Men's Golf Heads West For NCAA Regional
5/15/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
May 15, 2001
Corvallis, Ore. -
Wake Forest Men's Golf News & Notes
2001 NCAA West Regional * May 17-19 * Trysting Tree Golf Club * Corvallis, Ore.
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Quick Facts...
Course
Trysting Tree Golf Club, Corvallis, Ore.
Par 72 * 7,060 Yards
Format
54 holes, 18 each day
27 teams competing - the top 10 teams and two individuals (on non-advancing teams) will advance to the NCAA championships.
Times
Teams tee off beginning at 7:30 a.m. each day
Wake Forest Lineup
Brent Wanner (72.52)
Bill Haas (72.54)
Cortland Lowe (72.96)
Jay Morgan (74.34)
Chris Yoder (73.76)
( ) - stroke average
Obtaining Results
Live scoring on Golfstat.com
Daily results will be posted on www.osubeavers.com and ncaachampionships.com
Wake Forest Earns NCAA Berth, Heads to West Regional...
The Wake Forest men's golf team has earned a berth in the 2001 NCAA Regional and, for the first time in school history, will be sent out west. The Deacons will compete in the NCAA West Regional from May 17-19 at Trysting Tree Golf Club in Corvallis, Ore. The tournament is being hosted by Oregon State University.
In previous NCAA Tournaments, teams have stayed within their regions. This marks the first year teams could be sent outside their regions, and Wake Forest is one of just two East Region teams (the other being South Carolina) sent to the West this year.
The top 10 teams and two individuals after the 54-hole regional tournament will advance to the NCAA Championships at Duke University from May 30-June 3. Wake Forest is looking to make its second consecutive and 38th overall championship appearance.
Wake Forest's NCAA Regional History...
Since NCAA regional tournaments began in 1989, Wake Forest has competed in all but one regional. In those 11 previous outings, WFU has advanced to the championships eight times. The Deacs' best regional finish came in 1997, when they finished third, then went on to place second at the championships. The only year WFU has not competed in a regional was 1999.
Deacs Look to Continue Spring Hot Streak...
Over Wake's last five tournaments, the Deacons, ranked 10th nationally, have posted team finishes of second, first, third, second and third. After finishing second at the Birkdale on March 5-6, Wake captured the team title at the USC Aiken/Cleveland Golf Collegiate on March 19-20. The Deacs followed that up with a second-place finish at the Augusta State Invite on March 31-April 1, then another second place finish at The Intercollegiate in Chapel Hill. In their most recent outing, the Deacs led going into the final round, but finished third at the ACC Championships.
Over those five tournaments, the Deacs' final score has trailed the team champion by a combined total of 18 strokes. In both the Augusta State and Intercollegiate, WFU has been just two strokes off the winning team score.
A Look at the Deacon Lineup...
Wake Forest will sport a lineup of one junior, three sophomores and one freshman at this year NCAA West Regional. Leading the way for the Deacs are sophomore Brent Wanner (Chatham, Mass.) and freshman Bill Haas (Greer, S.C.). The duo have nearly identical stroke averages, (Wanner owns a 72.52 and Haas has a 72.54 average) and collectively have posted 10 top-10 finishes. Wanner has been a consistent force all season long, as he is the only Deacon to play in every event so far this year. After winning the individual title at the Duke Classic in October, Wanner has posted four top-10 showings this spring, including a fourth-place finish at the ACC Championships.
Haas has really come on strong during the spring campaign, posting five consecutive top-10 finishes to close out the regular season, including a pair of second-place finishes. He has dropped his average by over two strokes from the fall to spring (73.75 to 71.63).
Sophomore Cortland Lowe (Augusta, Ga.) holds the third spot in the Deacon lineup. After leading the Deacs in the fall with a 72.6 average, Lowe currently owns a 73.18 with two top-10 finishes to his credit.
Jay Morgan (Choctaw, Okla), the team's "elder statesman" though just a junior, has seen action in 10 events this year. While he ranks third on the squad with nearly 45 percent of his rounds equal/under par, Morgan is looking for increased consistency. He posted his best finish of the season at the ACC Championships, placing 10th.
