BOB HOPE CHRYSLER CLASSIC

January 17, 2002

Jay Haas

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Jay Haas tied for third with Phil Mickelson with second round 68. Let's get started with your birdies and bogeys.

JAY HAAS: Birdied No. 1, hit a 3-wood up at the edge of the green and pitched to about 2 feet.

I birdied No. 6, hit a 9-iron to about 12 feet.

3-putted 7 from about 20 feet for bogey.

8, I hit a 3-wood on the green about 20 feet from the hole, 2-putted for birdie.

Bogeyed 10, over the green, chipped back about 6 feet and missed the putt.

I birdied 11, hit a pitching wedge to about 15 feet, made that.

I birdied 13, par-5, I pitched it up about 15 feet, made the putt.

16, I hit a 6-iron from the left rough to about 5 feet and made that.

Q. This sounds a little strange, maybe, since you shot 68, but is there a frustration that maybe you're thinking you've got to shoot 65 or 64 just to keep up on this tournament?

JAY HAAS: Well, my goal today was to try to get to 15-under. I felt like I needed to, obviously, keep going and trying to get to 30-under, and then hopefully have some holes to play and have a chance.

But I was trying to get halfway there today. And I played actually better today, I think, from tee-to-green than I did yesterday, but I didn't putt as well. I didn't think I would putt quite as well as I did yesterday, but I missed a few out there that could have turned it into a 64 or 65. But that happens and I'm not disappointed with 68. I'm not disappointed in the way I played today. So I take some positives out of this.

I'm looking forward to going to PGA West tomorrow and finishing up at Indian Wells. If I can keep playing the way I have been playing, I'm not disappointed at all.

Q. It seems, maybe this is just me, but it seems like this tournament has changed a little from the time you won it in '88, and now you have to shoot low every day on every golf course instead of maybe saying, "Well, this course is tougher" or "This course is easier." Is that just my perception, because the scores are so low or have things changed?

JAY HAAS: I think they have changed. I think it's just the mentality. I talked about it yesterday that everybody wants to go low every single day now, and there's no such thing as kind of holding and protecting your lead.

And I think I shot 21- or 22-under when I won, and I ended up winning by 2. 22-under might finish 25th or something this year. So it's pretty remarkable that the scores have gotten that low. And I think it's more of just the mindset of the players going out there, just knowing that they have to make birdies on, you know, almost half the holes.

Q. From a player's perspective do you like that fast break mentality almost, where you're out there from start to finish shooting the pin?

JAY HAAS: Not really. I guess when I'm playing well, sure, that's fine, but it can get a little frustrating when you're not making the birdies.

You go to a U.S. Open or a tournament where the scores are not quite as low, if you make six pars in a row, you don't feel like you lost ground to everybody. If you play nine holes even par out here, you feel like an idiot and know everybody is passing you up.

But again I won here in '88 when the scores for that time I guess were pretty low. And I've gone low a couple of other places where I've won tournaments. But generally speaking I like, of course, where par is a good score.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Appreciate your help. Good luck the rest of the way.

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