S, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, whatever, it just continues to get deeper. And I think when you see a guy win that maybe the public doesn't know about, hasn't heard much of, the players all say, wow, that guy has been playing really well. He's a heck of a player. But not everyone is a name player, like maybe it used to be. I think just the fact that there are more players capable of winning makes it more difficult to win and I think that's proven out by the fact that other than Tiger, you know, Phil has won, what, 30-some tournaments now, but not many other guys have had more than five wins, say, and it's harder and harder to dominate. I think that's why everybody is amazed at what Tiger has accomplished. But the change to me is just the depth. I said something, I guess two years ago, no, last year -- was last year Oakland Hills at the PGA in Birmingham Michigan? Was that last year? Q. I think it was two years ago. JAY HAAS: Anyway, somebody asked about the changes I've seen, and I said there's a lot more spike marks because no one on the Champions Tour wears metal spikes. And there are a lot more accents and it's just become more of an international tour than it ever was before. In the 70s, there were very few players from Europe and certainly not from Australia or South Africa. It was just kind of, you know, a very different field when there would be more than two players that with are from overseas. And now, it's almost 50/50 it seems like in a lot of these events. That's a huge difference, too. Much more of an international game. LAURA HILL: Thank you, I appreciate everyone for calling in, especially Jay and Bill taking some time out of their schedules to chat with us, and we look forward to seeing you both in a couple of weeks here at THE PLAYERS Championship. Jay, good luck this week in Savannah. End of FastScripts |
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