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SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY KITCHENAID

May 24, 2015

Jerry Haas

FRENCH LICK, INDIANA

Q. Congratulations. Help me out with just a little bit about the game today. What helped you keep the round together today?
JERRY HAAS: I hit it really well today. It was, I would say, the most difficult day of the four days. The wind was the strongest today. Greens started drying out just a little bit. First hole, is probably one of the harder holes and I hit a beautiful drive and a 9-irons just right of the pin and almost made birdie. Then I hit the second green, 2-putted. Hit the third, fourth, and fifth green. Sixth hole, I hit a really great drive only had 70 yards to the pin, but it went down near the drain in a divot and I hit it thin about 50 feet long and I 2-putted. Then I hit a beautiful 8-iron on number 7 to about six feet and I missed it. Then I finally parred number 8. I made a triple and a double there. I parred number 8. And 9 I could reach and I pulled my 5-wood just a little bit. If it's a hair right I got a 15-footer for eagle. It rolled down off and I didn't get up-and-down. So I made nine pars, but I felt like I could have maybe shot a couple under. Then I fell asleep on the tee shot on 10. I hit it right over the bunker and I thought it was going to be just in the rough, but it was in the higher grass. And I pitched out and then I hit a weak third shot. But then the next hole I hit a good drive and a gap wedge and didn't make the putt. I had about a 15-footer. Then the par-5, I hit two beautiful shots. I finally got it down there and I had 85 yards, kind of blind, but I hit my lob wedge, which I only hit about 85 and it was a little downwind, I must have been pumped up, but I air mailed the green. But I got up-and-down. That was a good save. Then 14 up the hill, I had a good chance, driver and 8-iron into the wind. 15, I hung my drive and it stuck right on top of the bunker like a snow cone. And I hit a heck of a kind of a funny stance four hybrid just short of the green. I chipped about six feet. But I missed it. Then 16, I had about a 10-footer for birdie and I missed it. Then the last hole I guess I should have hit my 52 degree, but I ended up hitting a lob wedge into the last hole, which if you would have told me at the start of the week you would be having a hundred yards into the last -- actually I had 110 -- and I just was afraid if I hit 52 I was going to blow it over. Looking back, I should have chipped a 52 and skipped it back there. But I left it about 30 feet short. Kind of taking over out of play. Knowing that I was in pretty good shape for and then I hit a nice putt up there and tapped in for par. So I made 16 pars and two bogeys and my goal was to make five birdies every day.

Q. How much preparation time or did you not have any preparation time coming in here?
JERRY HAAS: I didn't. We had regionals last week and I was very dejected we missed. I just played nine holes with my little boy, Kyle, on Monday afternoon. Then I caught a 5:30 flight on Tuesday to get here. But I always play nine with my little guy and he is my good luck charm.

Q. How old is he?
JERRY HAAS: He's 10.

Q. He said you watch good players in your program and that helps a little bit. Mike Small almost says the same thing, he's watching good players he doesn't get to play as much, but he watches them and gets him feeling about what his game will have to do to be competitive?
JERRY HAAS: No question about it. I sat in the breakfast area this morning and watched the Golf Channel and watched the European tournament. And I marvel at their nice beautiful swings. I'm more like, man, don't hit it fat. Don't hit it thin. They're more comfortable. I think if I played more, I would be more comfortable. But I just, I don't play a lot.

Q. With that lack of preparation, what a week you had.
JERRY HAAS: Right, it was. I'll be real honest, I played really nice golf. The second day I missed a two, 3-footer on 6. I missed a 3-footer on 7. And I made triple from the front bunker in two on 8. And then I didn't birdie 9. So, you take those out of there and all of a sudden I'm, I shoot 70 the second day I'm 1-under, I'm right there. And yesterday I played very well. I birdied the last hole to shoot even, but again, I had some chances and just hit a few loose shots.

Q. What's your experience on a Pete Dye course?
JERRY HAAS: I kind of knew that going in that guys would be crabby, grouchy, I don't know what words I can use -- bitchy. So I knew they would be, they might pack it in a little quicker than I would. I'm excited to be here, I'm happy to be here. I love playing the game of golf. I'm honored to be able to still be a good player at 51 and representing the PGA club pros and the Senior Club Pros. And it's a, I played some really nice golf here the last couple years. I've won the South Carolina Open, I won the pro-pro with my buddy Tim Straub. I won our senior section event last year and our regular section event, so I'm getting to play in the Wyndham championship at Sedgefield in August on the PGA TOUR.

Q. Are you coming in Philadelphia Cricket Club for the national championship?
JERRY HAAS: I am coming to that. So I really played some good golf. I don't know what it is, comfortable, whatever, I started winning a little bit. And winning's fun.

Q. You said earlier that there would be 72 different holes out here. How true is that?
JERRY HAAS: That was definitely true. You look at all the holes I played, I could tell you I hit a different club in each and every day and I had a different thought on each and every tee shot. Meaning, okay, it's more off the right today or it's more down or whatever it is. So, I haven't counted up how many greens I hit or whatever, I say I missed some short putts, but I also made some really nice ones.

Q. So Pete challenges you and makes you think all the time.
JERRY HAAS: All the time. Especially here with the wind and sitting up top. I hit pitching wedge into 1, I hit 9-iron into 1, I hit 8-iron into 1 and I hit gap wedge into 1. 2, I hit 9-iron, 8-iron, all kinds of things.

Q. When you get back to home and get a chance to talk to the kids, I thought it would be fun for you as well as them to reminisce and also let them know that, hey, the coach is out there, you guys know what you have to do next time, when you see the kids.
JERRY HAAS: You know what, they play all summer and I find as a coach they get better this three and a half months of summertime and then they come back in the fall for the school season as a better player. Then they go home for Christmas for five weeks and they come back a better player and then they play well in the spring. The summer months are very important for the development of a player. And they really have to play and they have to keep competing and getting in events and it's no secret that the teams that are up top send a lot of guys to the U.S. Amateur and they have a lot of guys winning tournaments in the summer. And that care rest over to your college season.

Q. Will Jay now have to buy you dinner?
JERRY HAAS: Well, will Jay have to buy me dinner? He bought me dinner all week. He told me I've been on scholarship this week. He's a great brother, man.

Q. You buy him a dinner then.
JERRY HAAS: Yeah, I'll buy him a dinner.
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