|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
MASTERS TOURNAMENTApril 10, 2014Bill HaasMODERATOR: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to welcome Bill Haas to the interview room. Congratulations on an impressive first round, 4‑under par 68 with six birdies and two bogeys. Bill is making his fifth Masters appearance. He collected a career‑high nine Top‑10 finishes in 2013, including his victory at the AT&T National. Before we take some questions, can you talk us through your round out there today briefly. BILL HAAS: Yeah, not a good iron shot on 1, and unfortunately got off to a bad start with a bogey at 1. But hit a nice par putt that almost went in, and for some reason that kind of settled me down a little bit with the putter and made about a 15‑footer down the hill at 2. The birdie at 4 is almost like an eagle. That hole is so difficult. The I fatted an iron shot at 5, just short of the green and pitched it by about 12 feet, and I made for par. That stretch of holes there, to come out of there 1‑under and I easily could have still been 1‑over, the putter kind of saved me and settled me down. The rest of the day, I felt like I played pretty solid. Q. You started the round and ended the round going bogey, birdie. Talk about the importance of both times when you had a slip‑up and gave one back, how great it was to quickly get that stroke back with a birdie? BILL HAAS: Yeah, that's a stat out here on Tour is the bounceback stat, and it's there for a reason. It's one of the most important stats we have, I think. Just to not compound your problems with another bogey. Yeah, birdieing 18, that pin was outstanding, a huge bonus. 17, felt like I hit a great iron shot, hit right where I was looking. The wind somewhat switched maybe, at least that's what I'm claiming, and landed just past the hole and ran over the green. With the quality of shot I felt like I hit, I certainly was glad to make par there. Q. How far were you to being in danger with the tee shot on 18, and then what did you hit in on the approach? BILL HAAS: Pretty close to being in danger, not much further right, and I wouldn't have had much of a shot. But the tee shot never looked bad honestly. It kind of cut and the wind was taking it. It wasn't one of those where I was like, that's in the trees. I think I would have been disappointed if I got up there and I wouldn't have had a shot. Not a terrible swing there but then to have a clear shot, and I just hit an 8‑iron that landed perfectly into the hill and scooted up there, because I was just out of the first cut of rough and it was able to release for me. Q. Could you talk about your family background at Augusta, your connection with the place and why it's so special to you? BILL HAAS: My great uncle, my dad's uncle, Bob Goalby, won the Masters in 1968, and I think it's been a special place in our family since then. Obviously my dad, I think he played‑‑ I asked him last night, he said he played 22 times here. We came down here, I don't know if‑‑ we might have missed a handful of them over the years, but we came most of the years. I remember like it was yesterday, he said it was 20 years ago he finished third and it does not seem that long ago. I remember a lot of the shots he hit coming down the stretch. Probably the age, too, I was starting to play golf, and so I think I enjoyed it more. I appreciated it probably. So yeah, for the family, my Uncle Jerry, his brother, has competed in a couple Masters; and my Uncle Dillard Pruitt, he won on TOUR‑‑ has he played this? I'm almost positive he played one Masters, maybe two. That's my mom's brother. We've had a bunch of family play here. Q. It's in the blood. BILL HAAS: I guess so. It's something I think we are very proud of to have that many members of our family be able to tee it up here at Augusta. Q. What do you think has held you back in the Masters? I know last week you got off to a good start, but do you think in the Majors, has it been one thing, putting maybe? BILL HAAS: Yeah, a little bit of everything; putting, golf shots, nerves, all of the things that get you. Tomorrow, it's a new day. I was leading last week after the first round and finished 37th, so I know‑‑ very recently, I know there's tons of golf left. And maybe understanding that, I know that I can't expect too much. You've just got to go out there and keep playing golf, try to hit that fairway on No. 1 tomorrow. Q. You're obviously more comfortable out here because it's your sixth one, your sixth Masters. BILL HAAS: I do feel certainly that it's the same course every year. I mean, if the U.S. Open was the same course every year, I'd probably get a little more comfortable. But I don't know, it's still‑‑ boy, I tell you what, you still get nervous on that first tee. Not nervous‑‑ anxious now. I think I was more nervous the first year and you get more fired up to go. I mean, I had a 5‑footer for par on 15 and I felt it a little bit. You don't want to 3‑putt and make 6 here on 15 after laying up perfect; until you get those feelings, and it feels good to make those, and maybe I'm getting a little better at that. Q. What did Scotty do for you today and why did you decide to put him on your bag? BILL HAAS: I needed to switch it up. My brother has been on the bag a bunch for a few years, and I think I needed a change. He's got some‑‑ he was available and has a major win, has played‑‑ he's been under the gun, played a lot of big events. He's seen it. I don't think he can do anything but help me and I just like him. He seems to be‑‑ he's a great guy. I've known him since I've been out here and he's always been nice to me. I was lucky that he was available the next few weeks. Q. Anything he did for you today particularly? BILL HAAS: He's working hard. He wants me to do well. He wants to do well. I mean, he helped me on every shot, I would say. He's giving me the yardage and what he thinks the wind is doing. I certainly confide in him just like I would have my brother. It's just nothing‑‑ no certain reason why my brother is not working and why Scotty is working. It's just the way it is right now. Q. Sort of the same question, but in terms of Scotty getting‑‑ when you needed a caddie, getting an experienced caddie like that and it's working well so far, is it one of those things where you don't think so much about it because he's a veteran and he knows what he's doing? BILL HAAS: Maybe. I don't think much different than I did with my brother but I do know that deep down, he's been under the gun a bunch of times with David and played in some Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups. He's seen a lot more pressure‑packed situations than a lot of caddies. So I certainly feel