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NORTHERN TRUST OPENFebruary 13, 2013Bill HaasPACIFIC PALISADES, CALIFORNIA LAURA HILL: We'd like to welcome Bill has back to the interview room here. It's been a year since we had you in as champion after that thrilling playoff. Maybe just talk about being back here at Riviera defending your title and memories from last year's event. BILL HAAS: Great to be back. Definitely a tournament I've always looked forward to every year and last year made it even more so. It's just one of those weeks where I think everybody likes the golf course. It's right there in front of you. If you play well, I think you can do well, and it certainly separates the people playing well from the people that are just getting by. So hopefully come tomorrow morning, I'll have it going pretty good. LAURA HILL: When you were on 10 today, did you kind of reenact the putt and still surprise yourself at how far away it was? BILL HAAS: That was one of those putts that I was just trying to get it close and one of those times‑‑ I mean, how many times have I 3‑putted from 40 feet? Plenty of times. Just trying to make par and hopefully nestle it up there close. For it to go in, something I'm never forget, and playing that hole, certainly it's a good feeling. But come tomorrow, if I bogey the first hole right out of the gate, if I play No. 10 right out of the gate, I'll forget about it. It's what have you done for me lately in this game. Q. Fred Couples was in a little earlier and talking about No. 10 and saying how that used to be a hole where he would tell Joe LaCava, right down a 3 on the scorecard and now it's become a pretty difficult hole. Talk about your strategy with that hole. Obviously we saw what you did in the playoff last year, but just in general playing 10 and how you approach it. BILL HAAS: I think you just have to commit to a tee shot and then hit it, and from there, you can hit a perfect shot and not be in good shape. So you pretty much just try to get up there near the green to where you think you can make a good 4 and have a chance at 3. In my opinion, laying up does not help you. Hitting a wedge, a full wedge to that green, you can easily hop it over the green. I just don't think with the balls today‑‑ the older balls spun a little more. The new balls, in my opinion, you get the best chance going for the green, but just trying to get it in that left front area where you can pitch across the green, there's just a little window over there where I think you can be the most consistent from. Q. Fred was just in here and he's making his 31 St. Start, more starts here than anybody else at the Northern Trust Open. When you hear that, is that kind of mind‑boggling? What do you attribute to his success in the long run here? BILL HAAS: Yeah, he obviously likes this course. His talent, his ability to play the game; it's more amazing the fact that he struggled with back issues, but he stayed healthy enough to compete here year‑in and year‑out. I know he has a great record here, and he probably shows up knowing he has a chance to win. There's probably not‑‑ I mean, he thinks that probably every week, but he really has a good vibe here. I've always said that about my dad, guys like Fred, that are still playing this many years down the road, just shows a lot of talent and a lot of consistency and a lot of good going on there. Q. With your dad having obviously played here, your earliest recollections of this golf course, and did you as a kid come out and think, like to get a chance to play that, and what did you like about it? BILL HAAS: You know, I do not remember ever being here as a kid. I'm sure I was young, but it's just this was the complete opposite side of the country. By the time I was in school, we were in school, and we didn't come out here at all. I'm sure I saw it when I was a kid but I just don't remember it. I think high school or college, maybe I came out and just watched them play one time, but really the first time I remember seeing it was my rookie year. So I don't have a good answer there for you. Q. In terms of what struck your eye and in terms of most players really like the layout and think it's a great golf course. What do you think or why do you think this is such a good golf course? BILL HAAS: You know, I think the majority of TOUR players will tell you that their favorites are the courses that have held up against the test of time against equipment changes, the bigger, stronger players: Colonial, Hilton Head, here, kind of a group of courses that nobody can ever imagine this stop being off the schedule, just because I think it's just one of best golf courses. It's unique. No. 6 green; the first tee being right by the clubhouse and hitting off the cliff there, there's a lot of unique things about this course that make it special. Q. Could you talk a little about your start to the season and what motivation you might have drawn from the way last year ended? BILL HAAS: Yeah, obviously my goal last year was to make it back to THE TOUR Championship, and had such a nice start here on the West Coast. To basically fail at that in the Playoffs; I got a way from the game a little bit, took a break. And I went and played overseas a couple of events and felt like I was, okay, you can still play this game, you're not terrible and all the things that I was telling myself. Just had some motivation from those events overseas and really just wanted to start the year off nice. Did not play so well my first couple of events, but I feel like I'm coming into it a little bit here. This is a great week to hopefully everything start clicking. LAURA HILL: Thanks so much, good luck this week. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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