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SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 27, 2006

Jay Haas

EDMOND, OKLAHOMA

KELLY ELBIN: Jay Haas, ladies and gentlemen, in with a 2 over par 73 today, for a 211 total. That is at 2 under par. Currently tried for fifth, four strokes behind leader Gil Morgan began.

Jay, comments on a very blustery day at Oak Tree.

JAY HAAS: Well, obviously it was very difficult, club selection, a lot of cross winds. Just not an easy golf course without much wind and today was what we experienced maybe on Tuesday. I'm pretty disappointed. Especially bogeying the last hole. I probably hit two of my best shots of the day and hit it just over the green, kind of in a no man's land over the green there.

But I hung in there, I got off to a terrible start. Hit one in the water at number three and 3 putted four and seven or four and six. And 3 over par didn't see much relief ahead.

But I fought back. Made a nice birdie at 8, 9. Bogeyed 11, but then birdied 13.

And just kept hanging in there, thinking that if I could get a birdie at 16 and get back to even for the day, that would have been a heck of a score. But didn't do that. Getting too far away now with Gil 8 under? 6. 6 under. I guess we're still in the hunt, but he's going to be tough to beat. I thought going into the week he was the guy to beat here and that's, I got to shoot something in the not so high 60s tomorrow and if it's blowing like this, that's a pretty tall order.

KELLY ELBIN: Jay, distance on the three birdie putts, please.

JAY HAAS: 8, from about 30 feet.

9, maybe 10 feet.

13 was about 12 feet.

KELLY ELBIN: Questions.

Q. Earlier Dana Quigley said that par played a lot higher than 71 today. Did you feel that way and how frustrated was it with the wind, when you say you hit two of your best shots on the day on 18 and getting a bogey?

JAY HAAS: Well, I guess I got what I deserved mostly. I wasn't that sharp. Didn't drive the ball in the fairway enough times. But it was just, that was a frustrating end to the round. It kind of I hit some good shots coming in the last few holes, kind of figured something out and maybe that will help me for tomorrow, but hit a beautiful drive at 18 and Tom was right behind me a yard or two and hit a 7 iron, they clapped. I hit a 7 iron, no clap. And he must have mishit his a little bit or something. But it was a pretty hard for me to pull one club less after he hit 7 iron and it looked like it was a good shot. But I didn't really think too much about par, it just was, a par on any hole is a good score today. I can't afford to 3 putt. I did that twice. From not very far away. 20 feet maybe at number 4 and maybe 25 feet at 6.

And had a makeable putt at 18. Maybe six feet. But straight down the hill, down wind. I left it short. I thought it was really quick. That just leaves a bad taste there.

But it was frustrating, but, gosh, I'm still in there. I got to hopefully shoot something in the 60s tomorrow.

Q. Is it basically you against the course tomorrow or are you still looking at the leaderboard, how are you going to approach it that way?

JAY HAAS: I guess I always think it's me against the course. I don't know that I can, I can't control what any of the guys are doing, obviously.

If I could put up some good scores early, make some birdies, make a little run. But everybody's just fighting the course right now. It's just survival, trying to put the ball in the fairway, get it on the green. Make a birdie occasionally to offset a bogey or two.

But if it comes down to it, if I'm making a move and it might get to a match play point then, but I think everybody goes out with a mindset of just trying to par and birdie. You know, not trying to think about beating Gil or Brad or Peter or anybody. Just trying to shoot as low as we can.

Q. If it's this windy tomorrow, can you approach it as though you have learned something having played in this two or three times this week, or is it so strong it's just a guessing game?

JAY HAAS: A little bit of both. I think that it's, we're fortunate that the wind has been pretty consistent in the direction that it's been blowing all week. Kind of learning a little bit about the course, where to go, where not to go, where we can, how far we can drive it on certain holes, things like that. But again, knowing the golf course doesn't help you if you're not hitting it, hitting good shots. But it does help that it's been the same direction and I would assume that it's going to be the same tomorrow.

Q. Would you talk about what was the last round you played in conditions on a course this severe, this is the toughest conditions you played in since blank, something like that?

JAY HAAS: Well, let's see. We're old guys, we can't think too far back. When you play at a course like the TPC at Sawgrass, any kind of wind there, that's a similar course.

Q. Last year?

JAY HAAS: Yeah. I would say there a couple years ago. Not this past year, the year before.

Q. When Fred won?

JAY HAAS: Yeah.

Q. On a day like today do guys like Gil, David Edwards, Doug Tewell have a kind of an innate advantage having played the course and dealt with these conditions before?

JAY HAAS: Well, everyone says that Gil hardly ever plays here, he just occasionally comes over. But I think just knowing the wind, he has to have a little bit of an advantage because he lives here. He's obviously seen it more than we have. But again, all those things coming into play, if you, if you don't hit the shots, it's not an advantage. But, yes, I think that everything else being equal, Gil would have an advantage, knowing the golf course, yes.

KELLY ELBIN: At 2 under par 211, Jay Haas. Thank you, Jay.

JAY HAAS: Okay.

End of FastScripts.

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