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SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIPMay 24, 2007Jay HaasKIAWAH ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA Q. Talk about your round? JAY HAAS: I really did some good things today. It was a really tough day, I thought. We were probably at the height of the wind, especially on our back side or playing the back nine, our front nine. I probably played some of my best golf of the year through that stretch. I was a couple under through eight holes. And 14, 15, 16, 17, they're just brutal holes into the wind. And I turned 1-under and then felt pretty good. And not that the front nine is any easier, but the wind seems to be a little or the holes seem to be protected there from the wind on those first few. And then I 3-putted from the fringe at one and hit the wrong club at 2. And then made another bogey. And all of a sudden I'm 1-over par. And I'm just thrilled with even par. I hit a lot of good shots, did a lot of good things, and happy to get away with that today. Playing in the afternoon. Q. (Inaudible.) JAY HAAS: I hit a 4-iron. Hit a really good shot, probably 25 feet right of the hole. Q. (Inaudible.) JAY HAAS: 178 was the yardage. Q. (Inaudible.) JAY HAAS: I didn't hit a great drive, but then I hit a poor pitch shot and kind of misjudged a little bit. Thought the wind was going to take a little off of it. 2, I hit probably my best drive of the day, the best 7-iron. It landed right next to the hole and just trickled over. And I putted it back to about five or six feet and I missed that. I hit a real nice putt. So basically hit four really good shots and I was still not in the hole yet. So that was frustrating. And then 2, I felt like I gave one back or gave one away there. I had it 92 yards and was trying to hit a real low burning gap wedge in there and I just didn't keep it low enough. It hit the front of the green and came down and then hit a poor pitch there to about eight feet and missed it. So that stretch there hurt me. And I felt like I, if I would have played those holes even par, it wouldn't have been that big of an upset with the shots that I hit. So that was a little frustrating, but then I -- you expect to hit bad shots out there or off line shots. And in this condition, but I held in there pretty good. Q. Looked like the wind, 18 it looked like the wind really, I mean right about that time it really kicked up for you guys. JAY HAAS: It seems like that if there is a high point here, that seems to be it. Nothing to stop the wind right there. And it did, you're right, probably -- when we turned at 14, back into the wind, from there to the clubhouse, to me, it was about as strong as it was going to get all day. Q. What did you do on 9? JAY HAAS: Nine 9 I hit a nice drive and pitching wedge to about four feet and made it for birdie. It was a good way to finish and the meal will taste a little bit better. Q. How did you like 14 today? JAY HAAS: 14 I made a birdie. It was probably the highlight of my year. Highlight of my career basically. I hit a 5-iron to about 12 feet and one of the best shots I hit all day. All year. And played -- it was probably the putt should have broke about two inches and because of the wind I played it about a foot. And it somehow, a gust hit it just right and it went right in the middle. So that was a steal there. Q. How about 7. You rolled in, I want to say a six or 8 footer? JAY HAAS: It was probably 10 or 12. Q. (Inaudible.) JAY HAAS: I hit a good drive and -- oh, you mean the par-5. Okay. I was over in the sand dune and then didn't come out like I wanted it to and it was in the rough and then hit a really nice shot, but it kind of jumped a little bit. Hit on the front part of the green, just never stopped, went over the green and pitched that to six inches. So that was a nice save there. A kind of hole that most guys will be making birdies or -- I'm sure that hole is probably playing under par today without question. That hole and No. 11. And so to, I was on my way to a 6 there and I was pretty upset about that. But to get away with a 5 there and birdie the last hole kind of even par, I would have certainly taken that before I teed off. Q. You've been in this game a long time, was there any different nerves or any other anxiety, given you're the defending champion? JAY HAAS: A little bit, but I guess I didn't really have time to think about that a whole lot. I think prior to the round and coming in here for practice rounds and things like that, yeah, I was, I won't say I was uptight about it but I was definitely thinking about wanting to do good for the South Carolina people and for myself. And but once I got into it and started hitting some pretty good shots, then I really didn't give it another thought. Q. You had the biggest gallery, I think, of anybody? JAY HAAS: I hope so, yeah. And hopefully that will continue. Hopefully that will continue. Q. Is putting an under rated, difficult thing to done a course like this? JAY HAAS: Well I think to the players it's not. We realize how difficult it is. But I don't think people realize how, when you get a crosswind putt, do you play the wind, do you not play the wind. The first time you don't it breaks a bunch, the next time it doesn't break. And so, yes, putting is probably one of the most difficult things to do. Downwind it's not easy because your pace has got to change all together. Into the wind you just got to slug it. Yeah, so it's, when it's blowing this hard, the ball's kind of quivering a lot of times and even a putt a couple feet, Curtis had one there on that par three where I made a birdie, he hit a beautiful chip shot up about two feet and downwind kind of down cross wind and just kind of hopped left on him and he, man, he ran that by four feet. So. Q. Do you sole the putter in conditions like this? JAY HAAS: I do. But if these greens were another foot and a half, two feet faster, the ball would be rolling off the greens on every hole just about. Once they settle in there I'm pretty comfortable that it's not going to move. I told -- Curtis tried that on one hole he had about a four footer and he was just kind of barely keeping it above and I told him on the next tee that his nerves were way better than mine. I would have hit that thing about three or four times doing that. But, yeah, you have to watch it. You can't just walk up and put your putter down, because it, you never know what might happen. Q. Who is here? JAY HAAS: Hailey was here, Jay Junior, and that's it in my family and then some friends were with me. Q. Do you have any trouble, you had a couple or one person that had a penalty a two shot penalty for the ball moving? JAY HAAS: No, I was pretty cautious of that. Just because you have seen this before. And you just have to watch it. And we were all pretty aware of that. A couple times the ball kind of oscillated a little bit and but, no, it -- and I could certainly see that. I would think it would happen more than once. It just kind of -- a guy goes up to tap a putt in and doesn't think about it and then it's moving and it's a penalty. But I didn't. I was pretty fortunate. Q. (Inaudible.) JAY HAAS: I haven't even looked at the leaderboard. The cut I would think would be 7 or 8 over. I don't know what the scores are like, but. End of FastScripts |
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