Sophomore Chris Yoder (Ashland, Ohio) rounds out the Deacon lineup. After playing as an individual in two fall events, Yoder has appeared in five team events this spring, compiling a 73.54 average.
Head Coach Jerry Haas...
Wake Forest head coach Jerry Haas is in his fourth season at the helm of the men's golf program. Haas is familiar with the tradition and history of the Wake program, having played under coach Jesse Haddock from 1982-85 and earning All-America honors four times as a Deacon golfer.
Haas' leadership and enthusiasm have been instrumental in the Deacons' recent return to national prominence, as he led Wake to a 15th-place finish at the NCAA Championships in 2000 after a two-year hiatus from the event.
Deacons Rack Up ACC Honors...
Two members of the Wake Forest men's golf team, sophomore Brent Wanner and freshman Bill Haas were named to the 2001 All-Atlantic Coast Conference men's golf team. Haas was also named the ACC's Rookie of the Year, as selected by a vote of the league's nine head coaches.
Wanner and Haas are the 49th and 50th All-ACC selections in Wake Forest's history, which begins with Bill's father, Jay Haas, who picked up two of the school's first conference honors in 1975 and `76. Twenty-eight different Deacons have been tabbed All-ACC over the years, including current head coach Jerry Haas, who earned the honor from 1983-85.
Bill Haas is just the second Deacon to be named ACC Rookie of the Year, as Justin Roof earned the honor in 1994.
Fountain of Youth...
If this year's roster and results are any indication, the future of Deacon golf looks bright. The 2000-01 roster includes no seniors, two juniors, five sophomores and a freshman. Wake's most consistent lineup this season (including the NCAA Regional) includes one junior, three sophomores and a freshman.
Wake Forest won the Cleveland Golf Collegiate in March with its youngest lineup of the season - four sophomores and a freshman.
Frosh-Soph Duo Provide One-Two Punch...
Wake's top players this season, in terms of stroke average, top finishes and statistics, have been freshman Bill Haas and sophomore Brent Wanner. As a tandem, Haas and Wanner have been Wake's top two finishers in five tournaments this season, including four of the last five events. Other Wanner and Haas accomplishments this season include:
* The pair is nearly tied for the team lead in stroke average, as Wanner has a 72.52, Haas a 72.54.
* Both have pocketed a team-high five top-10 finishes and six top-20 showings this season.
* Wanner won individual medalist honors at the Duke Classic in the fall, while Haas has picked up two second-place finishes this spring.
* The duo owns Wake's lowest rounds this season - Wanner carded a 65 at the Duke Classic, while Haas fired a 64 at the Augusta State Invite.
* Both have counted over 91 percent of their rounds toward team totals.
The Rankings Report...
Wake Forest has been a mainstay in the Top 25 all season long, and is currently ranked 10th in the MasterCard/Collegiate Golf Rankings, its highest ranking of the season.
Three Deacons are ranked individually. Brent Wanner, who entered the rankings at No. 23, is currently 30th. Bill Haas checked into the rankings in mid-season and is now 41st. Cortland Lowe is currently ranked 93rd.
Wake Forest Versus the West Region Field...
Going out to the West Coast means playing some unfamiliar teams, but the Deacs have encountered a few of the 27 members of the West Region field over the course of the season. Wake Forest has a combined 9-5-1 record (.633) against West Region teams, including a 1-0 recod versus Arizona, 2-0 versus Arizona State, 1-1 versus New Mexico, 1-3 versus South Carolina, 3-0-1 versus Tennessee, 0-1 versus UCLA and 1-0 versus UNLV.
Statistically Speaking...
Collectively, over 43 percent (68-of-158) of the Deacons' individual rounds this season have been equal or under par ... team members have combined for 27 top-20 finishes this season ... Wake Forest has compiled a won-loss record of 100-47-3 (.677) ... Bill Haas' first-round 64 at the Augusta State Invitational was the lowest score posted by a WFU golfer since former Deacon Todd Lynch turned in a 63 in the fall of 1996 ... Haas' spring stroke average of 71.62 ranks third-lowest in the ACC, behind Georgia Tech's Bryce Molder (70.59) and Clemson's John Engler (71.20).