Q&A; WITH JAY HAAS

Jay Haas has yet to win a Champions Tournament this year, which is one of the reasons he enters the Toshiba Classic as a favorite.

Through five events, Haas has put up a high level of consistency much like he did last year when he finished atop the Charles Schwab Cup points standings, 20 points ahead of Loren Roberts.

In 2006, Haas won four of his 21 events, finishing 16 times in the top 10.

This year Haas has matched nearly the same ratio, with three top 10 finishes through five events, meaning that first Champions Tour victory of 2007 could be looming on the horizon.

Haas entered the Toshiba Classic last year in search of his first win of 2006. He finished tied for 16th then picked up two consecutive victories in following tournaments.

Haas answered a handful of questions on family, the tour and his success, before making the trip out to Newport Beach.

Question: What is your favorite thing about playing Toshiba?

Answer: The golf course. I love the layout. I love the intimacy of it. It’s not a long course, but very tricky. It requires about every shot in your bag.

Q: Your two sons are really good golfers, when all of you play together what is it like? Who wins?

A: When they were younger, I never dreamed they could have been as good as they are. I was hoping they would get a nice foundation in the game. Both of them are professionals. It’s a charge to watch them do so well.

I can’t win against them as much anymore. It’s a toss-up between Bill and myself. Every now and then I let them know when I do win. I get a lippy. But my time is about done.

Q: Last year you won the Bob Jones Award for sportsmanship, what does it mean to be a good sport in golf?

A: To me what sportsmanship is about is respecting everyone involved, also the golf course and the game. Enjoying a good shot whether it’s your own or someone else’s. There are a lot of things that go into being a good sport.

The list of the guys who won that award, excluding myself, it stands for what golf is all about. Arnold [Palmer] and Jack [Nicklaus], guys like that who stood for what’s right about golf.

Q: You finished first in the Charles Schwab Cup points last year, what will it take to do it again this year?

A: I had a lot of things go my way last year. I played very well. Like trying to win one tournament, to win a season’s worth you have to have a lot of good breaks. You have to play well, which I did. For Loren [Roberts] to miss a shot five and a half feet away from the hole, Wow, he would have won the Cup and all the awards. It was a very close race between us.

To do it again I would have to do extremely well. I won some key tournaments. You have to be in the right place at the right time.

Q: What are some of the biggest differences between the PGA and Champions Tours?

A: The biggest difference I see is the size of the field. We are playing with half the amount of players as the PGA, the field is not quite as deep, but at the top there are very good players.

The winners play as good as they can play. When you get right down to it, coming down the stretch the last few holes, it’s really not much different at all.

For me, it’s trying to keep my emotions in check and trying to beat whoever. I didn’t have a different mindset on the PGA tour.

Q: Why are you a good golfer?

A: I think I have a God-given ability. I have worked hard most of my career. I think I have a certain passion for golf, the same as I did when I was a teen. I still love to play and love to compete.

There have been a couple times I lost that passion and it showed during those times. When I worked at it, I managed to be somewhat successful.

Q: How do you work family in with playing golf on the tour?

A: We have five children. The hardest thing was once we had our third, my wife traveled hardly at all.

That was a difficult thing. When I was on the road, I wanted to be at home and when I was at home, I wanted to be on the road. My wife [of 28 years] means so much to the family. She’s the rock of the family. Without her, I don’t know how we could get it done. She’s basically been a single parent. She’s done an unbelievable job of raising our family, and never complaining that I’ve been away too much.

She allowed me to chase my dream. The hardest thing is to be away from the family. But, as pros we all know that. It’s what we chose to do. It’s what everyone involved understands.

There are not many drawbacks to be being a pro, but that’s one.