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VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

March 12, 2016

Bill Haas

Palm Harbor, Florida

Q. Leader, Bill Haas, 67 today. Great looking scorecard. Show some highlights. Overall, as you look back on the 3rd Round, what really stood out for you today?
BILL HAAS: Getting off to a nice start. That putt could have stayed a inch short, drifted over the edge. 2-under through 4 kind of gets you going for the day. The rest of the day was so-so but I just kind of kept getting good breaks if I hit a bad one. Only bogey was a 3-putt. I wish I could have that one back.

Q. 2-under for the front-9 and this is 10. This got to be one of your shots of the day.
BILL HAAS: Yeah, nice lie. Got a break to be here and just -- it's like a fairway bunker shot and trying to hit it solid and yeah, to hit it there from when it looks like I could be in the trees, that turned a bogey into a birdie.

Q. Then you mentioned the blemish there. Again, the par 3. How nice was this one?
BILL HAAS: Really nice shot. You know, lucky to go through the green. The goal was to kind of get this going down the slope and trickled in for me.

Q. Your experience, what I've heard 67, 8-under. Give us an insight into your approach for Sunday.
BILL HAAS: The course itself doesn't lend you to relax. You got to be on point the whole day. There's going to be a number of shots that are just tough golf shots tomorrow and hopefully I can perform under the gun because hopefully if I play decent the front-9, I have a chance to win a tournament. That's all you can ask for.

Q. Bill, what a well played round of golf. I could pick out a lot of shots. Tell me about the chip at 15.
BILL HAAS: Honestly, the tee shot, I really liked the shot. My playing partner hit 5-iron. I hit a 6. I knew I had to hit a good one. Unlucky landed too far on the green. Had a nice lie on the fringe. Downhill. All I had to do was bump it down on the green and the slope took it. You're kind of at the mercy for a bump here or there.

Q. I'm not being critical here, are you still adjusting to the speed of the greens? You left a couple putts short.
BILL HAAS: I think we all are. If you watched every group you would see a number of guys leave putts short. All that is, you say come on, you learn it after 54 holes. But, you know, on 17 I'm 40 feet so leaving it three feet short is actually a decent putt, I think, because you also don't want to get up there and pound it and hit it 6 feet by.

That doesn't do you any good, either. You're trying to have correct speed and a couple times today I definitely left a few short. Hopefully tomorrow you don't want a steady diet of three, four-footers because they get dicey on the back-9 on Sunday.

Q. Tell me about your thoughts going into the final round.
BILL HAAS: I feel pretty good. The game has been a hair off and even so far this week I feel like I've gotten a lot out of my game to be near the lead and so with that said, I got to be focused tomorrow because -- and I got to be able to accept a couple bad shots. What I've done everyday, I hit a few and keep going at it. Make a few putts to keep myself in it.

Down the stretch anything can happen on 15, 16, 17, 18. If I'm within shouting distance tomorrow, I look forward to that opportunity.

Q. 67. We didn't see a lot of low numbers out there. What do you take away from your 3rd Round?
BILL HAAS: I scrambled well. The times I was a little loose off teeth maybe, I birdied 10 which looked like a ball that could be in the trees and I was just -- I was fine, there was nothing in front of me but certainly a couple yards left and I'm chipping out and then I end up making birdie.

I'm getting away with my loose shots and you cannot rely on that for four straight days. So, tomorrow hopefully just get off the tee a little better and from there you can attack this course. But it's just tough. Obviously you're seeing the scores are not that low and very pleased to shoot 4-under today.

Q. You said were you forward a little with your game. From a mental standpoint, how nice was it having your dad here earlier in the week to put you kind of in a positive mindset to start the week?
BILL HAAS: Anytime you get somebody with some experience with the game and especially my dad, he's the guy I've listened to my whole life with my golf game and just to have him look at me and say this looks pretty good and try this and gives you confidence and luckily I've executed enough good shots to be shooting good scores but, with that said, I know I'm still working on things and tomorrow I got to be focused and not let the moment get ahead of me and hopefully execute some good golf shots.

Q. Obviously you're in a great spot to far. What do you have to tighten up?
BILL HAAS: If I can hit 14 fairways tomorrow or 13 fairways, that's asking a lot around this place but I think getting off the tee, if you can find the fairways, it relieves a lot of stress around this place.

Q. Fun today?
BILL HAAS: Yeah. I mean making putts are fun but, then again, perfect drive at 18, I hit a pitching wedge 50 feet and missed it right and missed the green. Those aren't fun. I don't care.

But then to make a nice first putt and make the three footer there to make par on the last, those things are fun. So you got to enjoy the good you're doing out there and hopefully tomorrow I won't hit many bad wedges like that.

Q. You talk to your dad tonight going into the final round or kind of already do what you needed to do?
BILL HAAS: I'm sure we'll talk. I'm hoping he watched some of the golf, "This looked like this out there, I saw that swing on 18, just looked like you didn't finish your whatever." I don't know. But if I could get any, you know -- I'll talk to him, yeah, to answer your question, we'll text or maybe talk and, you know, he'll give me kind of positive thoughts and hopefully I can use them tomorrow.

Q. How much better is it being in contention versus just trying to get a Top 25 for you guys out here?
BILL HAAS: That's the reason you play. Obviously if you're in 50th place then Sunday you're playing for a Top 25 and if you're in 25th place you're playing on Sunday for a Top 10. I think if you're near the lead, you're playing to win.

You're always playing for something and I think the best players out here you see them -- so many guys shoot a good number on the last day and sneak up and that's the reason they continue to be good week-in and week-out.

For me, like you said, last week I finished 49th or something like that. That's not that much fun. And today, tomorrow to have a chance that's all you can ask for.

Q. Bill, is this a course you can ever feel comfortable on especially if you have a lead?
BILL HAAS: I don't think so. Right out of the get-go you're hitting down a hill to a fairway that looks like it's the size of a bowling alley.

Right out of the gate you're tested and then there's just a bunch of shots where you have to hit the shot it's asking you to hit. You can't just flail one out there and I can get it on the green from there. You have to be on the correct side of the hole and the correct side of the fairways and when you're missing fairways there's usually a safer side and there's certainly a lot of thinking going on out there.

Q. Back to back, the two best scores you ever posted here. Obviously playing very well. Your thoughts on being able to close it off and finish off with a win here.
BILL HAAS: Certainly another 67 would, I think, give me a great chance tomorrow. Somebody would have to -- I think Graham was one back. He'll be either tied with me or one back. He could certainly shoot a 66 or 65 and beat me. But I would be very happy with anything in the 60s tomorrow, you know, maybe somebody beat me opposed to give it to anybody.

Q. Obviously that was a great way to finish today.
BILL HAAS: I three-putted 14 -- or 13 and then 14 I hit the best wedge I hit all week and actually one hopped into the pin and sucked off. If it hadn't hit the pin, either gone in or be a foot. I felt the chip back was a little payback for a bad break. That's what it is out here. You're going to get some bad breaks. In order win, you have to get some good breaks like the chip-in.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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