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MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 8, 2004

Jay Haas

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA

RONALD TOWNSEND: Good afternoon. We're pleased to have Jay Haas with us this afternoon. Jay shot 3 under par.

JAY HAAS: I think we were pretty fortunate that we had a little bit of rain early on, softened a little bit, not too much, slowed the greens up maybe a little. It made the greens a little more receptive. We certainly didn't want it to rain a whole lot on us, but we probably got pretty benign conditions out there this morning. I was able to take advantage of that.

I played extremely well, drove the ball well, hit a lot of good iron shots, made some nice putts. I didn't make any long putts but made all of my short ones, except at 5 I missed about a five footer for birdie there.

I played well, kind of an extension of what's been going on for the last year and a half or so, especially the last month maybe. I played very well at the TPC tournament a couple of weeks ago. I did kind of the same today. Hit a lot of shots solid, drove the ball well, except drove it bad at 18, but felt comfortable out there.

Q. Can you talk about I know you didn't want your last Masters last year you left and you were disappointed.

JAY HAAS: Right.

Q. So it was it real important to get back here to have another shot at this tournament? I know you wanted to get back here.

JAY HAAS: Oh, yeah. I guess at this point last year, I was in the Top 10 of the Money List and felt like I was going to continue and probably be able to finish in the top 40 to get back in here, and I was certainly glad about that.

I played horribly last year and kind of matched the weather, I suppose. I was disappointed in that and I was really glad to see the long range forecast this week that we were going to get some firmer and fast conditions.

Who knew that I could have played well, but it's just I was glad that I didn't end it on last year's note.

Q. What has been going on the last year and a half with your game?

JAY HAAS: I think it's a combination of things. I've said many times that I've worked with Stan Utley, and Stan's advice, I've kind of changed my putting stroke a little bit, learned to putt a little different way, and I think that's helped me quite a bit.

But we get lessons all the time out here, and some of them stick, some of them don't. Most of them don't. But my putting has been a very big key for me.

At the same time, I've been trying to stay a little more fit, working out here and there, and I've hit the ball better. I don't know if my swing is better, whether I'm stronger, I don't know. I guess I feel like I've always been a pretty good player. I haven't been as consistent in my career as I would have liked to have been. Week in and week out my years have been fairly consistent, but don't string together good tournaments like I would have liked to, I suppose.

But I've been doing that more and more. I don't know. I guess I'm trying not to think that I'm 50 and I shouldn't be doing this. I don't know that there's a number that all of a sudden we decide we can't play anymore.

I guess I never in 2000 I played very poorly and didn't want to go out like that. I felt like if I worked hard at it, practiced harder, got in shape, that I could play better. Now, if I didn't, then so be it, but I did. I started to play a little bit better. It's just a confidence thing.

It's fun. Playing against the best players every week is what I've always wanted to do.

Q. You tried to get into this event for three years in your late 30s, and now you're on the leaderboard at age 50. Are you a better player now than at age 37? And how much has equipment played a role in keeping you vital?

JAY HAAS: I think equipment is probably a huge part of it, probably more than half. And I'm better now than I've been at certain times in my career, certainly.

But I say that in my past, when 20 years ago, 15 years ago, whenever I've played well, I've managed to win tournaments, and I haven't done that in a long time. So I guess I would say that I'm not playing as well as I ever have. I'm playing very consistently. I'm doing a lot of good things, but I think I'm more noticeable now because I am 50.

At 35, if I had finished 15th on the Money List, it's like, well, you had a good year. But at 50, it's like, whoa, how did that happen.

I can't really go back and compare them. I don't remember so much. You know, I'm much better than I was in 2000, for sure. Was I as good in '81 and'82? I won two tournaments both those years, so I don't know. I guess I'm not thinking so much and trying not to make it a big deal to myself that, wow, I'm playing over my head here.

Q. You say you don't feel much different than ten years ago. Are there days you wake up and you feel physically, you're 50?

JAY HAAS: Well, I guess I don't know what I'm supposed to feel like at 50. (Laughter.)

