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THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY COCA-COLA

November 6, 2004

Jay Haas

ATLANTA, GEORGIA

TODD BUDNICK: First off, we'd like to congratulate 54-hole co-leader Jay Haas for being one of this week's Crestor Charity Challenge winners. For your effort, Jay, $50,000 will be donated on behalf of the Crestor products and the TOUR Championship to the Children's Health Care of Atlanta and you will get to donate $25,000 to the health care charity of your choice.

Another good day for you, 2-under 68 has you at 9-under and tied with Tiger heading into the final round.

JAY HAAS: Yeah, I obviously didn't get off to the start that I was hoping to. I was telling Tommy, my caddie, on 18th green, he said something like, "come on, let's be ready to play tomorrow," and I said, "you know, I thought I was today." I think I downplayed it too much. I was pretty geared up and worked up over being the leader and being in the lead and things like that. I was almost too calm. I wasn't letting the adrenaline work for me the first few holes. I got a little hot under the collar after making two bogeys, hit some bad shots at 2 and 3.

Then 4 probably turned my round around. I hit a 9-iron out of the right rough over a tree to the back edge probably 80 or 90 feet and putted that down to about 15 feet and made it for par. That was a real boost right there. It almost felt like I birdied the hole.

Then I started hitting some good shots. I think I only missed a few fairways after that. That's the real key for me, putting the ball in the fairway all week. I was proud of myself for coming back. Obviously it was a day that you could score a little bit. Some of the guys made some nice runs, Retief and Tiger were getting away from us there in the middle of the round, and I was able to hang with them, so I'm very pleased.

Q. Do you think it'll be easier or harder since it's Tiger for you tomorrow since he said he considers you one of his best friends out here? I'm sure he's still going to try and run over you.

JAY HAAS: I'm sure, yeah. I don't know how to answer that. I always enjoy playing with Tiger. We've had some great rounds together in competition, some fun practice times, been on a couple of times with him now. He's one of my favorites, and to watch the best players in the world play, you've got to enjoy doing that.

To be in that same group with him is just a plus for me, I think. I've got to look at it that I deserve to be there, I've got to talk myself through it and all that. As I said all week, there's no defense out here. If I play well, he can't stop me. If he plays well, I can't stop him. I just have to think about my game and hopefully it'll help. I played a real good round yesterday playing with Darren Clarke who's a good friend, and hopefully that will carry me tomorrow, too.

Q. No disrespect, but would it be fair to say those first three holes were a product of you not having experienced that situation for a long time, and how will you change that if that's the case going into tomorrow?

JAY HAAS: Yeah, I don't know that it was so much a product of that because I felt like I've played well enough in the last couple years. You know, I've been toward the lead and in the lead a few times. I don't think there's any more pressure to feel than the Ryder Cup. I felt like I was ready for it, but I think I need to let my emotions go a little bit more tomorrow and be excited about it obviously. I think as the week goes on, I always get a little more -- I won't say uptight, but it gets a little more serious as the week goes on, especially when I'm playing well.

If I was in 30th place, I wouldn't be -- I would just be looking at what time's my flight and what time am I getting out of here. Hopefully I can learn from today and just be ready right from the first tee and let that adrenaline -- use it to my advantage.

Q. Does winning the Crestor Challenge take all the pressure off (laughter)?

JAY HAAS: I'm glad that's been brought up. I think that's a great thing. I'm not trying to pump that up or anything, but I've always thought even lap leaders, first day, second day, you should get rewarded for things like that, best round of the day.

Q. On a more serious note, almost has to be more serious, do you consider today kind of a good dress rehearsal for the feelings and things that you'll have to experience tomorrow?

JAY HAAS: Yeah, I think so, sure. As I said, it just gets a little more serious as we move along toward the end of the tournament. I thought I was ready to play today and was not. I'm happy that I was able to bring it back. Hopefully that was my bad stretch of holes in there, and it looked like I belonged anywhere else but in the last group for sure there on 2, 3 and 4.

You know, I really started playing well after that. You know, I won't say -- I've been in dress rehearsal for the last 28 years. You get into the hunt, you get into the last group, get into contention, every shot is more meaningful.

Q. Speaking of years, how many years have you and Janice been married?

JAY HAAS: 26.

Q. So your honeymoon is not going to bother your game tomorrow?

JAY HAAS: She came in last night, though. We brought a couple of the girls in, so she is here.

Q. What's your outlook for tomorrow?

JAY HAAS: Well, I've been playing very well. I played extremely well last week at Tampa, didn't get much out of it. I drove the ball well. Again, that's what I've been focused on this week. My outlook is to -- as I've been saying, just to try to drive the ball in the fairway on the first hole, try to stay in the moment. That's all I can do, I guess.

Q. I think most golf fans watching are going to see you and Tiger tied for the lead, look at his record and yours and figure it's a slam dunk.

