PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 14, 2003

Jay Haas

Q. Talk about your round today.

JAY HAAS: Sloppy. Was not terrific tee-to-green but my bad shots were far enough along the line where the people walked, a couple times I got a break there. I played well. Made some nice putts. Disappointed with a 5 at last hole. It's a tough course. I just feel pretty good with a 70, really.

Q. The finishing holes on both sides, are they as tough as we have been hearing?

JAY HAAS: Pretty much. So I played 7, 8, 9 even, and 16 to 18 even. I feel like I picked up two strokes on the field there. My irons were good today. I need to drive it a little straighter but I'm pleased with 70.

Q. The news with the power situation, when did you become aware of it?

JAY HAAS: Just right when we got off the 18th hole walking to the scorer's tent, there was no power in the whole northeast, all the way to Detroit or something like that.

Q. What went through your mind?

JAY HAAS: I guess it was terrorist attack or something. I guess I thought of the Twin Towers and all that. I don't know. I guess it's just right there on the edge all the time. I saw a news show last night about how nothing has happened since then and we have been trying to do everything to avoid it. I guess if that's the case, it's kind of scary.

Q. They are saying it isn't. When you're playing, it's not a problem but when you're out there it's odd to get news?

JAY HAAS: Right. I guess that was the first a spectator said, terrorist attack. That was the two things I heard. Puts it all in perspective, if that's the case.

Q. Someone said that?

JAY HAAS: Yeah, just as we were coming off the 18th green.

Q. You didn't know about it?

JAY HAAS: No. Nobody didn't hear anything.

Q. And there was no indication?

JAY HAAS: The sun was still out, so we didn't know if the lights were out. No, I guess if it had been electronic scoreboards like they have on the regular tour, we would have known something was up maybe. Wouldn't think the whole northeast or whatever.

Q. How was it playing with Hank?

JAY HAAS: He had me by 73 on No. 9 and 18. He probably had me by about 60.

He hit on the green and rolled off the back. I thought it was -- he didn't need a full driver there. I thought the advantage was a little right-to-left and I thought he could cut it up, but he didn't cut it quite enough. He was only 30 feet from the flag and didn't hit a very good chip. He didn't have a great lie.

That's the thing about the edges of the greens. I didn't chip one within 10 feet, 12 feet. Unless you have a decent lie, which you don't usually get, then you've got nothing.

Q. Do you like setups like this, where there's no recovery shot out of the rough?

JAY HAAS: I guess early on in my career, it seemed like they were always setups like this. So I guess I didn't know any better. I've noticed in the last few years the Open has been a little more lenient on the rough, but with the fast, firm greens, it almost gets worse because now you can shoot at it, you go over the greens and things like that. Yeah, this is different than we play any week. You kind of just blast away.

Q. Is this the worst rough you've seen?

JAY HAAS: Bermudarough is so different, ball kind of sits down in there. But this is some of the worst bluegrass, bent, gnarly stuff that I've seen. Winged Foot wasn't this bad when Davis won.

It's just so thick, heavy, you just can't get a club through it. I had one just over the green on No. 12, and I couldn't identify it hardly. The guy said it was mine but who knows. Half a dozen balls are still up there.

Q. How did you play 17 and 18?

JAY HAAS: 17, I hit a good drive and missed the green to the right with a 2-iron. Chopped that out about 15 feet and made it. Then 18, I drove it in the right rough, laid up and then hit a not very good shot, had about 18, 20 feet and 2-putted.

Q. How is it playing compared to the Ryder Cup?

JAY HAAS: It seems a little shorter.

End of FastScripts....