Just myself, there's some days that, yeah, I feel worse than others, some better than others. I know I don't enjoy playing in cold weather anymore. I haven't been to the AT&T in a while. I love it up there, but just my ball doesn't go very far in the cold weather. I love the fact that it's warm here and we're going to start playing in some warmer weather.

Yeah, I think like all of us, we have our aches and pains and I certainly do. I think if I warm up enough, then I'm okay.

Q. Can a guy 50 win this golf tournament?

JAY HAAS: I think anybody in the field can win, yes. Is that a simple answer? (Laughter.)

Q. Well, let's go at it this way: Do you have advantages because of your experience, as opposed to a Rose who is young?

JAY HAAS: You know, who knows. I think obviously I've made all of the mistakes there are to make here, hit it in all of the wrong places, and so I know where not to go.

But, even knowing where to go, I don't always hit it where I'm looking. So, can I keep my emotions? I don't know. I'd love to try. I'd love to get into the hunt, for sure, on the weekend and the last nine holes.

But, yes, I think somebody 50 can. I just happen to be there.

Q. Do you get those AARP things in the mail (Laughter.)?

JAY HAAS: Absolutely.

Q. Have you joined?

JAY HAAS: No, I have not. I think they just go right into the circular file. (Laughter.)

Q. Can you tell me, your sons, do they have any effect on your career? Have they helped you keep going on?

JAY HAAS: I think possibly. I know a lot of people thought that the last year and a half or so that they have been pushing me a little bit to try to remain being the best player in the family and all that.

When I play with them and have watched them go up, I hope they say they beat me every single time, but I'm never ever going to make it easy on them. I'm not going to lose just so they feel better about their games, and they know that. That's pretty cool.

Maybe when they were really starting to get into the game, the last four, five years, I played more with them and I practiced more at home, rather than if they weren't into golf, maybe I wouldn't have played as much and practiced as much.

As far as me trying to be the best in the family, I don't think that way. I'm their biggest fan, obviously.

Q. You talked about the tournaments until the 80s where you played well. Here I think you finished in the top 5 a couple of times maybe. Are there any that you look back on and say, you know, if I had done this or I had done that, could I have won that tournament? Could I have won the Masters?

JAY HAAS: The year that I led after two days, I'm not sure how I ended up, how many strokes back I was, maybe three, that was probably my best chance. I don't know if that was '95 or '96 or something, '95.

You know, the other times, to be honest with you, I played a lot of good last rounds and kind of passed a bunch of people to move into that Top 10. I wasn't right there the whole time. It's almost easier to play from behind in that case, not as much pressure. If you go out, shoot a good round, great. If not, no big deal.

That's probably the time that I felt like I was really playing well. I think I shot 64 the second day I don't think; I know I did. (Laughter.) But I had a penalty stroke on the third hole, made double bogey, kind of unsettled me a little bit in the third round. That was probably my biggest chance here, best chance.

Q. And just one thing on top of that. You talked about strong finishes and passing people when the pressure was not there, and this year you've had some strong final rounds, THE PLAYERS Championship. What does this do starting out strong like this? Does this all of a sudden put a whole different cast on it?

JAY HAAS: Obviously it's wonderful to get off to a good start at any event, but especially here. I think you can get yourself in trouble at a course like this where you try to gamble, if you don't respect it. If you get off to a real good start, you can afford to chip out on a hole or play for a bogey, things like that. If you're kind of on the cut line or you're not playing so well, you might try that miracle shot to make a par or save and all of a sudden you make a double or triple and now you're gone.

So the fact that you have maybe, I won't say a cushion, but get under par, you kind of feel like you're in the hunt. For me, it's pretty important. But I've been playing well, so I'm anxious to see if I can do a good last round and not be so far back.

Q. Your uncle who came so close to winning the Masters, he's with you this week, and did he say anything to you today?

JAY HAAS: He was watching a couple times there, and he did, in fact, win in '68, yeah. That's pretty special for me, the fact that is that rain? Darn. (Laughter.)

Yeah, we've played countless practice rounds here together and I've always my dream is to have a locker with him up in the champions' locker room. That's something that I've thought a lot about over the years, and just to see him out here, he's 75 years old, he just had knee surgery about a month ago and he's out there walking the hills and probably watched me play nine holes today.

