BOB HOPE CHRYSLER CLASSIC

January 20, 2004

Jay Haas

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you, Jay, for joining us for a few minutes. Why don't we begin with your outlook for 2004.

JAY HAAS: I suppose the question that most everyone has been asking me is when have I turned 50 and when am I going to play Senior events and things like that nature.

I turned 50 in December. And I've been telling people that my schedule is the same through the Heritage as it was last year.

I try to think of myself as a 40-year-old instead of a 50-year-old or 49-year-old. I don't know, not that I'm turning by back on the Champions Tour, I just feel like this is where I wants to play, this is all I know and just maybe re-evaluate things after that. That will be maybe, oh, ten tournaments, eight, ten tournaments, something like and maybe I'll know more about how I'm playing, how things are going.

I've entertained the idea of playing in the Legends Tournament in Savannah the week after the Heritage, but right now, I'm just focusing on the PGA TOUR. I'm in decent shape on the Ryder Cup point list, so I want to try to do something there.

But I'm just enjoying what I'm doing and just looking for another good start this year.

Q. At this point do you feel like you'll play enough tournaments out there for the membership, what is it, 11, 12 tournaments that you have to play for a membership on the Senior Tour?

JAY HAAS: You know, I don't think I'll play 12. But I don't know at this point. I guess I feel like if I'm going to play 20 events on the regular tour, then I'm not going to play 30 it events total. I played 27 or 28 last year. I added some at the end of the year which I didn't think I would be in: The Presidents Cup, Sun City, Tiger's tournament, tournaments that I didn't expect to get in when I first started off the year. And when I take a week off the regular tour, I don't see myself necessarily filling it in with a senior event, just because, I guess if I'm going to take a week off here, I want to rest and get ready for the following tournaments.

But I will play the Senior Majors. I'm not eligible right now for the TPC at Dearborn just because I'm not on their Money List. I'll play the PGA Seniors and maybe one other event prior to that. So if I do well, maybe I'll be eligible for it, but I don't know.

You know, I'm not good at making long-range plans, I guess. Again, I'm looking through Hilton Head, just see what happens. I don't foresee myself playing a Champions Tour event prior to that. Just kind of wait and see.

Q. Have any of your fellow seniors been lobbying you to get out any quicker than that?

JAY HAAS: No, not necessarily. I haven't really spoken to many of them. But I guess I feel like these are the best players in the world. This is what I wanted to do all my life, and I think if I turn this page, then I can't go back there again. So I really want to try to focus as much as possible out here for as long as I can. I guess I feel like if I played well at 49, just because I turned 50, it shouldn't mean that I can't do it this year. Now it might not. It was an unusual year in the progression of my career the way it was going there toward the end, but I feel like I'm not playing any differently right now than I was last year.

So, you know, I have great hopes for this year. It might not pan out, but certainly want to try to do this for as long as I can.

Q. You talked about where you stand on the Ryder Cup points, how much would it mean to actually make the Ryder Cup team now?

JAY HAAS: Being a choice at the Presidents Cup last year was very special. I certainly would have loved to played my way on to that. I felt a lot of pressure being a pick from Jack there. I felt like also that I played very well last year and warranted that choice.

I can't expect to be a pick at Oakland Hills, so I certainly need to play my way on. So that would be an unbelievable accomplishment for me, I think personally, to do that. And it's a goal of mine. That's my ultimate goal is to play well enough to do that. I feel like if I do it or come close to it, then I'll still have had a pretty good year.

Q. How much will Bill coming out at some point and playing here, how much does that affect what your plans or this year and the following year?

JAY HAAS: It affects a little bit. He'll get some spots at the end of the year, middle to end of the year after he gets out of school.

But at the same time, I kind of have mixed emotions about it because I would kind of like have him just kind of do his thing and be his own guy and not get caught up in the father/son and every week. Each time we've played, it's been a media deal, you know, and he's handled it well. It's been great. I think that it's a wonderful thing.

But at the same time, he's trying to -- it's not maybe a novelty anymore this year. I'd like to see him kind of just go ahead and do his thing on his own and learn to swim without an intertube or whatever.

But at the same time, I love playing in the same event with him and watching him play. That's a way I can do it rather than if I'm at the tournament watching him, I'd rather be playing rather than stand outside the ropes watching him play. So it just depends on which tournaments he can get into.

But heck, I'd like to do this, I'd like to have the same year I had for another three or four years, what the heck. But that's unlikely. But I'd like to see him play well enough this year to get his feet on the ground and pain get a leg up on next year. But it doesn't -- I won't say that has -- that's not the ultimate bearing on whether I play or not out here.

