Wake Forest Athletics
Men's Golf Heads to ACC Championships
4/18/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
April 18, 2002
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Wake Forest Men's Golf News & Notes
2002 ACC Championships * April 19-21 * Old North State Club * Uwharrie Point, N.C.
Championship Info
Course
Old North State Club at Uwharrie Point
Badin Lake, N.C.
Par 72 * 7,100 Yards
Format
54 holes, 18 each day
Times
Teams tee off beginning at 8:30 a.m. each day
Wake Forest Lineup (stroke avg.)
Bill Haas (70.7)
Brent Wanner (72.5)
Jay Morgan (73.0)
Chad Wilfong (73.4)
Chris Yoder (73.8)
Deacon Golfers Return to Old North State for ACC Championships...
The 49th annual Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Golf Championship takes place this weekend, April 19-21, at the Old North State Club in Uwharrie Point, N.C.
After moving to Orlando, Fla. last season, the ACC Championships return to North Carolina for the 43rd time and will take place at the Old North State Club for the sixth time in the last eight seasons.
Nine teams will compete for the ACC crown, with top-ranked Georgia Tech looking to defend its 2001 title. Clemson and Georgia Tech have owned the conference championships as of late, as Clemson has won three titles and the Yellow Jackets two since 1997.
Wake Forest, however, still leads the league in overall titles (18) and will looking for their first ACC crown since 1989.
Deacs on a Hot Streak...
The Demon Deacons are on a roll heading into the conference championships, having finished either first or second over their last four outings. After winning the Birkdale Collegiate in March, Wake posted two second-place finishes at the The Schenkel and Augusta State Invitationals. Wake won its second event of the season, The Intercollegiate, in Chapel Hill last weekend.
In fact, Wake Forest has finished first, second or third in seven of 10 events during the 2001-02 season. After finishing eighth in their opening tournament, The Ridges Intercollegiate, the Deacs have placed no lower than fifth, including four second-place and two first-place finishes.
A Look at the Deacon Lineup...
Wake Forest will sport a lineup of one senior, three juniors and one sophomore at this year ACC Championships - the same five players, in fact, that placed third at last year's conference tournament. Leading the way for the Deacs is sophomore Bill Haas (Greer, S.C.), a finalist for the 2002 Ben Hogan Award. Haas is shooting below par (70.7 stroke average) and has won individual medalist honors at two tournaments this spring - the Birkdale and The Intercollegiate. He's placed in the top 20 in eight of 10 tournaments, including seven top 10 finishes. Over 76 percent of his rounds have been equal or under par this season, and he's counted 28 of 29 rounds (97 percent) towards team totals.
Junior Brent Wanner (Chatham, Mass.), who captured the individual title at The Preview in the fall, is second on the team in stroke average (72.5) and has pocketed seven top 20 finishes. Wanner was the Deacs' top finisher at ACCs last season, placing fourth.
The lone senior in the lineup, Jay Morgan (Choctaw, Okla.) has seen action in every tournament this season (along with Wanner and Haas). Morgan had his best outing of the season last weekend at The Intercollegiate, placing 10th with a four-under 212. Morgan has compiled a 73.0 stroke average this season to go with four top-20 finishes.
Junior Chad Wilfong (Thomasville, N.C.), the 2001 N.C. Amateur Champion, has played in nine events with four top-20 finishes. He currently averaging 73.4 strokes per round after tying his career best 67 last weekend at The Intercollegiate.
Junior Chris Yoder (Ashland, Ohio) rounds out the Deacon lineup. Yoder has seen action in five events this season, compiling a 73.8 stroke average. He posted a season-best ninth-place finish at The Schenkel last month.
Head Coach Jerry Haas...
Wake Forest head coach Jerry Haas is in his fifth 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. After a two-year hiatus from the NCAA Championships, Haas took the Deacs back in 2000, finishing 15th overall. Last year's squad - all underclassmen - recorded a 10th place finish at NCAAs. And this year's team was ranked No. 1 in the fall and have been among the top three all season long.
Wake Forest Golf - A Long and Successful ACC History...
Atlantic Coast Conference golf is highly regarded and Wake Forest men's golf has played a key role in developing that reputation. Since 1954, WFU has captured 18 ACC team championships, more than any other school (North Carolina is second with 10.)
Individually speaking, over the years the Demon Deacons have captured more ACC individual championships (20) than any other league school, beginning with the legendary Arnold Palmer in the first ACC championship in 1954.
Only four players in conference history have won two ACC individual titles and two of those are from Wake Forest - Ronny Thomas (1959,'60) and Scott Hoch (1977, '78). Georgia Tech's David Duval (1991, '93), and Clemson's Charles Warren (1997, '98) are the only other two who can claim this distinction.
