home jobs contact us
Our Clients:
Browse by Sport
Find us on ASAP sports on Facebook ASAP sports on Twitter
ASAP Sports RSS Subscribe to RSS
Click to go to
Asaptext.com
ASAPtext.com
ASAP Sports e-Brochure View our
e-Brochure

BOB HOPE CHRYSLER CLASSIC


January 30, 2003


Jay Haas


LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA

MODERATOR: Jay, great job today, a 61, a personal best on the PGA TOUR. If you could just give us a few comments about your round today, and then we'll go right into questions.

JAY HAAS: It was just a magical day for me. Unbelievable weather we are having here. The course is just in immaculate shape. I played extremely well. I felt good coming in. I played well last week and felt good yesterday finishing up, and felt like it was going to carry over today.

I played some good rounds here last year and some good tournaments in the past, so I felt good going into this week. Probably couldn't have predicted today, but felt like I was going to shoot a good score.

Started off terrific. I just missed a green at 1 and chipped in from maybe 18 feet.

Then hit the green at 2 and 2-putted.

3, I hit an 8-iron to about six feet and made that putt.

Then I guess the next hole was probably an indication it was going to be a really good day. I hit just to the right of the green a yard. I was maybe 25 feet and I made this putt. It was probably going about seven or eight feet by and it went right in the center.

The greens were a little quicker here than at Bermuda Dunes. They have dried out quite a bit. They are firm. The ball is releasing a little bit. It was a little bit of an adjustment, but that was kind of a gift there.

Then I birdied 8. I made about a 3-foot putt. Hit a sand wedge to three feet.

Then 11, I hit a 5-wood to about 35 feet and 2-putted.

12, I hit a 5-iron to maybe 35 feet and I made that putt.

14, I hit a sand wedge to about six feet and made it for birdie.

16, a pitching wedge to about eight feet. Made it for birdie.

17, a pitching wedge to 18 feet and made that.

Then 18, I just missed the green to the right and pitched to about three feet and made that one.

Q. What is it like to shoot 61 and know you've tied for the low score of the day?

JAY HAAS: It was funny. I just felt that everything is just perfect here. The greens, if you miss a 10-footer, it's like you can't believe it.

So I felt like somebody was going to shoot -- I said 61 yesterday, I thought was going to be the number. I guess everybody just took a day to kind of get used to it or something.

You just figure that here. I was reading some stats from last year's tournament: 90 eagles, I don't know how many zillion birdies, and 41 guys shot 20-under or better.

Yesterday I was even through eight holes and I felt like I was ten behind already. I was only 1-under through maybe 12 holes and I played last six holes 4-under yesterday. So that really boosted me going into today, shooting 67 yesterday, making birdies at 8 and 9, finishing up at Bermuda Dunes.

You just have to expect that. I'm just trying to see where the finish line is rather than think each day, you have to shoot X-amount-under par. You just grow to expect it here.

Q. Could you have expected it of yourself this week and how you were playing and how you felt?

JAY HAAS: I guess when a golfer plays well, we think that we can do that every day. We hit a bad shot or something and we can't believe it.

Would I have predicted 16-under after two rounds? No. But I don't know that anybody would out here. I'm not shocked, but I'm certainly very ecstatic and just extremely pleased that I was able to do it.

I played very well last week. Hit a lot of good shots last week. I felt really good coming out this year with the clubs that I have. I just feel great with my irons. I got a new driver last week and I'm killing it. My Titleist -- I sound like a race car driver here. (Laughter.)

I'm serious, it just feels so comfortable with the set of clubs I have right now, first time in a long time. Just from A to Z, I feel like I have the right set of clubs in there. I just feel good over every shot now.

Q. Are you using the new Titleist ball?

JAY HAAS: No. I'm using the new Pro V ball. Not the 332X ball. I have not really worked with that. I got some when I was in the off-season and it's been so cold back home that I have not really had a good test for it.

Played with a couple of guys last week that are just bombing it, but they say it's for a high-launcher and I am kind of a low-launch shot, and maybe it won't help me as much.

I felt the ball I'm playing, which is what I've played last two years; I love it.

