Jay Haas, who was eligible for the Champions Tour this year, is making his first U.S. Senior Open start at Bellerive Country Club. He shared his thoughts with www.ussenioropen.com.

Coming back to the area I grew up around is a great feeling.  I was born in St. Louis because my Mom worked at the hospital in St. Louis, but we lived just over the Mississippi River in Bellville, Illinois. Last night I went back to my boyhood course, St. Claire in Bellville, to see friends and tell tall tales, which was a lot of fun.

People may think because I'm from around this area that I have a home advantage.  I can honestly say that's not true.  I did win the St. Louis Men's District tournament three years in a row and the last one was here at Bellerive back in 1975, but that was a long time ago. 

Don't get me wrong, I have good memories of winning here and I do feel comfortable with the surroundings. But as far as knowing the ins and outs of this golf course I feel like anyone else in the field, possessing no more or less knowledge about what is going to be a difficult golf course.

First you take a look at the greens.  I think they are difficult to putt and you're going to get a steady diet of 20-, 30- and 40-footers here. And if you're not on your iron game, you're going to have long putts, over knobs, left to right and right to left. No experience I had in my amateur days or in ‘92 [at the PGA Championship] will give me any advantage on these greens this week.   

Coming into the week I was under the impression that Bellerive is a long hitter's golf course -- catering more to the guy that really bombs it. But the ball goes so far now it almost doesn't matter anymore if you're not such a long hitter.

I felt a little more confident after today's practice round, a little more comfortable with the course.  I won't say it doesn't suit me, but I won't say everything fits my eye.  Most of the holes in fact do fit my eye, but some of the holes like the fourth and fifth holes I'm not as comfortable on as I would like to be.

On the fourth hole I don't feel like I have a good idea of where to drive the ball, and since it's a par 5 I feel I can reach it in two with a good drive. But with such a narrow gap down the right side to miss the bunkers and get in the right part of the fairway for the green, I just think it's an awkward hole for me.

The fairway on the fifth hole slopes left to right and the ball seems to want to fall off to the right.  Since you have to get the ball in the fairway, and even though it's a 450-yard hole, it's better to lay back a club or two so you have an approach from the fairway versus the rough, which I believe is very difficult to play out of and really narrows up the course and puts premium on driving the ball well this week.

All and all I think taking last week off was good for me. I feel refreshed and looking forward to this week and the stretch of the next couple weeks, including the PGA in two weeks.  So after two practice rounds I'm ready to go and look forward to the next four days.