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THE HONDA CLASSIC


March 10, 2000


J.P. Hayes


CORAL SPRINGS, FLORIDA

JOE CHEMYCZ: 12-under par. Started on the back 9 - let's go over birdies and bogies. Birdied 12 to start off.

J.P. HAYES: I hit 8-iron there to about five feet, had a real straight-in putt, just A pretty basic putt. On 13, I hit sand wedge to about five feet there; had A pretty basic putt as well. 18, hit A really good drive and hit a good 6-iron; landed about a foot from the hole and that was about five feet. Bogeyed 1. I hit my drive a little bit left, although I hit it pretty. Sand wedge in, hit it to the back of the green, 3-putted, ran my first putt by about four feet. That first putt there was probably about 30 feet. 4, I just had a little pitch shot from just short of the green and pitched it up to about three feet, made the putt. 5, I hit a 6-iron just over the green and hit a poor chip; missed about a 10-footer. On 6, I hit a 4-iron out of the right fairway bunker to about eight feet, and made the putt. 7, pitching wedge to about four feet, made the putt there. Then on 9, I just -- hit sand wedge from about 95 yards to about twelve feet, made the putt there.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Talk a little bit about your round today and how you played.

J.P. HAYES: I played very well for, I would say, the first 10 or 11 holes. Hit it very solid and actually started to lose my concentration a little bit and hit a couple of goofy shots and had a little trouble focusing. I felt a little tired, I guess. Then after three or four holes of that nonsense, I started hitting some good shots. Then again, then made some key putts on the last few holes.

Q. How differently did the course play for you today?

J.P. HAYES: It was little a windier. I think the biggest thing, the greens were quite a bit drier. The wind had dried them out; made a lot of pins difficult to get to. Really impossible to get to. Yesterday they were holding shots fairly well.

Q. 1, 2, 3 they were pretty tough to get to?

J.P. HAYES: Exactly. I was thinking of those three holes when I was saying that. 1, 2 and 3 were -- you know, you just can't do it unless you get lucky. If you land them on the green, you are not going to be anywhere near the hole. So this afternoon it was really hard.

Q. You talked about losing your concentration midway through the round. What happens to cause something like that? How do you -- what kind of mental process do you try to apply just to get it back?

J.P. HAYES: I don't really know what happens. I think it can be, just one of those days. Maybe it is playing late and not sleeping well, or not eating the right thing, maybe losing a little bit of that concentration from something, you know, simple as your diet. It happens every once in a while and fortunately I kind of realized that it was happening today and I was -- I had just -- just tried extra hard to make sure I was comfortable with the shots. I wish I knew why it happens. I don't know.

Q. You have won before. How important was that to your career and make a difference being in your position now as far as confidence and knowing that you can finish high?

J.P. HAYES: Your first question, it was very important especially at the time I was struggling and it just seemed like everything I did wasn't turning out as far as golf. I really needed a good finish and the win was just, you know, more than I could have hoped for. The exemption was huge. And, yeah, I think knowing that I have done it once, I know I can do it again, whether I do it or not, I don't know. There is a tremendous amount of golf left. Who knows what the weekend weather is going to bring us. There is a ton of guys within three or four, five shots of the lead, so I don't know to say that I am going to do it. I can't say that. I would like to think that I am going to have a chance on Sunday afternoon. I think that is pretty much my goal. And I know I can do it. I have that confidence, so.....

Q. J. P., considering the number of guys who are 9-, 10-, 11-under par right now, does it mean that much to be leading this tournament on a Friday?

J.P. HAYES: No, I think -- well, it means less, yeah. It just -- you would have to really have a 4-, 5-shot lead, it seems like, to feel any kind of momentum or confidence, I guess, that you have a really good chance to win because so many things can happen and there are so many good players and even if you are leading, you have to be pretty fortunate to win on Sunday with that many players that close.

Q. So is there an attitude maybe you have to be more aggressive on the weekend to try to separate yourself?

J.P. HAYES: I think you have to maintain some aggressiveness. I don't really think that -- I could be wrong -- I don't think anybody is really going to separate themselves from the field unless the wind starts blowing really hard and somebody has a very low round. But if the weather stays like this you are going to have to keep making birdies, so I think everyone is really going to have to stay aggressive.

Q. You are born in Wisconsin, but you live in Texas now and you went to --

J.P. HAYES: Yes.

Q. How did you come from Wisconsin to Texas?

J.P. HAYES: Well, I just was recruited out of high school to play college golf there. They had a brand new golf team and I wasn't very heavily recruited so figured I had a pretty good chance to start playing there right out of high school, so. . . Then I married a girl from there and I have been there ever since.

Q. You actually grew up in Wisconsin?

J.P. HAYES: Yes.

Q. You play for Cricket (phonetic)?

J.P. HAYES: I did. I played hard for cricket.

End of FastScripts….

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