comfortable about that out there. Q. To go back to that week in '95, when your father had a chance to win, my recollection is he had the wind blow his putt on the third hole on Saturday and that sort of disrupted his round. Talk about your experiences as a son watching your father compete and have a chance to win a major and now it's reversed and he's watching you in the same circumstance. Can you talk about the emotions of that? BILL HAAS: The only thing that's different, I never remember thinking, man, I wish I could hit this shot for my dad. But I do know now that there's some times I'm like I wish my dad could hit this shot for me (laughter). There is a little difference there. He's the person I looked up to the most. He's the person I idolized golf‑wise. It was great, loved watching him compete, loved watching him play. I got such a []rise seeing him on the leaderboard. I do remember that putt. Somehow the ball stayed right of the pin on 3 there and he replaced it and waited and waited and when he got over it and addressed it, the ball moved and cost him a stroke. I remember on 15, he went for it and it landed on the green and it went back in the water, and still finished third that week. Certainly could have won that week. It just didn't happen. Emotions‑wise, I don't know, I can't answer any questions on his behalf other than I think we are both our biggest fans. I pull for him every day and I watch every score he shoots on the Champions Tour. And it's great having him‑‑ we are staying together this week. He's on the range with me in the morning and he'll probably be there‑‑ hopefully he hasn't left, he's my ride home (laughter). He'll be on the range watching me hit a couple in a little bit here. Q. How long do you think it takes before you learn the course and the nuances of the course before you're ready to win, do you think? How long of a period is that? BILL HAAS: I don't know. There's certainly got to be things you learn each year that help you the next year. I don't know who the earliest that's ever won their Masters, how many they have played. But it's got to help. Today there was a bunch of tough pins, and I think sometimes you've just got to say, well, there are a lot of feast or famine pins in the sense that you either go at it or you're going to have 50 feet because it's going to hit and roll on the slope and be a tough 2‑putt. I don't know if experience can help you on that, other than you've got to hit a good golf shot. And maybe 50 feet putting is better than 20 feet chipping that you have to go up the hill and might go off the green. Kind of like 17 today; if I had to do it over again, I would certainly want to putt it in the front bunker than over that green. But I hit a nice shot there. Just unfortunate it went over that green. Q. Just curious, when is the first time you ever played this golf course? What was the occasion? BILL HAAS: A member here, Johnny Harris, is a friend of my dad's. I think I was in high school, he had me and my dad and my brother down and we all four played. Q. What do you remember of the day? What do you think of the course? Was it something you were comfortable on immediately? BILL HAAS: No, I remember watching my dad all those years play and compete in the Masters, and just to be able to play it, seeing some of those fun putts and fast and great, fun chips that you get to hit and use the slopes. I do remember being firedup. I think we played maybe 27 holes and we played the Par3. You know, we got our full day's worth, for sure (laughter). Q. Did you beat him? BILL HAAS: I don't think so. I don't beat him much honestly. Q. Even now? BILL HAAS: Even now, yeah. He's good. Q. It seems like in this sport there's fewer sons who follow their father's footsteps into success, as opposed to other sports. Do you have any theorys on why that might be? BILL HAAS: I've been asked that before, and I think my answer is purely numbers. The odds of getting out on TOUR are small. And then you take it down to how many TOUR players have sons and then how many have sons that even like golf; and then if you like golf‑‑ the best part about this game is that you have to earn it. Kevin Stadler and myself and other players that followed in their father's footsteps, they didn't get to have their father hit shots for them. So it's the most rewarding and sometimes the most difficult part about our sport. Q. How difficult is it to have fun when the challenge is so tough? I talked to a few guys today and they were saying, "I'm trying to have fun out there." How much fun is it for you? BILL HAAS: I mean, it's fun when you do‑‑ it's fun when you do well (smiling), making a few putts. You know, I made probably a 20‑footer on 4, 20‑footer on 7. Seeing those putts go in is fun, especially out here. They are slow rolling and they are on the green a long time. I enjoy that the most. The trick is probably trying to enjoy it when you're banging your head against the wall and you feel like you're doing your best and you're just not scoring. That is maybe the trick to have longevity out here maybe. Q. When you were here just observing as a spectator with your dad, were there other great moments you were able to witness not involving your dad? Were you here at some of these memorable moments at the Masters? And secondly, as a son of a father who came close but not quite, how heartbreaking is it to see your dad get to the edge? It can be tough for a child. BILL HAAS: I think maybe I knew at a young age that third was better than fourth and fourth was better than fifth. Maybe my dad instilled that in me a little bit. As far as other occasions, I think usually‑‑ I would follow my dad every shot, every day, and then I went to the range with him or I went home. I wasn't interested in the Masters; I was interested in my dad's score at the Masters, if that makes sense. Don't remember much. I do remember some players he played with. He played with José Maria one time. I remember being impressed with how well he played. I caddied here for my dad and he played with Sergio in his first Masters, I remember that. But as far as being so close and‑‑ obviously I had a love for him. I think he deserves a major in his career as good as he's played, but I was just as proud that year that he was able to finish third and the other majors that he was so close. He was close in most of them, which I think I knew he was gratified with just being in the moment. I'm speaking on his behalf here, but he obviously was working his tail off to try to win those things and we all knew that as a family that he left it all out there. MODERATOR: Thank you for your time and wish you the best this week. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|