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BOB HOPE CLASSIC

January 24, 2010

Bill Haas

LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA

DAVE SENKO: Well, Bill, thanks for joining us. Third consecutive 66, and right now, you're 22-under going to tomorrow. Maybe just take us through your day. It looked like started at Number 10 today and birdied there, and then par, par the rest of the way, and then five birdies on your last nine.
BILL HAAS: Yeah, I was glad to get hot there at the end on the back nine. Made about a 25-footer on the first hole and was pretty pumped thinking I was going to get out going, and just the putter was not feeling good on the front nine - the back nine, my front nine.
Then hit a close one at 1 and 2, kind of tap-ins, and that kind of got it going. Made about a 40-footer on Number 3. So that was kind of lucky.
But then the next hole, I hit it about -- I was about 15 feet for eagle on the fringe and took three to get down from there. So I lost one there. It kind of evened out after Number 3.
Then a good putt at 7. Actually, 8, the par-5, I had to lay up because of a bad drive in the rough, and then I hit the hole, hit the pin in the hole on Number 8, and it spun back 20 feet, but ended up making that, so it worked out.

Q. 22-under going into it looks like you have a chance to maybe even be in the last group depending upon what happens out there. But just tell us about the state of your game right now. Obviously three 66s is pretty good.
BILL HAAS: It feels good. I got a tip, it was not like this last week. And I came out here, I worked with Billy Harmon and flew back early after missing the cut at Hawaii, and worked. My dad was out here practicing before he went to Hawaii, and my brother was with him, and my uncle Bob was out there, Bob Goalby was out there, my dad's uncle, and we all were there on the range kind of working.
And I was kind of bitching and moaning because how bad I was playing and they're telling me just relax, it's the first week. And through Billy, and my uncle Bob gave me a tip to just move my right foot, I was kind of -- it was closed and just opened up my right foot and it allows me to turn a little better. And I'm not thinking any kind of golf swing tip, just mainly my setup.

Q. This was over at Toscana?
BILL HAAS: Toscana, yeah. So it feels good.

Q. Talk about your emotions and how you deal with the opportunity of getting this win this weekend and what it would mean.
BILL HAAS: It would mean a lot. The emotions, and they're flowing, they're going up-and-down out there. Even day one, just to make the first birdie kind of get that, that's an emotion just to get through that. And then now to be 22-under.
And I just wanted a chance. I knew yesterday I needed to shoot a good number to have a chance to tomorrow. If I shoot even today, I'm in 30th place, because that's just what happens here.
Tomorrow, I'm hoping for good weather. I like good weather better than I like bad weather, as does everybody. But if good weather, that means it's going to take a 66 to have a chance. I don't even know if that will win tomorrow. I know that will give me a chance though, and I would be very pleased with that.

Q. You've played here a few years now. Do you feel like it took you a couple of years to get acclimated to the Bob Hope Classic?
BILL HAAS: I don't know. I think I enjoy playing with these guys. They don't do this for a living. They're out here, they don't hit it well or they're struggling. I'm out there trying to give tips, whether or not they take them, you know, they just are out here having fun. And it kind of loosens me up and it takes my mind off of having to make a birdie to stay on pace, you know. I just kind have been doing my thing.
And I'm doing my thing more so than helping them out, don't get me wrong. I'm selfish and focused out there for my own good, but they definitely take the pressure off.

Q. The inevitable question, you mentioned Bill Harmon, he was your dad's caddie when he won here in '88. Where were you? Were you here or were you in school someplace?
BILL HAAS: In '88, I don't think I was here. That would have been a long trip across country. I was six, I think. I wouldn't have made this trip. We traveled when I was, like, probably up until age four, because I would have been four. My brother would have been five, my sister would have been three, and then my mom was pregnant with the fourth. So once that happened, I don't think my mom, she was done traveling.

Q. It's tough to travel that way?
BILL HAAS: It's tough to travel like that, yeah. I think the family's that have one kid out here all have, and at least one nanny or two, so there's no way you can handle four kids out here.

Q. You were talking about being pretty frustrated from missing the cut last week, a couple years ago you were frustrated talked about quitting. How serious were you about that was that sort of tongue in cheek?
BILL HAAS: That was actually, in my opinion, a misprint. I may have said it somewhat like that, but the way I said it was not written that way. He took it that way and the way I said it was not, he did not write it that way. I basically said I'm so frustrated right now, I would rather be doing something else. Didn't say, I said maybe it makes you want to quit and do something else.
And then my next whole paragraph was about how, through talking to my dad, I know you got to fight back and I'm going to give it my best shot here, and hopefully the rest of the season is better. But none of that was printed. It was just that whole thing, I wanted to quit, and -- but I was just focused on -- I was talking about how frustrated I was at that time and how -- and then I went on to talk about how I needed to get better and be patient. And that's still something I don't think I learned is patience, and I'm still trying to.

Q. You know how the damn media is, be careful with them?
BILL HAAS: Yeah, that's right.

Q. What are the thoughts of if you win this thing, your dad won this thing, of what would that mean to you?
BILL HAAS: The West Coast, I think my dad's won Torrey, he's won here, I don't think he ever won L.A.
But there's been a couple times I've been up there in San Diego and he's calling me telling me how great it would be, that would be your first win. My uncle Bob, he's won -- he won Hawaii, and he told me when I went out to Hawaii, it would be great to have my first win out there.
And there's people in my family that have won and it would be great. I don't think they would care which one it was. They would just want me to get that first one also.
But, yeah, to have it, I could have a picture with -- I think the picture with my dad and Billy here, he's picking Billy up on the 18th hole. That's a pretty neat picture. And I would love to have one we could have next to each other, that would definitely be pretty special.

Q. Palmer Course tomorrow. How do you feel about that?
BILL HAAS: Feel good. I think the par-3s are a little tougher out there than the rest of the course. And I think those are the key holes. I think if you play the par-3s a couple under, then you can really get the rest of the course - or even par. I think you play them at even par, you got four par-5s, you got the perfect fairways on the par-4s, if you're driving it good, you can score. So those will be my focus trying to play those in even, 1-under, 2-under, and I'll hopefully shoot a good number.

Q. Meeting up with your family up at Toscana, was that planned or was that only possible because you missed the cut, was the missed cut a blessing in disguise then?
BILL HAAS: It kind of might have been a blessing in disguise. I might not have got that tip. So I was able to come back a day early, I missed the cut, I came here Sunday night, and I was planning on coming out here and seeing every course as much as I could. But my dad said -- they were driving over to L.A. to fly out, to fly over to Hawaii at noon, so they were going to go practice before noon. And I was, like, Well, I'll meet you, I think we went to Keedy's breakfast at 6 a.m., and then hit balls all morning. And that was kind of where it all happened.

Q. That was Sunday?
BILL HAAS: That was Monday.

Q. Monday.
BILL HAAS: Right.
DAVE SENKO: Okay. Everyone okay? Thanks, Bill.
BILL HAAS: Thank you. All right.

End of FastScripts

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