Wake Men's Golf Prepares For NCAA Championships
5/23/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
May 23, 2000
WAKE FOREST QUICK FACTS
Location: Winston-Salem, NC
Enrollment: 3,836 undergraduates
Nickname: Demon Deacons
Colors: Old Gold & Black
Conference: Atlantic Coast
President: Dr. Thomas K. Hearn, Jr.
Athletic Director: Ron Wellman
Media Relations Contact: Jen Hoover
Phone/Fax: 336-758-5640/336-758-5140
E-mail: hooverjj@wfu.edu
Website: www.wakeforestsports.com
DEMON DEACONS AT A GLANCE
Head Coach: Jerry Haas (Wake Forest '85), third season
Mastercard Team Ranking (5/10): No. 37
Golfweek/Sagarin Team Ranking (5/22): No. 37
2000 ACC Championship Finish: 4th of 9
2000 NCAA East Regional Finish: 11th of 27
1999 NCAA Championship Finish: did not participate as a
team
ACC Championships: 18
NCAA Championships: 3 (1974, 1975, 1986)
THE 2000 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2000 NCAA Men's Golf Championship will be held May 31-June 3 at the
Grand National Golf Club in Opelika, Ala., hosted by Auburn University.
Thirty teams and six individuals will compete for the NCAA crown in the
72-holes event. After 36 holes, the field will be cut to the low 15 teams,
no ties, and the low nine individuals not on those teams.
DEMON DEACON SEASON REVIEW
Despite an extremely young roster, the Wake Forest men's golf team has
turned in a very promising 1999-2000 campaign. The young Deacs have
continued to improve throughout the year, capturing two tournament titles
while using an all-sophomore and freshman lineup every event but three. In
the fall, the Deacs struggled in their first and last tournaments but did
well in the other three.
Wake won its first team trophy in four years at Cavalier Classic, as three Deacs finished in the top five, including sophomore individual medalist Jay Morgan. Wake Forest has enjoyed a fine spring season, finishing in the top half of the field in six of eight events and taking home another team title at The Intercollegiate at MacGregor Downs.
The Deacs earned a fourth-place showing at the ACC Championship, securing their return to NCAA play after a one-year hiatus, and advanced to the NCAA finals for the first time since 1997 with an 11th-place finish at the East Regional.
WANNER NAMED ALL-ACC
Freshman Brent Wanner earned a spot on the 2000 All-ACC Men's Golf Team,
becoming the first Deacon rookie to do so since Bobby Collins in 1991.
Wanner has played in 12 of the Deacs' 13 events this year and owns a
team-low 72.9 stroke average. He owns six top 10 finishes and is ranked
No. 59 in the nation in the Golfweek/Sagarin ratings.
WFU AT THE NCAA EAST REGIONAL
Wake Forest advanced to the NCAA Championships by finishing 11th at the
East Regional in Moosic, Pa., on May 18-20. Only 11 teams advanced from
the East, and the Deacs (294-308-294=896) edged South Carolina for the
final spot by just two strokes. They also got a helping hand from NC
State, who dropped from fifth to 14th place when Carl Pettersson, the
event's individual leader, was disqualified for an incorrect scorecard in
the final round. The Deacs were paced by freshman Brent Wanner, who shot a
career-low-tying 67 in the final round to finish in seventh place
(76-74-67=217). Sophomore Jay Morgan placed 43rd (226), while freshmen
Chris Yoder (227), Chad Wilfong (230) and Buck Williams (238) were 50th,
66th and 99th respectively.
THE DEACONS' NCAA LINEUP
Jay Morgan (So, Choctaw, OK) 73.5 avg
The "veteran" in the Deacon lineup as a sophomore ... Team MVP for
1999-2000 ... has played in every single event of the season (13
tournaments) ... the team's top finisher six times ... ranks second in
stroke average on the year ... owns three top 10 finshes and one other top
20 showing ... won his first career tournament in the fall of '99, taking
medalist honors at the Cavalier Classic in September ...
Helped WFU to the team title in the that event as well ... tied for fourth at the Purina Missouri Classic in October ... shot a career-low 66 in the final round of that event as well as posting a career-low 54-hole score of 209 ... tied for eighth in his first-ever ACC Championship appearance ... tied for 15th at The Intercollegiate at MacGregor Downs in April (another WFU team win) ... tied for 43rd at the NCAA East Regional ... led the Deacs in the fall with a 72.6 average in five events ... has a 74.0 average through eight spring tourneys ... 16 of his 38 rounds on the year have been at or under par, with four rounds in the 60s ... second on the team in percentage of rounds counted (.953) ... played in nine events last year as a freshman and had the third-best stroke average on the team (75.8).
