After poor 2010, Haas driving toward better results

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Stan Badz/PGA TOUR

After an off year in 2010, Jay Haas' driving is returning to where it was during dominant Champions Tour years.

When Jay Haas was winning regularly on the Champions Tour, he was statistically dominant in several areas. None stood out more than his driving numbers.

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Haas playing BMW Pro-Am
Next week: Senior PGA

In 2008, the year Haas won the Senior PGA Championship for the second time, he was No. 1 in the Total Driving category. The year before, he was third in Total Driving and in 2006, the year he won his first Senior PGA Championship, he was fifth.

A slip in Haas' driving stats began in 2009 and continued last year when, for the first time, he failed to win on the Champions Tour since his arrival as a full-time member in 2005. In 2010, Haas fell to 71st in Total Driving, 51st in Driving Distance and 54th in Driving Accuracy.

Haas is back among the driving leaders this year with much-improved numbers. He tied for fifth at the Regions Tradition, the first major of the year, and is poised for this week's return to the Senior PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club.

By his standards, Haas had a pedestrian season in 2010.

"Nothing was very good last year from tee to green," he said.

Haas' string of seasons with at least one victory ended in 2010. For four years from 2006 to 2009, he had the second-best scoring average on the Champions Tour. But last year he slipped to 19th and the 70.44 average Haas posted was the first time he has been over 70 on the Champions Tour. Clearly, it wasn't what Haas -- or anyone else -- expected of him.

The surprising part was that Haas finished 2009 with a charge. In the final five events of the year, he won twice, including the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship; tied for second twice and tied for 10th at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

"I played really well at the end of '09," Haas said. "That was probably some of the best golf I've played. But then all of last year I was just not very good. I didn't drive the ball well."

There was a reason for that but Haas prefers not to use excuses. A Titleist driver he had favored for a long time grew old and died.

"The face cracked," Haas said. "I re-headed it and had different ones. It was kind of like an old friend, it just went away and it didn't come back.

"I can't really use the driver as an excuse, or not finding a driver. I raise my hand when it's my blame. I don't (say), 'Well, it's the driver, it's the irons, it's the ball.' We look for excuses sometimes, but they're usually ... look right here."

Haas knows the reality of his situation. He has enjoyed a wonderful Champions Tour career with 14 victories and three major titles. At 57, he accepts that his most productive years on the Champions Tour are likely behind him.

"I'm aware that the statistics show that guys don't win as much as they get into their late 50s and on, but I really just didn't feel like I played well," he said.

"If I felt that that was the best I had, then I would be kind of discouraged and it is the end. I still feel like I'm not playing my best golf and finishing 25th in the tournament. Am I going to win 10 times again? No, I don't think so, but I would like to have some more chances and I think that I'm capable of getting into position."

He proved that at the Regions Tradition, where he played solidly. The improved driving has allowed Haas to flourish in other areas. He is top 15 in five disciplines and 16th in scoring average where he's back under 70 again at 69.68. His best rankings are ninth in Birdie Average (4.55) and 10th in Putting Average (1.721). It all adds up to a very respectable 13th in the All-Around statistic.

"I feel pretty good," Haas said. "I feel maybe not like I'm 37, but I don't feel like I can't do it anymore. I just don't feel like I've played my best golf in the last year."

If Haas was stuck on 73s, 74s and 75s, that would be one thing.

"If that's the best I can do, then I'll say see you later, but I think I can do better than that still," he said.

Next up for the Champions Tour and Haas is the Senior PGA Championship, an event he has won twice since 2006. He's coming off a solid effort at the Regions Tradition. The timing is right and Haas is poised. It's an intriguing combination.

With improved driving in 2011, three-time major champion Jay Haas is looking to add to his victory total on the Champions Tour. Here is a comparison of his driving stats over the past six seasons: