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U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP


August 1, 2004


Jay Haas


ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

Q. Were you worried about the heat coming into today?

JAY HAAS: Not necessarily. You know, I guess I'm sort of used to it growing up here and also living in South Carolina. It's pretty much carbon copy in the summertime of what we can expect. You know, none of us are used to playing 36 holes. I know all of us made it and maybe some of our shots weren't as pretty as others, but we're all competitors, athletes. We all feel like we're capable of doing that and playing good golf and at the same time playing 36 holes.

It wasn't so bad. It was cooler than it could have been, that's for sure.

Q. What was it like walking these fairways and greens with this crowd?

JAY HAAS: I'll tell you, that scene at 18 with the grandstands full and people lining the fairways four and five deep, what a thrill, what a great championship. I think Bellerive put on an unbelievable show. The course is magnificent. The size of those crowds were terrific. They get behind their sports here, that's for sure.

Q. What did you think about the last shot being on the lip there?

JAY HAAS: I knew what I needed to do. I needed to make a 2 actually, but a 3 would have been helpful. I would have had a chance then. You know, I hit the shot in the air, it looked pretty good. I felt like if it landed just over the bunker that it was going to be okay, and then when it did that and scooted up by the hole, I thought it was going to go in, just seeing it roll up there. I actually don't know how it stayed out when I look at where it ended up. It just curled around the top of the hole. That would have been pretty sweet to get that one.

Q. The drive at 18 --

JAY HAAS: Yeah, I've been hitting 3-wood there all week. You know, I'd have 6 or 7-iron into the hole. I was trying to get an 8 or 9-iron there, trying to turn it around the bunker. I didn't get enough on it. Fuzzy hit his and got over the bunker, which turned out wasn't great, either, but I was trying to make 3, and I was trying to force it a little bit.

I could have made 3 with a 3-wood and a 7-iron or something, but I felt like I had a better opportunity if I got a little farther up there. I thought it would come a little bit farther than the bunker. Had I been another foot back, I could have reached the green. I just had to worry about the lip so much that I had to stick it straight up in the air, and I didn't get enough on it.

Q. What was the distance on your approach shot?

JAY HAAS: 50 yards.

Q. The way Kite was playing there, did you feel like you were matching him?

JAY HAAS: Yeah, I felt like I couldn't make any headway. I made a nice birdie at 9 to go to 10-under and he was 13 at the time, and I guess I felt the whole day 12 was the number for some reason, not that I thought Tom would back up. He was doing a lot of good things, and this is not an easy golf course. You're going to make mistakes, and coming in when you're trying to hold the lead, some tough holes out there, but I felt like if I could make a couple birdies on the back I'd have a chance.

Tom made a great par save at 10 and then a great birdie at 11 and another nice par save at 13, and after that, it was kind of like we were playing for 2nd place, or at least in our group we were, and then Peter kept answering him. It didn't look like both of them were going to back down.

I felt like I needed to make, at that stage, 12 or 13 might be the number then with four or five holes to play.

Q. Does the fact that you haven't won in about 11 years, does that weigh on you?

JAY HAAS: You know, I don't think about it coming down the stretch or anything or at night or anything like that. It's just a fact. You know, I've played a lot of good golf in there and maybe could have won, but haven't done it. Until I do, then I haven't won in 11 years. I won't say it's frustrating. It's disappointing, I'm not suicidal over it, but I'd like to keep getting some opportunities and maybe it could happen. You never know when it's going to. Hopefully it's not the last one.

Q. Do you have any other senior events --

JAY HAAS: Right now I'm not committed to anything. It depends on what goes on for the next five weeks here with the Ryder Cup and all that, and if I get picked I might not play anymore. I don't know what I'll do. I want to try to make the top 30. I'm 27th or something like that going into this week, so I want to try to do that, keep my World Ranking and all that stuff.

I don't know, I enjoyed playing on the regular Tour.

Q. Does this factor in to maybe 51-year-old Jay Haas?

JAY HAAS: I'm exempt obviously for next year. I guess I haven't really thought that far ahead. I haven't said, well, I'm going to commit full-time to the Champions Tour. Right now if I had to say I might be two-thirds regular Tour, one-third Champions Tour next year, but I haven't seen many guys balance it, do half and half or even 60/40. I haven't seen them do it and do it well on both sides. I'd rather play my cards out on the regular Tour as long as I can.

Q. Is it a little tough to watch Tom Kite struggle there towards the end?

JAY HAAS: Well, we've all done what he did. Yeah, I don't think there's a man in the field who hasn't screwed upcoming down the stretch. It's just unfortunate. He was unlucky on 18 on the drive, but then I think that maybe flustered him and he hit a poor chip. He's usually an unbelievable chipper, but he hit a tough pitch up that hill. I think we all have empathy for somebody who does that because we've done it ourselves.

Q. In that situation, should the caddie be more aggressive in dealing with the player or is it strictly the player?

JAY HAAS: Well, his shot that he played out of the bunker, it was kind of half-buried, and I don't think he ever considered the lip there. He was just trying to skin something out and roll it front left of the green somewhere. I think he was probably shocked that it hit the lip there.

But no, I wouldn't say it's anyone's fault, or I don't think you can say the caddie didn't do his or her job. I just think it's the player -- it's ultimately up to the player. You know, it's easy to say after the fact.

Thank you all.

End of FastScripts.
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