THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 29, 1996

Jay Haas

WES SEELEY: Jay Haas, 68, 68, 136; is 8 under par, and 3 behind Tommy Tolles.

JAY HAAS: And happy to be there.

WES SEELEY: How has it been going?

JAY HAAS: I have played extremely well for two days. Two rounds. My record here is less than spectacular. Half the time I am missing the cut, half the time I am finishing last, so I am a little surprised, but I have been playing fairly well. And had a nice group to play with, Hale Irwin, Woody Austin and Hale played well. Woody played pretty well. It was just -- I feel like I have been out on the course the last two days for 12 hours with the delay yesterday and coming out this morning, teeing off at 7:10 and we had to finish. We were second last group, so we finished a little over 8:00 this morning and had about 13 minutes between our finish for the first round and then -- oh, I went to the locker room; got a banana and walked to the first tee, and in way that was good. It was almost like just continuing on, you know, not having any break at all. But at 42 you kind of enjoy a little sit every now and then. But the course hasn't shown its teeth by any means. The wind hasn't blown. The greens are fairly soft, and I can't imagine a course being any in any better condition than this one is. Not a mark on it, it seems like. The greens are absolutely perfect. And a nice speed to make putts. Seems like you can be -- in a sense, you can be fairly aggressive on them, they are quick, but they are not uncontrollably fast like, say Augusta, or a U.S. Open course can get. But they can get that way. If we don't get any winds -- I mean, any rain the next couple of days, they will be -- Sunday afternoon, they will be looking bluish, probably.

Q. Is the wind picking up there out there now?

JAY HAAS: It was a weird day. It blew early, a little bit; then it kind of died and then it got kind of cool. We were on 13, I guess, and it started blowing pretty good there. Luckily we played two holes downwind and then starting to get a little warmer and calmer now, so it has been kind of up-and-down. It looked a little different. I understand we don't have a great chance of rain, so hopefully it won't and I'd like to see it blow a little bit now that I am inside.

Q. You didn't find dead animals on the course?

JAY HAAS: No, no dead animals.

Q. What do you attribute this strong play to?

JAY HAAS: Is that a serious question? (AUDIENCE LAUGHTER). Or am I supposed to be a smart as you too?

WES SEELEY: He can be both at once.

JAY HAAS: We can get you a cot too; we can lay it over here if you need to lounge anymore.

Q. Stand up. Show him your shirt.

(T-SHIRT HAS WORDS "NEGATIVE" WRITTEN ON IT.)

JAY HAAS: Were you supposed to have "Mr." above that? (AUDIENCE LAUGHTER). I am playing well. I didn't play great last week; had a couple of bad rounds, but overall, this year, I have hit the ball pretty well and any time your score is good, I think you putt well and that is, you know, the exception. The last couple of rounds I have made a lot of putts, not a lot of long putts. I did make a long one at 16 today. I made an eagle. But I have been solid, having missed too many makeable putts.

WES SEELEY: Why don't we go through the second round.

JAY HAAS: Second round, birdied 2, sand wedge, to about ten feet. Birdied 4 and 9-iron to about twelve feet. 7, about 25 feet with a 6-iron, second shot. 8, 5-iron to about 15 feet. 15, I hit a 5-iron second shot right of the green; pitched it to about eight feet; missed the putt. Had a pretty good putt there; just misread it a little. 16, I hit a 4-wood, second shot to figure it was probably 40, 45 feet and made that just trying to hit a solid putt with the proper speed and it just went right in the center and not a pretty sight as it was going down. Had a chance at 17; hit 8-iron to about 12 felt; missed it. Then 18 I kind of played defensively; pushed it out to the right; didn't get a great lie in the rough, short of the green and pitched that to about 15 feet and missed the putt. The pin there is probably one of the harder pins on the course. It is just over a pretty severe rise and if you are short left it comes down 30 feet. I pitched out to the right sort of to play for a 15-footer for par and got that, but didn't make it.

WES SEELEY: Questions. Comments.

Q. Have you ever played with Tommy Tolles or do you know much about him?

JAY HAAS: No I haven't I think it he is a long hitter, another good young player that we have out here. I think he had some good rounds last week too at New Orleans. I remember seeing his name up on the board. But he is obviously played very well this week and to shoot 11 under here, I don't care if the course is playing easier than normal or not, that is a good score.

Q. North Carolina I guess is he practically a neighbor?

JAY HAAS: Yeah, he lives up in the western part. In fact, there is a club repair shop that I go to just outside of Greenville, this year -- this winter was in there and this guy walks in. He has got a beard, kind of straggly looking. He said, hey, and I had met Tommy before but I didn't recognize him. It was him. And he had driven down there to get some clubs worked on. But I have yet to play with him.

Q. You didn't recognize him?

JAY HAAS: That day, no, I didn't.

Q. Did he remind you of it or --

JAY HAAS: Well, the club repair guy said "you know Tommy, don't you?" I said, "oh, yeah, sure." And I am saying: "Who the hell is this?" (AUDIENCE LAUGHTER). Through the conversation I figured out it was him.

Q. Have you played any -- he said there are three courses up in Flat Rock Fazio and Ross and -- have you played any?

JAY HAAS: I haven't, no.

Q. Tommy Tolles said something about how the young players now may not have as much fear out here as when you started. Do you see that and if so, why, maybe?

JAY HAAS: I don't know what it is. I think there has been first-time winners 20 years ago, 15 years ago, but maybe not as we are seeing them now - three in a row and I don't know. I don't know how to say it. I guess the guys have, through sport psychologists and everything just saying, hey, there is nothing to be afraid of, you know. I guess what I try to tell myself is when I get to that position, it's what I work for; it's what I strive to get to that position to be in the lead in a golf tournament so why not enjoy it and I think that it can only help the younger guys to see another younger guy do well. But I don't know if they have less fear than we had.

Q. Do you remember having a lot -- were you intimidated early?

JAY HAAS: In a sense, I guess, but I think a lot of the young guys still are. I think that you know, not that a player like me is intimidating or anything, but it is just the fact that you are out there playing against guys that you have seen on TV and read about and heard about whatever, I think, that makes it a little bit intimidating no matter who it is. But I don't know, I wish they were a little more scared, maybe. (AUDIENCE LAUGHTER).

WES SEELEY: Anything else?

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