|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
TOSHIBA CLASSICMarch 9, 2008Jay HaasNEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA DAVE SENKO: Jay, thanks for joining us. I'm sure disappointing and, you know, a lot of emotional swings out there today with the 7-hole playoff. Talk a little bit about the day. JAY HAAS: Yeah, I guess I felt like I had to shoot something in the low 60s to get into a playoff. I felt like Bernhard was going to shoot 67, 66, 68, somewhere in there, so I was thinking 16-under was maybe the number for me to get to. That would have been okay, but thought I had given it away on 17 when I three-putted. Felt like I could make a birdie at 18, but felt like Bernhard was probably going to make pars and then birdie 18 to win beat me by a shot. To get into the playoff, I felt good about that. He hit a lot of great shots in the playoff. Probably my only poor shot was my second shot, I don't know, the third time I played 18 or something, I don't know. The one I hit in the right bunker, that was a pretty poor shot. Other than that my irons were really good. You know, felt like I had to do something special. I was shooting at the flag at 18, the last hole. But, yeah, I'm disappointed. When you get that far and that close, you know, did what I wanted to do to get to the playoff or at least have a chance, but then you like to finish it off. You know, both of us played some pretty good shots, and both of us kind of let the other one out of the trap there on the second time, I guess, we played 18 in the playoff when we both made 5s there. We hit six beautiful drives on that hole, and Bernhard made two birdies and I made one. We should have finished it off a little bit better than that. You know, when you get that close you just hate to give them away. Had a pretty good putt at 18. I did not think I missed that putt. I knew it was going right. I knew that putt goes right. I just, you know, hit it easier than I should have, obviously. Should have just burned it in the left center there, but that's not the way I putt. I putt kind of dying them in the hole. Even though he was in for four, it's just -- I thought I hit a good putt. I was real shocked when it kind of bumped and broke a little bit more than I thought. Q. (No microphone.) JAY HAAS: Actually, it was a little firm but not that bad. Coming from back there it's pretty sticky going in there. It's easy to leave that chip short. I was being aggressive with it, and I felt like if I could put a little check on it that -- you know, when I hit it and saw it bounce and then take the second bounce and went right toward the hole I thought it was going in, and a rattled in there pretty good. Then it went farther by than I thought it should have, or it was going. But still should have made that putt. We should still be going out there on the fifth time to No. 16, or however many times we played that hole today. Q. Is it a little bit more disappointing because it's so special to defend the title? JAY HAAS: I wasn't so much thinking about that. When I was announced off the tee this week I was announced as the 2007 champion and all that. Someone spoke earlier in the week and asked me about -- no one's ever successfully defended the title here. You know, that would have just been icing on the cake. Just the fact that I had a chance to win and I didn't, that was the most disappointing thing. Repeating that would have been great. It just would have been nice to get another win. Q. Is this possibly a preview of the Player the Year race? JAY HAAS: I read he was going to play about 18 events. You know Bernhard's always been a tough competitor. He's always been one of our best players. Still seems to be very passionate about it. He will be tough all year long. To be included in that group is flattering. I think it's going to be a battle amongst a lot of guys. Hopefully I'm one of them, but Bernhard will be tough playing only 18. You know, I played 27 last year. I think Loren played 23. But, you know, if Bernhard plays like he can play, he might win eight times out here in that length of time. But there are a lot of good players out there and a lot guys that are starting to -- Ben, he's knocking on the door. I see he finished third today. Curtis I think is playing better. Jeff Sluman, it was good to see him in the last group today. I think he's somebody to be reckoned with. I think he'll get a little bit more comfortable as the year goes on. There are a lot of good players out there now. Bernhard, John Cook won at the end of last year. I would be thrilled to be in the hunt of that award come the end of the year. Q. (No microphone.) JAY HAAS: Saturday, yesterday, the front 9 playing the front 9 1-over, didn't play great, but had a couple opportunities there. You know, at one stage yesterday in the middle of the back 9 I think was 7 back. To get 4 back starting the day and then to catch him, that makes me feel good. I did a lot of good things. I got to think about the positive and all that. But there are a lot of places where I only needed one stroke, and Bernhard the same way. He could have eliminated a playoff by two-putting 17. I could have eliminated a playoff by two-putting 17. I don't think there's any one shot or one stretch of holes. You play them all and hopefully you can save them when the time comes. I made a lot of nice putts today early. The 17th hole in regulation and then that last one there are really the only two putts that, short ones, that kind of all week that I missed. I felt pretty good. The greens were starting to get -- you could see the footprints. As the sun goes down here you can really see the footprints. Q. (No microphone.) JAY HAAS: Yeah, I'm going to give it one more chance. I like that golf course, but I have not done well there in the past. I don't know what it is. Again, as I say here, it looks good to my eye. There are a lot of holes that I like out there, but I just have never been able to really get on top of that course there. Hopefully I can continue to hit the ball well. I really played well this week. Had a lot of good drives. You know, so if I can do that. But I'm anxious. Certain places that I haven't played well before are little goals of mine to say, Let's give it one more chance and see what I can do here. So hopefully we'll get some good weather. This was awesome this week. DAVE SENKO: Okay. End of FastScripts |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|