Brent Wanner (Fr, Chatham, MA)72.9 avg
A 2000 All-ACC pick ... the first Deacon rookie to earn All-ACC honors
since Bobby Collins in 1991 ... ranked No. 59 in the nation in the
Golfweek/Sagarin ratings ... owns the team's top stroke average on the
season ... has played in 12 of 13 events on the year, sitting out just one
fall tourney ... owns six top 10 finishes, five of which were top 5
showings ... has one other top 20 finish as well ... tied for second at the
Birkdale Collegiate Classic in March ... tied for third at both the
Cavalier Classic in the fall and The Intercollegiate at MacGregor Downs in
the spring ... shot a career-low 67 in the final round at MacGregor Downs
to help Wake secure the team title ... T
Tied for fourth at the Cleveland
Golf Collegiate Championship in March ... fired back-to-back rounds in the
60s to open that event (69-68) and posted a career-low 54-hole total (210)
... tied for fifth in his first collegiate tournament, The Ridges
Intercollegiate ... tied his career-low score with a 67 in the final round
of the NCAA East Regional to place seventh and ensure that the Deacs
advanced to the NCAA Finals ... tied for 14th in his first ACC Championship
... posted a 73.2 stroke average in four fall events, second-best on the
team ... owns a 72.8 spring average through eight tourneys ... WFU's top
finisher five times ... 15 of his 35 rounds this year have been at or under
par, with five rounds in the 60s (all in the spring) ... leads the team in
percentage of rounds counted (.953).
Chad Wilfong (Fr, Thomasville, NC) 75.2 avg
Owns the fourth-lowest stroke average onthe year (of Deacons who have
played in more than one event)... has competed in 11 of 13 events for the
Deacs in 1999-2000 ... owns three top 20 showings ... best finish was a tie
for 11th place at the Purina Missouri Classic in the fall ... closed that
event with a career-best 67 on the final 18 holes, the first and only
sub-70 round of his career ... also had a career-low score of 213 over 54
holes at the Purina Missouri Classic ... tied for 15th at both the Iron
Duke Classic in the fall and The Intercollegiate at MacGregor Downs in the
spring ... was the team's top finisher at the Iron Duke ... 6 of his 29
rounds this year have been at or under par ... tied for 31st at the ACC
Championship ...
Tied for 66th at the NCAAA East Regional ... posted a 74.5 average over four fall events ... owns a 75.5 average in the spring (seven events) ... 70.9 percent of his rounds have counted towards the team score on the year.
Buck Williams (Fr, Raleigh, NC) 75.4 avg
Has experienced both highs and lows in the 1999-2000 season ... has shot 11
rounds under par, the most of any Deac, but has also carded the most rounds
in the 80s (7) ... ranks sixth in stroke average on the year (of players
who have competed in more than one event) ... has competed in 12 of 13
tournaments during his rookie year ... owns two top 5 finishes on the year
and one other top 20 showing ... tied teammate Brent Wanner for third place
at the Cavalier Classic in the fall ... tied for fourth in the Puerto Rico
Classic in February to open the spring season ... carded a career-low
54-hole score of 212 in that event ... tied for 19th in his first ACC
Championship ... tied for 99th at the NCAA East Regional ... shot a
career-low 69 in the opening round of the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate in the
fall and also in the second round of The Intercollegiate at MacGregor Downs
in the spring ... had a 76.1 average in four fall events (including one
tourney played as an individual competitor) ... owns an improved 75.1
spring average through seven events.
Chris Yoder (Fr, Ashland, OH) 75.2 avg
Another rookie who has continued to improve over the course of the year ...
ranks fifth on the team in stroke average (of players competing in more
than one event) ... owns one top 20 finish on the season ... tied for 20th
place at The Intercollegiate at MacGregor Downs in the spring, helping the
Deacs to the team title there ... tied for 29th in his first ACC
Championship ... tied for 50th at the NCAA East Regional ... has competed
in a total of eight events on the year ... recorded his lowest round at the
Cleveland Golf/Augusta State Invitational, carding a 70 in the second round
... his 221 in that event was also a personal best for 54 holes ... has
shot 3 of 21 rounds at or under par on the year ... had a 76.2 average in
two fall events ... has improved his average to 74.8 in six spring tourneys.
HEAD COACH JERRY HAAS
In his third season at the helm of the Demon Deacon men's golf program,
having taken the reins in September of 1997 ... a 1985 graduate of Wake
Forest ... the younger brother of PGA Tour star (and fellow Deacon alumnus)
Jay Haas ... a four-time collegiate All-American ... played nine years of
professional golf, including four years on the PGA Tour, before returning
to his alma mater as coach ... playing career was highlighted by a
31st-place finish at The Masters in 1985 ... is coaching his first team at
the NCAA Championships in 2000 (his '98 squad missed the NCAA regional cut,
and only one Deacon on his '99 team advanced to the NCAA final as an
individual competitor).
