GREATER HARTFORD OPEN

July 24, 2003

Jay Haas

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: We would like to welcome first round leader, Jay Haas. 7-under par 63, what was the secret today for you?

JAY HAAS: I putted very well. Of all of my birdies, none of them were tap-ins but none of them were outside, say, 18 feet. But my midrange putting was really good today. I made maybe 10-feet, 15-feet, 12-feet the first three holes and got me off to a great start and I just kept it going. I drove the ball well. I hit good iron shots, but my putting kind of took me over the hump today.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Overall this season you have been in contention virtually every week out, what's been the difference between this year and you had a good year last year, but as far as the last dozen or so years, this has been really one of your top years?

JAY HAAS: Yes, this has been terrific. I played a lot of good rounds; have been consistent. I missed the cut in every major this year so that's be a disappointment. I played well other than a couple of rounds, a couple of tournaments I played very well, and I guess just got off to a real good start this year. I played well at Phoenix and then second place at Bob Hope and just kind of got my confidence going and it rolled, it just rolled the rest of the year that way. I'm just trying to continue to play well.

I don't feel like I have accomplished a lot of my goals this year but not all of them, and I still want to -- just try to be as positive as I can out there, be aggressive. I feel like I have just kind of got nothing to lose here.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: We'll take some questions.

Q. This has been a year where the veterans, so to say, Kenny has won three times, you are in the top-20, Craig won last week, can you explain?

JAY HAAS: I think it's more of a coincidence, a lot of people asked me that. Last year it was all the first-time winners. That was the big story, I think that was just a coincidence. A lot of good players, a lot of good old players, from top to bottom out here, the players do very well. I think if you can point to one thing, I think you see some of your peers playing well, you think, well, heck, I can play like Kenny Perry, Craig Stadler or Jay Haas, and the young guys the same way. You know, last year probably some of younger guys won early and other guys know them, play in college with them say, I'm as good as that guy. If anything, that could be a reason, but I think it's just a coincidence mostly.

Q. Maybe the thing is there are a lot of good old players out here?

JAY HAAS: Absolutely, I think a couple of reasons that the older players, I believe, are still competitive, equipment has a lot to do with it. You know, we hit the ball farther than we ever hit the ball. I know the other guys are too, but the courses haven't outdistanced us that much. I'm still hitting -- I'm hitting the same iron less than I did 20 years ago to a lot of these holes. Now if we were still playing with wood and steel, I don't think I would be doing that. Maybe I would, I don't know. But I think that's No. 1.

No. 2, the Champions Tour is on the horizon for me and some of these other guys are realizing they need to stay in shape and then when I am doing it they are saying, heck, there is nothing saying that I can't do it at 43 or 44 or 45.

And then the money too, I think it keeps us interested. 20 years ago, if you finished 100 on the money list, you won $20,000. That wasn't making it. Now, if you finish 100 this you might win 800.

So this will keep you interested.

Q. The course conditions, are you getting any roll out there?

JAY HAAS: No roll, that helped a little bit, no roll. Even though it is playing long, the ball just sticks in the fairway, doesn't run off to the edges too much. And the greens are have receptive. I won't say they ever get real quick here but at times you can get putts that are not real friendly. And, today, they were a good speed. You can run at them pretty good. Especially this morning there was a lot of moisture in them. But I think the softness is -- I thought the scores would be much better than they are even. I know there is a lot of good 2 -, 3-, 4-unders, a bunch of scores in there. But I birdied the first 3 and I looked up and there was 5-unders and 4-unders and I was like in 10th place at 3-under. I just felt like I woke up and I was in 10th place.

So that -- I think everybody tapered off a little bit and Peter and I kept going.

Q. What's the hardest adjustment staying at a high level now than say 15 or 20 years ago?

JAY HAAS: For me personally?

Q. Yes.

JAY HAAS: I think for -- as we get older, as I have gotten older my priorities have changed a little bit. I enjoy my time at home more than I used to, I guess. But I think just keep being passionate about the game I think is probably the most important thing for me. I think this year I have a renewed passion for the game. I keep saying that. You know, I kind of went out with the idea, I have nothing to lose this year. I'm except for the Champion's TOUR, I don't have to worry about making 125, what am I going to do the next year and all of that. I just kind of relaxed. I was very relaxed starting off the year. It's just kind of built on itself. I tried to have that same mindset the whole year.

Q. Jay, how close are you on the cusp of getting that first victory in more than 10 years?

JAY HAAS: Right. Well, I was a very close early in the year. I felt the Bob Hope was mine there at the end and I didn't pull it off. I had a couple of other chances. TPC, you could say I had a chance there but Davis kind of ran away from us, who is to say I would have finished where I did. I don't know or who knows?

But I feel like I'm doing things well enough to be there at the end. I don't feel like I'm so far away, like it's just so out of the realm of possibility.

It's just mind over matter I guess as they say. I mean just get out there. I know I could do this. I know I can shoot 63. Why couldn't I do that -- not every day, obviously you are not going to shoot that, but the potential is there. So if I can hold it in there for another two or three days and be in contention, I think I can do it. I have played enough good rounds this year that I feel like I could finish it off.

Q. If you continue to play this well to the end of the year will you give any consideration of playing both tours next year?

JAY HAAS: Yes, I will play both through the first half of next year. I don't know how many on each TOUR. I looked at the 2 schedules just last week and it made my head hurt after a while just trying to figure out what I was going to do.

I will be exempt for some tournaments that I wouldn't normally be exempt for so I can't afford to pass those up.

But at the same time I would like to play some Champions Tours just to kind of see. I have had my 15 minutes here, hang on.

Q. Which event next year?

JAY HAAS: I played the Bob Hope. I've always enjoyed playing there. Maybe Phoenix. My world ranking is high enough. I should still be in the top 64 to get the Match Play tournament. I could probably play in LA the week before that just to kind of get acclimated out there. TPC. Hopefully I will be at Augusta. I haven't missed Hilton Head ever. That's my home state. Charlotte is a new tournament, I got friends up there. I remember that club. All of a sudden now I'm playing more.

If I start looking at the schedule with The Champions Tour events, I've played more than I played the last three of four years. I don't know if I want to do that.

I'll have to find out when Peter is playing so I will play the opposite so I have a chance.

PETER JACOBSEN: You are clearly the best Haas on the TOUR, but you are the third best Haas in the Haas household, does that bother you at all.

JAY HAAS: It does. I can still beat my 19-year-old daughter though.

PETER JACOBSEN: What are you doing, do you think you can play? Look at you, you're sweating like a 19-year-old.

JAY HAAS: Did you birdie 18?

PETER JACOBSEN: Yes, I did. That's my range.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: If we can go over your scorecard quickly.

JAY HAAS: Okay. One, I made about a 10-footer.

2, 15 feet. 3, 12 feet. 6 from 15 feet. 10 from about eight feet. 11 about 12 feet. I did hit one close one No. 13 or 14. 13. Probably 5 feet there. And then I missed about a five-footer at 17. That was the only putt really that I --

PETER JACOBSEN: That was a hard pin on 17. I'm trying to give drama to this interview. It is dragging a little.

JAY HAAS: Did you bring your guitar?

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Any more questions? Jay Haas, thank you.

JAY HAAS: Thank you very much.

End of FastScripts....