Q. Each of the last two years, you had a chance to win this tournament, you led going into the last round two years ago and you were the leader late, and you won it in '88. What is it about these courses that obviously play well into your game, and do you still have nightmares about the last two years?

JAY HAAS: I don't know what it is about these courses. I guess I feel very comfortable. The weather, love the weather here, the condition of the golf course are always spectacular much they are not real beaters' courses so much. The length is not a huge issue, although most of the guys can reach all of the par 5s. I'm kind of 50/50 or not even 50/50 on getting to the par 5s.

I don't know, I just feel comfortable here. I feel comfortable playing with the amateurs. I've putted very well last couple of years, and the year I won I putted beautifully that year. I don't know quite what it is other than I just like playing these golf courses, I like coming out here and feeling like I have a chance to play my way into shape with four rounds. But it has been good the last couple of years.

You know, two years ago, I was very, very disappointed because I felt like I just kind of gave it away. I felt like I choked sort of. I wasn't playing that well the last day and just wasn't comfortable. Last year I didn't feel as bad almost because I didn't feel like I gave it away. I hit an indifferent shot at the last hole there and knocked it in the water, but I felt as under control as I've ever felt leading the golf tournament coming down the last few holes. I guess I don't feel like I lost it so much as I got beat.

Two years ago, I felt very low, to finish in -- I don't know what I finished, 18 or something after leading quite a bit of the last day and just played terribly the last six holes, I guess. And that took a while to get over that.

But last year, kind of was almost a springboard for the rest of the year.

Q. Going back to last year, you played against Mike Weir and you saw him again in the Presidents Cup, can you just talk about his game, and do you think that he is capable of having those types of years that he had last year in the future?

JAY HAAS: Yeah, I think Mike has obviously the physical ability to do it year-in and year-out.

And I think what's separating him from the pack is his ability to focus and to really give it his all when he's out here. He just looks like he's all business when he's out here on the practice tee. When he's going through his routines, he just has that certain something that looks like he means business and he knows where he's going. He's comfortable in his skin right now. That's something you really can't put a finger on but just a feeling or a look that he has about him. Yeah, I think that, you know, what he did last year can only give him confident that he can do it year-in and year-out. It remains to be seen if he can or not but, yeah, it wouldn't surprise me to see him win another major or several majors.

Q. What are some of your thoughts on Michelle Wie, and I don't mean as far as the women playing on the men's tour, but as a 14-year-old golfer being able to do what she did last week, what did you think about that?

JAY HAAS: Well, what adjective has not been used, incredible that a girl 14 years old -- I have a daughter that's getting ready to turn 12, and I couldn't imagine her being on that stage and performing as well as Michelle did.

You know, I don't think you can say anything other than great things about what she accomplished. Just wonderful stuff. You know, and I think it was pretty neat that she thought she had to make birdie at the last hole and she did, and she thought she made the cut when she did that. It would be one thing if you knew 1-under was going to be the cut and you chip-in for eagle and you miss it and you make that putt, no big deal.

But for her, that was, I don't know, 3 1/2 feet, four feet, saw it on the SportsCenter or whatever, and yeah, it wasn't a gimmee by any means. And to think that she could make that to make the cut in, her mind, and then to do it, that was pretty special.

Q. Bring you closer to home, Bill is just about ready to come out here, as a father to son, what kind of coaching speech are you giving him and is he ready to be out here?

JAY HAAS: I think he's more ready than he was. There are some people that after last year at the U.S. Amateur or a year, 15 months ago when he lost in the semifinals to Ricky Barnes there at Oakland Hills, there were people saying, "I hear Bill is turning pro," and all this stuff. And I don't know that he was so ready. Who is ever ready for this lifestyle and what you have to do out here.

But I think he's very anxious. He's got a little senioritis going this semester, but he's close to graduation and that's keeping him going. I don't know that we've had any specific talks about what he needs to do. I've just tried to set an example for him, and every now and then I'll explain something, why I did this or why I did that. And hopefully him being around the tournaments, tournament golf and watching me just in the locker room or do what I do when I'm home, things like that, hopefully that will give him a leg up on the next guy to be a little more prepared.

I guess he's heard me say that some of the younger guys that have come out early or whatever, I just say, you know if, you're going to have a career and you look at me, I'm 50 years old still playing, what's the difference if you have one less year out here.

And someone asked about, you know, a 14-year-old boy playing or a young boy playing in tournaments, "What would you say about that?"

I say: Well, if it's the only time you were ever going to get to do this, it would be great. But if you're that good, you're probably going to get to do it for the rest of your life, so what's the big deal? Other than it's just being a fantastic thing to play at that young age.

So I guess my advice to him is: If you're going to do this for the rest of your life, then take your time, slow down.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you, Jay for joining us. Play well this week.

End of FastScripts.