WAKE FOREST 1999-2000 ROSTER
| Name | Ht | Cl | Hometown/High School |
| Bart DeLuca | 6-1 | So. | Baltimore, MD/The Gilman School |
| Jamie Gallacher | 6-0 | Sr. | Surrey, England/Bradfield College |
| Cortland Lowe | 6-0 | rFr. | Augusta, GA/Augusta Prep |
| Jay Morgan* | 6-0 | So. | Choctaw, OK/Choctaw HS |
| Ryan Peiffer | 5-10 | Jr. | Winston-Salem, NC/Mt. Tabor HS |
| Brent Wanner* | 6-0 | Fr. | Chatham, MA/Nauset Regional HS |
| Chad Wilfong* | 6-2 | Fr. | Thomasville, NC/East Davidson HS |
| Buck Williams* | 5-10 | Fr. | Raleigh, NC/Broughton HS |
| Chris Yoder* | 6-1 | Fr. | Ashland, OH/Ashland HS |
* competing at the 2000 NCAA Championships
WAKE FOREST 1999-2000 RESULTS
| Sept. 11-12 | The Ridges Intercollegiate | 13th of 15 |
| Sept. 19-20 | Cavalier Classic | 1st of 15 |
| Oct. 1-3 | Carpet Capital Collegiate | 7th of 15 |
| Oct. 11-12 | Purina Missouri Classic | 8th of 17 |
| Oct. 17-18 | Iron Duke Classic | 14th of 18 |
| Feb. 27-29 | Puerto Rico Classic | 7th of 15 |
| Mar. 11-12 | Birkdale Collegiate Classic | t-5th of 18 |
| Mar. 20-21 | Cleveland Golf Collegiate Championship | t-6th of 15 |
| Apr. 1-2 | Cleveland Golf/Augusta State Invitational | 14th of 19 |
| Apr. 14-15 | The Intercollegiate at MacGregor Downs | 1st of 12 |
| Apr. 21-23 | ACC Championship | 4th of 9 |
| May 18-20 | NCAA East Regional Championship | 11th of 27 |
| May 31-Jun 3 | NCAA Championship (Opelika, Ala.) |
WAKE FOREST IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
Wake Forest owns three NCAA team titles, winning the crown in 1974, 1975
and 1986. The Demon Deacons were also the NCAA runners-up four times, most
recently in 1997, when they finished three strokes shy of Pepperdine for
the title. WFU also claims four NCAA individual medalists: the legendary
Arnold Palmer (1949, 50), Curtis Strange (1974), Jay Haas (1975), and Gary
Hallberg (1979).
Wake Forest has been represented in NCAA play every year since 1967 and has earned a team bid in 33 of those 34 years. Last spring marked the first year since 1967 that they were left out, although senior Michael Capone represented WFU as an individual competitor. Since the NCAA began its regional playoff format in 1989, the Deacs have advanced to the finals eight times - every year except 1989, '90, '98, and '99).
NCAA Individual Champions
| Arnold Palmer | 1949, 1950 |
| Curtis Strange | 1974 |
| Jay Haas | 1975 |
| Gary Hallberg | 1979 |
NCAA Team Finishes
| Year | Place | Score |
| 1998* | Fourteenth | 876 |
| 1997 | Second | 1151 |
| 1996 | Eighteenth | 612 |
| 1995 | Twenty-Second | 596 |
| 1994 | Fifteenth | 1152 |
| 1993 | Eleventh | 1184 |
| 1992 | Twenty-fourth | 591 |
| 1991 | Fourth | 1180 |
| 1990* | Thirteenth | 878 |
| 1989* | Thirteenth | 911 |
| 1988 | Twenty-second | 608 |
| 1987 | Second | 1176 |
| 1986 | First | 1156 |
| 1985 | Thirteenth | 1203 |
| 1984 | Fifteenth | 1486 |
| 1983 | Thirteenth | 1193 |
| 1982 | t-Tenth | 1173 |
| 1981 | Ninth | 1182 |
| 1980 | Seventeenth | 910 |
| 1979 | Third | 1196 |
| 1978 | Seventh | 1177 |
| 1977 | Tenth | 1233 |
| 1976 | Fourth | 1175 |
| 1975 | First | 1156 |
| 1974 | First | 1158 |
| 1973 | Nineteenth | 591 |
| 1972 | t-Sixth | 1185 |
| 1971 | Fourth | 1155 |
| 1970 | Second | 1182 |
| 1969 | Second | 1232 |
| 1968 | Third | 1160 |
| 1967 | Fifth | 597 |
| 1964 | Seventh | 607 |
| 1963 | t-Sixth | 591 |
| 1962 | Eighth | 619 |
| 1955 | t-Sixteenth | 610 |
| 1952 | Fourteenth | 621 |
| 1950 | Fifth | 591 |
| 1949 | Seventh | 609 |
