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THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY MASTERCARD

July 23, 2009

Jay Haas

SUNNINGDALE, ENGLAND

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Jay, nice 4-under par 66. Maybe just a few general comments about your day and talk about coming to Sunningdale to play in this event.
JAY HAAS: I had a similar day that I've been having. I've had a lot of -- I made a lot of birdies I guess in practise, a lot of good shots. So I was anxious for the day to start, a little bit nervous. I feel like the scores were going to be good, just when I saw the course, the greens are immaculate, there's not a mark on them. So I felt like I needed to shoot low to have a chance here. And I think that's pretty much every week, but not so much in major tournaments.
But the day went well. Hit a lot of good shots. Kind of got off to an indifferent start, though. I missed a short par putt at 3, I bogeyed 5, birdied 6, bogeyed 7. I was 1-over through seven, so to come back was a nice way to finish and made a nice 3 at No. 18.

Q. What was your shot into 18?
JAY HAAS: 18 I was 134 maybe, 139, something like that. I hit a pitching wedge, it was straight downwind and I actually got a nice break. I hit it a little thin. It just did carry the bunker, but had had some nice spin on it and left it five feet from the hole. Hit a good drive, and if you drive it well here, you're going to get some chances.
It's not brutally long. There's a couple of holes that will test you off the tee, but if you can get the ball in the fairway, you can take advantage.

Q. Does this course resemble anything you've got at home?
JAY HAAS: Yeah, a lot of guys have compared it to something we might see at Pinehurst, kind of a Pine Valley look. You know, the undulation is something that we are not used to over here. There's some hills and things that we might see at some course, Troon, The Postage Stamp, the side of the green there that goes down, but you don't have a lot of shots up and down hills. So this is a little bit unusual.
But the framing of the holes I think is something that we see more in the States with the trees, the pine trees around. I think that appeals to my eye I guess when I stand up on the tee. I guess there's two kind of blind shots. You do have something to aim at, but you can't see the fairway on No. 7 and No. 11.
But other than that, everything is kind of in front of you and it kind of explains to you off the tee, you're supposed to go here, you're supposed to go there. A lot of links courses, you don't even see the bunkers. You just walk up and you have to chip out. It's a little more comfortable I guess to the American players.

Q. The front nine, especially the first three holes, it looked like you were hitting the ball well but the putter was not quite firing. Did it take a while to get used to the speed of the greens?
JAY HAAS: Yeah, the speed has increased a little bit as the week has gone on. I made a nice 2-putt at the first hole, but the first putt I hit, I thought it was perfectly pin-high and it rolled by about 2 1/2 feet, and No. 2 I left it short, and No. 3 I ran it by about 3 1/2 feet and kind of misread that putt.
But yeah, I was a little anxious with the putter early on. I made a nice putt at 6 and that kind of settled me down a little bit, probably broke about eight feet and was probably 25 feet away. And to make that one, that relaxed me a little bit. Nice 2-putt at 9 up that shelf there and it had perfect pace on it. So as it went on, it did get a little more comfortable on the speed.

Q. And you were playing with Sam Torrance, he knows the course as well as anyone. Did you take any tips off him?
JAY HAAS: It was hard to not ask him. Obviously we can't ask, but he knows this course as well as anybody out here. I tried to get a game with him in practise. We didn't play Monday, we played the Pro-Am Tuesday and he had a game on Wednesday. I probably should have gone and walked with him yesterday in the afternoon.
You know, I just kind of watched some of the club selection they took off the tee, whether it be a driver or a 3-wood, and then after the shot, maybe kind of listened to him a little bit. Got some good -- just watching him I guess it helped me, and he was playing well, too. I can see why he likes this golf course.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: Maybe finish us up with a couple of thoughts about Sunningdale as a venue for the Senior Open.
JAY HAAS: I think everybody is ecstatic about being here. The condition of the course is fabulous. It seems like the people are genuinely happy to have us here, too. I think that's important. The fans seem really behind everybody. Just the feeling we get in the clubhouse. I don't know, just everything about it: Being close to London I think is special, and it offers the ladies something to do at night, as opposed to just the guys chipping and putting in their room or something like that. It's nice to be close by to a major city here.

Q. Shopping at Harrod's.
JAY HAAS: Right, as I said, I have to play well. I have my wife and two of my daughters are here with me this week. They haven't done any damage yet, at least they claim they haven't. But I haven't seen any bags come back to the room (laughing).
PHIL STAMBAUGH: Jay, thank you and good luck.

End of FastScripts

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