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CHARLES SCHWAB CUP CHAMPIONSHIP

October 29, 2006

Jay Haas

SONOMA, CALIFORNIA: Final Round

THE MODERATOR: Jay, congratulations on winning the Schwab Cup by 20 points. A million dollar annuity, and you also win the Arnold Palmer Award as the Champions TOUR leading money winner this year with $2.4 million. Maybe just share your shouts on winning the Schwab Cup.

THE WITNESS: Honestly, right now I have very mixed emotions. I didn't play very well today. Felt like Loren had the upper hand going into the last nine holes there, and for him to miss a putt on the last hole, I can feel for him. You know, I understand how he must be disappointed.

Now that being said, I guess it won't hit me for a while, until maybe after a few weeks or so, what I've accomplished this year. I've played well most of the year. I guess to leave on it wasn't a terrible note. I didn't play awfully. I shot even par and all that. But I don't know, I guess, again, mixed emotions.

It's a thrill to be here and to be, you know, taking a picture with that trophy. And it was a goal of mine at the start of the year to lead the money list and win the Schwab Cup. I guess it's just I'm whipped right now, I suppose. I played the last 5 weeks in a row. I was pretty short with myself out there on the golf course today. Just no patience. Just trying too hard, I suppose. Trying to not try so hard. I don't know what how to do that. But, I guess I did enough, and I guess I can't think about just one round.

Just think about the entire year of how thrilling this is to be the champion of the Schwab Cup. Again, that is Charles Schwab is unbelievable to put this out there for us to shoot for, and pretty amazing that it would come down after how many thousands of golf balls have been hit to come down to one shot. I want to congratulate Loren. I think he played awfully well this year. Every single week he was up there. I feel like we should almost share the award.

Q. Can you talk about that moment when you realized you had won?

JAY HAAS: Yeah, I thought, what? You know, he had me by a shot, maybe two shots, and I felt like I could have gotten away with that if we had been maybe tenth and eighth or something like that. Or if he was going to tie for third or something like that.

And I felt like the money was enough for him to catch me. And so I was talking to a couple people after the rounds, and just was I was disappointed. So I guess I don't know if I'm not a very good doesn't seem like I've just won here, but I felt like I had lost already.

They said I was 16 points behind, and Loren needed a 2 putt form 50 or 60 feet. Whatever it was. I guess you just figure Loren Roberts 2 putting from anywhere is pretty much a done deal.

Again, I feel bad for Loren. He played well all year. But I was just outside of scorer's trailer and just talking about being disappointed. And then I heard a groan, and I was almost hoping that it was Jim. You know, that he hit 2 or 3 putts to play with. So I figured if he made a bogey it wouldn't have mattered.

Again, kind of not bittersweet, I guess, but just a different feeling. Again, here's Jim holding the trophy out there and I'm in here talking about this. It's a season long thing. I've never been involved in something like that, so I don't know how to react, I suppose.

Q. Could you just discuss Jim Thorpe, who has this sort of oddball swing and comes out and he's won here twice. I know the guys on the TOUR think a lot of him. You just got on the TOUR, but you knew each other on the other TOUR. What do people think of him?

JAY HAAS: Well, I saw a quote from Loren about how everybody loves him out here. That's true. He's just somebody you want to hang around with. He's a neat guy with all the quips and some funny little sayings. His golf swing I watched a couple shots on replay maybe from the last couple days, and I'm just going, Come on. That ball didn't go straight.

But he what a fierce competitor he is, and what a touch he has. You have to have a wonderful short game to play this golf course, because you're not going to drive the ball on every fairway and you're going to have some shots around the greens whether it be in the bunker or rough and fast putts.

He said on the green out there that he's like a good horse. He gets his nose out front and he does not back down. He's not afraid when he gets into that position. So I think that's certainly a feather in his cap. He's a tough competitor, but also somebody that you can joke with and just a fun guy. We're blessed to have him out here on the Champions TOUR.

Q. You talk about quips and sayings? Any examples you can provide?

JAY HAAS: Well, you know, he did none without all kinds of symbols and stuff in the paper. You know, just he's just a you know he'll make some comment about the football game or going to the track or something. Just funny little things that he might say. I don't know. I guess there's just so many of them that there's not one certain thing. No tag line or anything like that. But he just you can joke with him, you know.

Q. Loren yesterday said that Jim brings sort of an athletic mix to the game. Not to say other players aren't athletic, but he's obviously played football and he still looks like he could bang around. How much does that play into his success?

JAY HAAS: I think it's quite an advantage. But at the same time, I don't think Jim grew up around the country club. He's a self made guy on the golf course. I think that's a testament to him and to his perseverance.

But, yeah, his strength, I think, would help him in this rough here. I know it ate me alive when I got in the rough. But I think having the strength to muscle it out of there is an advantage for him. I assume he appears to be very athletic. I don't think you'd want to mess with Jim in anything that had to do with strength or agility drills.

But I think not growing up with all the benefits that some of us did, his athleticism, I think, surely has helped him.

Q. Jay, despite the somewhat awkward conclusion today, how does it feel to be No. 1 at this age after so many years of playing the game for a living?

JAY HAAS: Right. I guess that has not sunken in. Sunken IN, sunk in. How is that I'll LET let you guys figure that one out. You know, I've seen Tom Watson hoist the trophy and many, many trophies, and been leading money winner. My good friend Curtis Strange (phonetic) leading money winner on the PGA TOUR. Dana, I played with him last year. I think he ended up the leading money winner on the Champions TOUR.

So to do that is a thrill for me. And to see that come to light here at the end of year. Again, I think maybe as I look back on it as the weeks go by it will mean a lot more to me.

Just starting next year to be you know, to have that in my pocket, so to speak. That I've lead the money list at least once in my life is a pretty neat thing.

Q. Have you thought about what you're going to do with the money?

JAY HAAS: Yeah. You know, I guess Allen Doyle maybe set the precedent a few years ago, which was an unbelievable generous generosity on his part, he and his wife. And then Tom Watson, I think with Bruce, his long time caddie, I think he's pretty much into ALS. And my father in law died of that. But Jay and I have been talking about it, and throughout the years that was my goal. Just to donate it back in the Greenville area. Not anyone in specific.

I do have a there is as junior tournament at the home club there at Thornblade, and they have taken on the children's pediatric well, same thing, the pediatric leukemia treatment center. The tournament itself is a junior's event, and the tag line is, "Kids Helping Kids."

In the first year we donated, I think, $10,000. Last year we gave $15,000. And they are just ecstatic for that donation. So a big chunk of that will go to this fund, and just to have it available. I know there a lot of other charities in the Greenville area, but, yes, I'm donating the entire amount.

Q. Where is the hospital?

JAY HAAS: In Greenville South Carolina, Memorial Hospital. Again, that's a big part of it. We had a tournament this year they're doing some great things there experiment wise trying to figure out a cure without killing the patients with the cure, you know. So it's a pretty neat thing.

Q. Jay, you've missed tough putts, as ever golfer has. Much can you main imagine what that felt like for him?

JAY HAAS: Yeah. You know, Loren probably knew the situation. He didn't know maybe that he desperately needed that one. I don't know. Maybe someone told him at the end. I doubt it. But I think first he's probably disappointed that he didn't win the tournament, as I am. I felt I had a good opportunity yesterday midway through.

But, you know, had it been me on the other side, if Loren was sitting here, my disappointment maybe would have been more so for the charities. Just half of the amount is coming home. And I'm pretty sure Loren is going to do the same thing. That's maybe why it wasn't such a I guess I was more trying to win the money title. That was my goal, maybe.

And obviously the Schwab Cup going along with it maybe. But the million dollar thing was not in the back of my mind like it was in my hip pocket, because we were going to donate it anyway. It's just a Cup. I mean, I don't mean to downplay it, but what I'm saying it's all about the charities.

Q. (Inaudible.)

JAY HAAS: Yeah, it's half.

Q. I hear you talking about Jim being a self made guy. How much does that sort of enhance the respect his peers have for him? And how important do you think it is for the game for a guy like him? He talked about the Tiger effect hadn't happened and for a person of color winning. I imagine that has good effects for the game.

JAY HAAS: I think so. I think Jim has the respect of every man out here. And not only through his golf, but he's just a neat guy. He's a straight shooter. Again, a fun guy to be around. He has a good a big heart. You know, that goes a long way to carrying him through his successes on the golf course.

But, yeah, I think we all respect him, what he's accomplished. I mean, any of those guys out here. But, yeah, a person of color, I think it's you know, that's a great thing, too. I guess I don't look at it so much in those terms. I look at Jim as a good golfer and a friend, and I think most of us do.

THE MODERATOR: Any more questions? Thank you, Jay.

End of FastScripts.

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