FEDEX ST. JUDE CLASSIC

June 26, 2003

Jay Haas

TODD BUDNICK: We'd like to thank Jay Haas, who is for joining us after a 7-under 64. Jay, looks like you keep rolling on this year, the good rounds keep coming.

JAY HAAS: This was a little different I guess today. Well, I had never made seven birdies in a row before. Six was my best prior to today. I started off a little shaky, didn't hit a very good drive at 1, hit a tree in the rough and pitched it short of the green, and I pitched on and missed it and made bogey. I was upset because I had played pretty well last week or very well last week. I always enjoyed playing here. I just can't afford to give too many away here, and then it turned around quickly and I started hitting a lot of good shots and making every putt I looked at, some long ones, but most of them in the 10- to 12-foot, 15-foot range, some certainly makeable putts, a couple real close ones. I'm a little surprised we're done already. It looked like about halfway, we were going to get dumped on there. The weather was turning on it, but it was fun.

Q. How much fun was that, seven birdies in a row?

JAY HAAS: It felt good. I think I pounded the drive on No. 9 and just had a pitching wedge in there and I was thinking eight in a row and maybe nine. I knew the record is not eight because my uncle has that. I knew that was the number. So I got a little nervous on No. 9 trying to stuff one in there and didn't hit a very good shot. I was lucky to make par. I made a 10-foot par save there. I don't know, it was just a good day.

In the middle of my round after No. 9, didn't hit a great drive at 10. 3-putted 12 from the fringe, but then coming in the last four or five holes, I hit some real good shots again, so it was just a fun day.

Q. Jay, you always play well here. Why is that?

JAY HAAS: Well, I wish I knew. I really like the fairways, I love hit I off the zoysia grass. I've had good luck in the past. The holes seem to fit my eye. There's very few holes I step up onto and say, "I'm not crazy about this hole." No. 1 is one of them. I'm not comfortable with that drive every time, and it showed today, but other than that I feel pretty comfortable when I stand up on the tee. I feel like I'm going to drive it in the fairway, and if I do that -- I like hitting off the fairways and I feel like I can hit a good iron shot. That coupled with the fact I've always played well here in the past gives me a good relaxed feeling when I'm out there.

Q. That's how most people feel about a course they grew up on or played on?

JAY HAAS: Yeah, I guess, and I think the course that you grew up on, you kind of made yourself like it. There might be some holes that you weren't crazy about but you played it so many times that you learned it and learned where to miss and things like that. I guess I've played here enough now to know that, to know there are certain places you can't miss. When the pin is over here, you can't miss to the left, whatever. But I don't know, I feel real comfortable here. I've had some very low rounds, a lot of mid to high 60 rounds here. Each time I go out I feel like I'm going to score well.

Q. Did the second shot at 9 actually take you out of your game a little bit for a couple holes?

JAY HAAS: Perhaps. I think just the fact I didn't make a birdie took me out of it. I was so confident. I couldn't hit a better 3-wood off the tee there, and I was kind of in between yardages. There was a little helping wind. I had a pitching wedge, I didn't have a great lie in the fairway, I blocked it out right and it kicked right of the green there. It's not an easy shot over the water there. Had I been 1-under par, I might have stuffed it in there close because I might have been thinking, "geez, don't hit it in the water or something."

Yeah, after I hit that shot, then I didn't hit a good drive at 10. I hit the tree, I was in the fairway but I had to hit a 5-wood in there, and I just flagged that thing and it went just over the green. After that shot, I kind of settled down a little bit and tried to get back into the flow of it. Again, then I talked about -- talked to myself about what I talked about yesterday, that you have to think about, "let's get in the 20s here." You've got to shoot for what the final score is and not so much for today's round, so I tried to be more aggressive after that.

Q. Jay, we've had a very cool spring, and the rough at most golf courses has not grown up the way it has and the rough here is not as high. Is anything else about the course that's any different from the years past?

JAY HAAS: It's much faster this year. The greens are firmer, I think, because it's been cool. They haven't had to keep them so wet and they probably haven't been getting -- I don't know if it's been wet here, but it doesn't look like it's been wet here the last week or so, and I think the coolness has kept the greens really healthy. They were really firm and fast yesterday in the Pro Am and I'm sure they're going to get a little firmer today, too, just with the breeze blowing and no storm kicking upright now. That's the difference. How many storms have we had come through here over the years where the zoysia grass holds the water? It's like a sponge. You can't get casual water but the ball will hit and stop. This year it's really rolling out and the course is playing very short. You have to be careful really.

Q. Jay, yesterday Brandel Chamblee was talking about how well you drove the ball at Westchester, where you played with him. Did that carry over to today?

JAY HAAS: It did. I changed drivers last week, same model, just a degree more loft, went from an 8.5 to a 9.5, and that really helped me. Last week, I drove it beautifully, so that's kind of a carry-over this week. Again, as much as I like hitting off the zoysia, I need to put it in the fairway and the course playing fast, that helps me, too. I didn't hit that many drivers. There were quite a few layup shots today with it playing so fast. Yeah, I drove it very poorly at the U.S. Open and I was really disappointed in that. You can get away with it at some courses but not at the ones you really want to -- the biggest ones are always going to have tough rough. I said, "I can't do it anymore. I've got to hit the fairways."

Q. Jay, can you talk a little bit about what has contributed to a pretty good run this year to today? Is there a particular part of your game?

JAY HAAS: Golf-wise, for the last year and a half, two years I've really putted well, putted very consistently. I feel confident when I step up onto the greens. I think that's just worked its way all through my game. I think when I putt well, I chip the ball well because I don't feel like I have to chip it a foot, I can just relax a little bit and chip it up there three, four feet, and I'm going to make it. Hence, I don't worry about missing greens because I feel like I'm going to hit it close. That works its way back to the tee. I think if I can put my finger on one part of my game, that's it.

I came out early and played well and that got me fired up for the year. I've told many people that I still have a passion for the game. That kind of comes and goes, but right now I feel very fortunate to do what I'm doing and be a professional golfer. I've made a living at it for this long.

TODD BUDNICK: Let's go through the long list of birdies.

JAY HAAS: Well, we went through the first hole.

Second hole, sand wedge to about three feet, made that.

3, I hit a 5-wood to 50 feet maybe, two-putted.

4, I hit a 5-iron to maybe 18 feet, made that.

5, hit a poor second shot right of the green and pitched it just onto the fringe and then I had to get a ruling. There was a sodded area with some seams around there and it was kind of confusing, took two different drops and I was on the fringe of the green, maybe 18 feet, I guess. I made that.

6, I hit a pitching wedge to 12 feet, made it.

7, I hit 9-iron to 12 feet, made that.

8, a 9-iron to about 12 feet, made that one.

16, I hit a 5-wood, just hit on the green, rolled through into the bunker and hit a bunker shot out to about a foot and a half.

And then 17, a 7-iron to about ten feet there.

TODD BUDNICK: Thank you, Jay.

End of FastScripts....