JAY HAAS: I would.

Q. Any thoughts on that, and in a way does that alleviate any pressure --

JAY HAAS: Probably takes a little pressure off me. Any of us out here are capable. You know, you look at the three guys that are 5-under par, they're certainly not out of it, either. You know, 62, 63 is certainly -- someone is certainly capable of doing that tomorrow. You can't just think it's the two of us. If I get off to a bad start, I'm sure Tiger won't think it's over because there's Retief and Mike and Stephen right back there.

Yeah, probably if I don't win, everybody will say, "well, my goodness, he's up against one of the best players in the world and he's 50 years old," and all that stuff. That's kind of downplaying -- that's kind of disrespecting myself if I think that way, I guess. I can do it. I've got to think that.

Q. The fact that you haven't won on TOUR in a while, did that start to creep into your mind as you went to 17 and 18 and maybe took a glance at the leaderboard?

JAY HAAS: I heard somebody on the TV or ESPN say that I'm on a 266-tournament losing streak, and I guess I don't look at it that way. I don't know. I hadn't heard that before (laughter). That was the farthest thing from my mind. I couldn't even tell you -- I know the last time I won was 1993, I know that, but I don't know how many tournaments it is and I don't know -- I've played pretty well. I've had good chances to win and haven't done it, but it's awfully difficult to win out here.

But no, I don't think I've got to do it now because I don't have any more chances. I think I've got to do it now because I'm in the hunt.

Q. Does this golf course set up well for you?

JAY HAAS: I think so. With just the two par 5s, those are kind of automatics for the longer hitters usually. That helps me. If I drive the ball well, yes, it sets up well for me.

Q. Is there any secret to kind of playing with Tiger? I mean, I've heard some guys say they have to almost fight watching Tiger sometimes.

JAY HAAS: I guess I've played enough with him now that I don't -- I still love to watch him swing. Usually when he's on, he hits shots even if they go ten feet, mine goes ten feet, his looks better (laughter), sounds better (laughter), all that. I've always enjoyed watching the best. I love watching Vijay hit balls and Ernie hit balls and all these guys, just how magical they make it.

But no, I think I've been out long enough that I won't get caught up in that, and if I do, if I sense that, then I usually don't watch. I'll put my head down and I don't even know where their ball goes. I'm aware of that.

Q. How would you characterize your friendship with Tiger?

JAY HAAS: I don't know, I think -- I don't know. I'm easy to get along with. I think he's easy to get along with. We've played some practice rounds together. I'm one of the few guys I guess that will get up at 5:30 in the morning and play a practice round with him. But there's my point of wanting to see the best play and maybe learn something from him. I'm always trying to do that.

I don't know, I think what he's accomplished off the golf course is even -- almost as equal or greater than what he's accomplished on the golf course just because of how he's handled himself, and he's still a young man and he's still learning, and he's been doing this since he was 20 years old, 21 years old, being the best, and to be the best is something that at that young of an age is pretty impressive, the way he handles himself.

Q. When Billy played with Tiger in Boston, you called him and gave him simple advice. Are you just going to remember what you told him and use it for yourself?

JAY HAAS: Yeah, probably. All I can do is think about me and try to play my game, try to be patient, and I've done that in the last couple years, in the last stage of my career, I guess, I've learned to be more patient and not get too worked up over things not going my way. I'm not going to try to change anything any more than I've done in the last three days.

Q. I'm just curious, when you and Tiger started spending more time together, how that kind of evolved.

JAY HAAS: Gosh, I don't know. I guess I maybe asked him -- maybe three or four years ago I asked him if he'd play a practice round with me at the Open or something like that. This was maybe at Medinah.

Q. Was Bill with him that day?

JAY HAAS: Olympia Fields, yeah, and I had asked him two, three months, and I said, will you play a practice round with him, and he said, "of course I will." Then Bill qualified, so I left him a message, and he said, "do you mind if I bring Bill along," and he left me a message, "no, that would be great." Mark is a friend of mine, and they usually play together, and I think Tiger said, "hey, if you want to play, let's go play." I started doing that a little bit, but I don't know if there's any one mark where all of a sudden we were buddies. I've always liked him and thought he was a good guy.

Q. Did he seek you out and ask that you guys play together last year, the Target?

JAY HAAS: Yeah, well, I got invited, and he said now the only question is who do you want to play with, and I said, "well, I want to play with you," and he said, "done." We played together first round and he shot 66 and I shot 76 or something (laughter). Like I said, I enjoy playing with him.

Q. I'm just wondering, Jay, do you remember the last time you have gone into a final round, so much to be juiced about and all that? Here you are, one of the biggest tournaments of the year.