Q. You've had just a late run there; did you think about 59 at all, even have a chance to?

JAY HAAS: I guess it was one of those days, almost didn't know how many under I was. I knew I was quite a bit. One time I thought I was 9 and I was only 8. Another time I thought I was 6 and I was 7. So I guess I just was playing; I had a great mindset. I felt like just playing each shot at a time.

With three rounds to go, it's really not time to protect any kind of lead or anything. I was just trying to shoot at every flag and make every putt.

But like you say, birdieing four of the last five, to shoot 61, really didn't have much of a chance.

Q. Have you gotten more distance with the new driver?

JAY HAAS: Yes, I have. I'm using the Titleist 983Q driver and it's an 85. The 95 gives me a little more run when it hits the fairway and I have driven the ball further the last few days.

Q. How much further, do you know?

JAY HAAS: Probably six, eight, ten yards.

Q. And have you thought about the Senior Tour? You're not playing like you're thinking about the Senior Tour.

JAY HAAS: I've thought of it, sure. But I feel like this is the Major Leagues right here and this is what I want to do for as long as I can do it. I mean, this is one of the thrills of my career today, just to shoot a great round like this in a field like this.

There's plenty of time for that. I'm not wishing away another year here real quick so I can play on the Senior Tour. I feel to play well and to compete with the best players in the world, that's the ultimate for me.

Q. What did you do to prepare to come out this year? You said you feel pretty good about your chances this year; what did you do?

JAY HAAS: I've been pretty active at home. I've been -- I haven't been sitting around. I've played a little bit, but the weather has been not very good.

But I've felt good coming out. It almost felt too good. I was playing well at home when I did play, but sometimes you think, "Well, then you're not working on anything." It's like, "Well, I'm playing good, why experiment?"

Sometimes it's good to have a few keys to work on, but I just have been playing well. I've been hitting a lot of good shots at home, solid shots.

You know, golf is golf wherever you are. If you hit good shots here or next week or ten months from now, it's still going to be a good shot no matter what course you're playing. I just had to trust that.

Q. Aside from obviously the weather and the conditions of the courses, obviously you like these courses. You've played well here in the past. Is there anything specific about them that brings out the best in you?

JAY HAAS: I think No. 1 might be the weather. I love it being warm. I guess the colder I get, my bones work a little better in this weather.

The conditions are just fabulous. I say every year the greens are as good as I've ever seen, but they seem to get better and better. There's not a mark on them.

This course has as much grass on it as any place I've ever seen. The fairways are perfect. There's a lot of rough. I drove it in the rough on No. 6, the par 5 and hit a 5-iron and hit it 150 yards down the fairway, if that.

So there's rough out here. The other courses are not quite as thick off the edges, but here, there's as much grass as I've ever seen.

I guess the weather and the conditions, it just looks like you're going to hit a good shot every time.

Q. Mercedes, Ernie was at 31, Vijay was at 23 last week. Is this good for golf, and what I mean by that, are you a purist that thinks shot-making should be harder or is this good for golf?

JAY HAAS: I think it was an unusual week as the Mercedes tournament. There was not any wind there.

Last week, it was ten degrees warmer than it normally is there. You usually have frost and it's cold in the mornings, and I think that had a big effect on the scores there.

You know, let's talk about it in another three or four months when we've played some pretty difficult golf courses under some difficult conditions. I think you'll see the scores maybe not be as ridiculous as they are right now.

I do think that the ball seems to go straighter. I catch myself aiming at the flag every time. I think 20 years ago, we would always aim a little right or left and curve the ball into the flag and the ball just doesn't seem to curve as much. We're using 45-inch drivers and we used to use 42-and-a-half-inch drivers. The conditions of the course are perfect. You know, the guys are just very, very good. The mindset I think now is, "Go for it." There's no kind of getting into position.

Years ago, it was, "Make the cut first and then try to make a little move." Now it's, "Hair on fire; let's rip it. Don't worry about it, you miss the cut, go on to next week."

You used to have to make the cut to be exempt for next week if you were not in the top 60, so you had to be cautious at times.

Good for golf? Gosh -- is it good for basketball if a guy scores 40 points? I watched Kobe last night score 40 points. That's like shooting 61, maybe.

End of FastScripts....

About ASAP SportsFastScripts ArchiveRecent InterviewsCaptioningUpcoming EventsContact 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