Jay Haas, playing in his first Senior Open, opened the first round with a 4-under 67 at Bellerive Country Club. He shared his thoughts with www.ussenioropen.com.

Starting out the first round I was kind of tentative, but I made a nice 6-footer at the second hole for a save, my only real save of the day and then made a 6- or 7-footer at the third hole for birdie and then almost made about a 40-footer at the fourth hole for eagle, so I was feeling pretty good early on at 2 under and then I just couldn't get anything to go.

In the stretch of eight through 13, with the exception of the 10^th, I had it within 15 feet and had a couple of 6-and 8-footers and didn't really come close to any of them and that was the frustrating part of the day. 

If I was hitting good putts and they weren't going in that's one thing, but I didn't hit any good putts, and then on the 14^th I hit it close again and hit a good putt and misread it.  Then I hit a good putt at the 15^th  and not a good putt at the 16^th , but again make able putts 15 to18 feet.  I mean, you have to make some of those.  Finally on the 17^th I hit it within a foot and half and got one I could make and then made a really good putt on the 18^th, 6 or 7 feet, outside the hole, but it went square in the center

On the 17^th and then the 18^th I tried something a little different with my putting, I tried to get my elbows in a little tighter to my body and not let my arms flap or roam so much and get away from my body.  I think I was trying to put the club on the line too much with my hands and not letting it release toward the hole, basically steering the putt.

When that putt went in right on line on the 18^th it was a bit of a relief and a charge for tomorrow and hopefully I can take that into tomorrow's round.  I just need some confidence on the greens, I'm getting there. I'm getting chances. I just need to build some confidence. 

It's not a rule you have to make anything, but I feel like if I had been 3 or 4 more under it wouldn't have been an upset.  I don't think I would have said I really putted great today if I shot a 64 or 63.  If I would have putted great today I could have been very low. Sixty-seven I won't say that's as high as I could have shot, but I only made the one save there at the second, and I missed the sixth green and putted it from 15 feet. So I didn't feel that was a missed green, and after that I hit every green, including 12 in a row at the end and made only the two putts on the 17^th and 18^th.

So now it's back to the putting green to work on the minor change I found on the 17^th and see if I can have it translate to a lower score tomorrow.