Diary: Haas gives himself few chances to score
Web posted
Saturday, April 10, 2004
EDITOR'S NOTE: Jay Haas (Stats | Bio) , a 28-year PGA Tour veteran, is compiling a daily diary on his experiences in the 68th Masters Tournament. Haas, 50, has three top-10 finishes this season on the PGA Tour and is 22nd on the money list. The Greenville, S.C., resident is sharing his thoughts with staff writer Chris Gay.
It's mixed emotions. I feel disappointed with the back nine. I shot 40 on the back nine. Other than a couple of shots, I didn't feel like I played that poorly. But I didn't have that many chances.
I missed the green with a couple of irons. I just wasn't able to recover. Didn't putt that well today. My pace on my putts was not as good as I would like it.
I hit two nice putts coming in. I made a nice little putt at 17 and a real good two-putt at 18 from the back edge. I knocked it down to about six inches. That was a good way to finish.
It was a tough day. Even though the greens were a little softer, they were still very, very quick. I just didn't have it in a lot of birdieable positions. I was downhill a lot. Sidehill putts. I was lagging them down there. Yesterday, I had a couple shorter ones, some better opportunities. I just didn't have as many opportunities. Then two three-putts in the middle of the back nine. Without those it would've been a little easier to handle.
I'm not out of it. Six behind and I get to play the weekend. I'm in a good position. Obviously, I have to play well (today). Something in the 60s (today) would go a long way.
On 13, I hit a poor drive up into the trees. I was just trying to chop something out of there. I was next to some pine cones and a stick. The ball squirted out to the left into the rough next to the creek. Not a terrible spot as it turned out, I just didn't have a very good lie.
(His ball landed in what looked like a tire track, and he asked for relief from several rules officials.) I was disappointed that I didn't get relief. But they are the law. They have the final say. It didn't really bother me, even though it looks like it did.
On 14, I pushed my tee shot a little bit and it went into the right rough. I had a little knockdown shot and I was trying to get it up on the top level or even just over the green. It just went way over the green into the crowd. Then I got a little defensive there just trying to play for bogey and not chip it down to the front of the green. I left it about 18 feet short and I thought the first putt was uphill more than it was and I got a little greedy and tried to make a run at it. It went by about four feet and I missed that one. That was pretty disappointing to give two away there.
On 16, I hit a 7-iron to 40 feet left, kind of where every ball goes if you don't get it up on top of that hill. That's what I was trying to do. I just mis-hit the first putt and it came up about six, seven feet short and missed that one.
Realistically, I'd say anybody within 10 shots of the lead can win this golf tournament. You shoot something good (today) and you get right in the hunt. The only thing is there are quite a few players between 6-under and even par. But I certainly don't feel like I'm out of it by any means. But I need to shoot a good round (today).
It's what we dream about, to get here and then to get a weekend starting time. It's pretty special. I'd like to get a late one Sunday.