He's been my guiding light, I guess you might say, throughout my golfing career.

Q. You birdied 1, and a lot of guys have had problems with it today. How much of a tougher hole is it since they moved the tee box?

JAY HAAS: The tee box being back makes it quite difficult. The pin today, with it being in the way back right there, it's just it's just very difficult to get that ball on the shelf. You have to either make a long putt up a ridge or, in my case, I probably hit my best shot of the day there. I hit into the right fairway bunker, hit a 7 iron eight feet right of the hole, pin high, probably could not have done that with a 60 degree wedge from the fairway. So that was a huge boost for me to get off to that start. I hit a pretty good drive but pushed it a little bit into the bunker, and it's a quite a bit different hole than it was maybe ten years ago when guys were knocking it over that bunker hitting sand wedges and pitching wedges to it.

But I think the course to me plays about the way it does 25 years ago, the way it did; it plays that way now, the way it did 25 years ago.

Q. Can a 50 year old man make the Ryder Cup team?

JAY HAAS: Well I certainly want to try to do that, too. That's keeping me going to the gym and keeping me going to the driving range and the putting green, and that's kind of my focus this year. Who knows?

But again, I just want to make the Ryder Cup team. I don't care that I'm 50. I just want to make the team.

Q. Have you talked to Hal about it?

JAY HAAS: A a little bit. He knows. I'm sure he's been reading a little bit that that's one of my goals.

Yeah, I'm sure he's aware of all the Top 25 or 30 players out there on that point list and watching them and watching how we play.

The majors will be the key for me, obviously with the quadruple points. Play well in these tournaments and it goes a long way.

Q. Will Bill call you or will you call him?

JAY HAAS: They are playing the college am thing today down there at MacGregor Downs. I'll probably give him a call. I gave him one last night and told him I had dunked one on No. 9.

Yeah, we talk quite a bit. I want to hear about the course down there. I want to hear about his rounds a little bit.

Either one, it doesn't matter. It's not like pulling teeth to get him to call me. (Smiling.)

Q. When Tom Watson was in here, he talked about how Bruce Edwards and his peers have raised the image of the caddie. How have you seen the role of the professional caddie evolve in your time on TOUR?

JAY HAAS: Well, it's quite a bit different from 25 or 30 years ago. The majority of the players now have a regular caddie. The guy had Tommy Land, who caddies for Brad Faxon now, he's a college graduate. Guys like that, you see more and more out here. You didn't see that as much in the '70s, '60s and '70s, and it just well, there's no money in it. There's just a handful of guys made a bunch of money and their caddies did okay.

But they have evolved quite a bit. I have my son caddying for me this week. I don't really have a regular caddie now, but I can kind of pick from the guys who take a week off. Not here so much because everybody, all the good ones are taken, I guess you might say, here. But that's a real charge for me to have my son on the bag.

Q. As far as the job they do, has that changed, too?

JAY HAAS: I think it's probably gotten a little more detailed. They have to be a little more organized. There's thousands of numbers out there, sprinkler heads and the bunkers, but ultimately, it's the player's responsibility to get that right yardage and to hit the shot. There's nobody to blame it on if we don't do that.

But yeah, there's a lot to do for a caddie now, and I think most of the good caddies out here take all of that responsibility and make it easy, much easier on the player.

Q. Your son, he's caddied for you before, but is this his first Masters?

JAY HAAS: He caddied one other time here. He's probably caddied a dozen times for me in different tournaments. I've only missed the cut one time with him caddying. I finished third at the PGA at Medinah, finished fourth at Westchester last year. I love having him on the bag. And I am always right when I ask him a question. (Laughter.)

Q. How old is he now?

JAY HAAS: He is 23.

Q. Could you talk give us the lengths of your birdie putts.

JAY HAAS: 1 was eight feet.

2, I pitched up from just right short of the green to about six inches.

I bogeyed No. 5. I 3 putted from the fringe there, didn't hit a very good second shot. Probably 45 feet or so, left it about eight feet short.

7, I hit a 9 iron to about foot.