JAY HAAS: At the Ryder Cup, yeah. I mean, in recent memory and in the last couple weeks, no, but as I say, this isn't my first rodeo. I've done this for a long time, and it doesn't get any different. What I tell myself and what I tell my sons, anybody, any friend that is in the last group or in the hunt, that's what I strive to do. This is what I've worked all my life to do, to be in this position, to not be able to swallow on 17 and to not be able to spit.

Like I said, if I was in 30th place or not at this tournament, it would be much more relaxing, but it's what I've wanted to do all my life, so why -- I need to embrace that feeling rather than worry about it or think I can't do this. I've just got to deal with it. It's what I've wanted to do, so I'm going to try to deal with it as best I can.

Q. A lot of fans are also looking at this as 50-year-old Jay versus 28-year-old Tiger. If you were to pull this off, what reaction do you think you'd get from some of the guys on the Champions Tour or fans?

JAY HAAS: I'm sure they would be thrilled for me. Peter Jacobson is a good friend and he calls me all the time when I've played well in the last year. He won a tournament last year, and Stads is a buddy and Hale and all those guys, I'm sure that they'll be really pleased, and they'll be pleased to see if I'm still up there with him.

I went out there and played some events and didn't beat those guys, so that's a feather in their cap, that they can still be doing this. As I said earlier in the week, I think there's a number of guys out there who can still be in this position that I'm in if this was their focus. But yeah, I've gotten some good fan support out there, rooting for the old guy and all that. I've gotten pretty used to that.

You know, some of the people look older than other people, and they say, "do it for guys our age," and I say, "well, I don't know about your age." (Laughter) I know what they mean and it's great to have that support. Whether they call me 50-year-old or old man or whatever it is, I'm just glad I'm here being called those names.

Q. And I went through the same thing.

JAY HAAS: Yeah, absolutely.

Q. You're going to have a lot of time between now and when you tee off tomorrow. If you had to explain to somebody what it's going to feel like on the first tee tomorrow for you, what would it be?

JAY HAAS: I think just first tee jitters are with me most of the time. Probably the butterflies will be a bit bigger tomorrow because it is the last round and I'm tied for the lead. But I go through some mental notes of just what I've been working on and then just talk to myself, talk myself into it, trust it.

I don't know if I can really put it into words. It's just being in the hunt and being nervous and the adrenaline pumping is a great feeling. It's what we strive for. As I walk up to the greens and get the claps and things like that, I say I need to enjoy this because ten years are going to go and I'll be sitting at home watching these guys on TV.

Q. Do you even think about the result on the first tee tomorrow?

JAY HAAS: You know, it's hard for me not to think about "what if," but as I said, that's why I work on just hitting the first drive and just playing the first hole at that moment. You know, the clock only goes so fast. I can't wish it to go any faster or a blink and I'll be on the 18th tee with the lead or tied for the lead. I can't do that. I have to be realistic and just tell myself, you know, be patient, do what you've been doing. I don't know, all the things that -- I need to pull all my experience out tomorrow and play all of my cards tomorrow.

TODD BUDNICK: We'll go through your card.

JAY HAAS: Okay, 2, I missed the green short right, didn't hit a very good chip, didn't get to the green actually, then got that up-and-down for bogey.

3, I drove it in the right rough and had the worst lie of the week there and swung hard with an 8-iron, short left, pitched that by about 15 feet and missed it.

9, I could almost reach the green. I pulled a 3-wood just short left and pitched that to about two feet, made it for birdie.

10, I hit a 6-iron to 12 feet, made that.

12, I hit a 9-iron to about three feet, made it.

15, I hit a 4-iron to about 20 feet and two-putted.

Q. When you have to turn around a round so to speak, you've gone south on a couple of holes and you need to make it a bit better, what do you say to yourself, or do you say "I've had enough of this, I need to hit a good golf shot"?

JAY HAAS: You can say all those things but a lot of times it doesn't turn around. I guess I felt like I've been playing very well, and I felt I had a good warm-up on the range, so I was a little surprised that I hit those shots. I got maybe an unlucky break at 2, it wasn't a great iron shot but it was a pretty easy chip and I had a bad lie. 3 it wasn't a great shot but I could have gotten away with it had I had a decent lie. Things weren't going my way and I wasn't hitting the best shots, either, but I felt like all week I played extremely well from tee to green, and I felt like all of a sudden I wasn't going to be playing horribly, so I tried to be patient and just let it come.

Then I parred the next five holes. I think that was a nice key there. Again, that putt at 4 was big but then I started hitting some greens and two-putting and feeling more relaxed.

Q. So you had enough confidence from earlier?

JAY HAAS: Yeah, I think I relied on just the way I've been playing the last couple days and not -- it wasn't anything, come on, you need to do this or else. You can say that, but what good does it do? I was just fortunate I was able to hit some better shots.

TODD BUDNICK: Thank you for your time, Jay.

End of FastScripts.

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