13, probably one of my better shots of the day. I hung it up on this bank right by a bunker and the ball was actually moving. For the longest time we were trying to decide if it ever was going to settle down. It was trying to roll down into the little swale over there and it finally stopped, not where I really wanted it to, but I putted from there, felt like could I possibly putt it off into the water and I putted it down about six feet short and I made it. So that was a real bonus.

Q. You were in the scorer's building for a while. Was that something?

JAY HAAS: No, it wasn't about that. I was asking about another rule, you know, the Ian Poulter thing where he accidentally threw his ball in the water. I said, "I think that's a dumb rule." That was just on my mind. I had not seen any of the officials lately. So it was just on my mind right there, and they were sitting in front of me, so I asked them.

Q. Do you think Jay, Jr., Would have jumped in the lake for you?

JAY HAAS: Absolutely. (Laughter.)

Q. What do you remember about when your uncle won?

JAY HAAS: You know, '68, I was 14. Not a lot, to tell you the truth. There wasn't a lot of golf on TV. It wasn't mainstream like it is now. And I was definitely not someone who sat and watched golf. I would watch a hole or two and then I would go out in the backyard and chip and putt or go to the course and play. I didn't enjoy doing that so much.

So I don't remember. I did not realize at all what that meant to him to win this golf tournament. But I knew that everybody talked about it after the fact, that next year.

Q. Did you see him a lot in those years?

JAY HAAS: You know, not a lot. Not as much as I would have liked to. He was playing a heavy schedule.

Q. Did you live in the Midwest then?

JAY HAAS: I lived in Belleville, Illinois, which is where I grew up and where he lived. He played much more than the average player, I think. He probably averaged 32, 34 tournaments a year. But when he was home, we would spend a lot of time together. I'd shag balls for him, which I hated (Laughter), caddied for him occasionally. I caddied for him in a Futures event, but not a lot.

The first time I was here with him, when I was in 1970, I probably was 16. We were going down to look at Wake Forest, and he missed the cut at Greensboro and we drove down here the weekend prior to that. I was able to walk around and watch him play.

Q. Did he help you with your swing and things like that?

JAY HAAS: Absolutely, yeah, 100%.

Q. Would you talk about that par putt on 18 and what that does for you heading into tomorrow?

JAY HAAS: Yeah, well, I pretty much made a mess of the hole, with my tee shot. I got pretty fortunate that I even had a second shot over there. I put it right of the green, which I shouldn't have done. But it was kind of the lesser of two evils, I suppose. I didn't want to get in the left front bunker; in the very front of it was a difficult shot. It was a bogey any way you slice it, and I happened to make about a 14 , 15 footer, I guess.

You know, if I had missed it, I would not have felt awful, but it's certainly a bonus to sleep on that and realize that I finished it off and made a nice putt there.

Q. Has he ever let you put on his green jacket?

JAY HAAS: No. I guess he left with it here that year and didn't realize that he wasn't supposed to do that or something. I know he got a lot of grief about that.

No, it doesn't fit me. I need my own, I think. (Smiles).

Q. Is it easier to play here being 49 or 50 and not having people think, you know or not having high expectations maybe from other people? And maybe on the Tour, too, is it easier to go out and play now?

JAY HAAS: Yes and no. I guess I don't think so much about what other people's expectations are. I know that what I expect or what I want to do in my career and my golf, I guess I realize that kind of corny, but the ball doesn't know that I'm 50. It doesn't know it goes right where you hit it. It doesn't care who you are. It doesn't go any longer or straighter or in the hole any quicker just because you're a younger player.

So I guess that's what I'm thinking. I'm trying to think that way, think positive and not think, well, I shouldn't be in this position.

Q. Are you still planning on playing in Savannah?

JAY HAAS: I am not. I am going to go to Houston. I guess I feel like I'm wanting to make the Ryder Cup team and I need to give myself the most opportunities to get points.

I played well at Houston last year. I was just toying with that idea and just decided against it.

Q. Do you know what your first Senior event will be?

JAY HAAS: I think the PGA Seniors at Valhalla in Louisville. I'm entered in that. Unfortunately it's the week of Memphis, and I love that course and I've played very well there. I guess I feel like I can't pass up a senior major.

RONALD TOWNSEND: Thank you very much, Jay good, round today and good luck.

End of FastScripts.

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