While Wake has traditionally been strong in ACC play, this weekend the Deacons will be looking to capture their first conference championship since 1989. That was also the last time WFU had an individual champion, as Tim Straub won medalist honors that season.
Familiarity Breeds ... A Championship?
The Demon Deacons' familiarity with the course at the Old North State Club will hopefully prove beneficial at the ACC Championships. Wake junior Chad Wilfong, a native of Thomasville, N.C., tied the course record there last summer, shooting a 63. In addition to Wilfong, team members Jay Morgan, Brent Wanner and Chris Yoder competed in ACCs when the event was held there in 2000.
Haas To Play in Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic...
The Greensboro Jaycees have extended a sponsor exemption for the 2002 Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic to Bill Haas, son of PGA Tour member Jay Haas and a sophomore on the Wake Forest golf team. The invitation was announced by Mark Brazil, Tournament Director of the GGCC, on April 15.
The Haas father and son duo will compete together in the 2002 Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic, which takes place at Forest Oaks Country Club, April 22-28. Haas received one of eight sponsor exemptions and was the only amateur selected to this year's tournament.
"This is very exciting, even knowing ahead of time that this was going to happen, I got pretty emotional when the announcement was made," said Jay Haas. "To have a child playing collegiate golf and be good enough to warrant this and for me to be able to play with him is unbelievable. I feel very fortunate for the GGCC to be doing this."
"I was very surprised and honored to receive the exemption," the younger Haas said. "I've always dreamed of playing in a pro event with my dad. I think it will be a great experience."
Two Tourney Titles in '02...
For the first time since six years, Wake Forest has captured two tournament titles in a season. The Deacs won the Birkdale Collegiate in March with a six-under 570 (third round cancelled due to weather). Last weekend in Chapel Hill, Wake won The Intercollegiate, finishing 23-under par and defeating NC State by one stroke.
Wake Forest has won one tournament in each of the last three seasons, but you have to go back to 1996 to find the last time they won more than one. That season the Deacs won the PING Intercollegiate, Taylor Made Red River Classic and the Wofford College Invitational.
... As Well As Three Individual Titles
Two Demon Deacons - Bill Haas and Brent Wanner - have been responsible for three individual titles this season. Wanner captured medalist honors at The Preview on Ohio State's Scarlet Course in September, while Haas has won two events this spring - the Birkdale and The Intercollegiate.
Wake's three individual titles this season are the most pocketed by a Deacon team since the 1983-84 squad. That team collected four titles, including one by current head coach Jerry Haas and two by current PGA Tour member Billy Andrade.
Fountain of Youth...
Wake Forest's youth in its lineup was the prevailing theme of the 2001 season, with no seniors on its roster last year. Although two Deacs are wrapping up their careers in 2002 (Bart DeLuca, Jay Morgan), this squad is still relatively young. Wake's most consistent lineup this season (including the ACC Championship) has included one senior, three juniors and a sophomore.
At Last Year's ACC Championship...
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Wake Forest entered the final round with a one-stroke lead, but second-ranked Georgia Tech held off both the Deacs and Clemson to win its seventh team championship at the 48th annual Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Golf championship at Disney's Magnolia Course. Clemson senior John Engler went wire-to-wire to win the fifth individual title for the Tigers.
Georgia Tech, which began Sunday's round one shot behind WFU, shot an eight-under par 280 to win going away by an eight shot margin over defending-champion Clemson. Wake Forest, which went two-over par for the third round, finished third, nine shots off the winning pace.
Virginia finished in fourth place at 859, five-under par. NC State was fifth, North Carolina sixth, Duke seventh, Florida State eighth and Maryland ninth.
Brent Wanner provided the Deacons' best finish, placing fourth with a four-under 212. Bill Haas finished one stroke back and tied for sixth, while Jay Morgan rounded out the top 10 at one-under par. Cortland Lowe placed 18th with a three-over 219 while Chris Yoder was 22nd at four-over.
Haas a Hogan Finalist...
Wake Forest sophomore Bill Haas is one of 10 finalists for the 2002 Ben Hogan Award, as announced this week by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).
The Ben Hogan Award will be presented to the outstanding male college golfer over the course of the last 12 months at a black-tie dinner Monday, May 13 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. The Hogan Award takes into consideration a player's collegiate and amateur record from May 1, 2001 to May 1, 2002.
The recipient of the award will be announced on Friday, May 3.
Haas, the 2001 ACC Rookie of the Year, has led the Demon Deacons in stroke average during his entire WFU career thus far. He's posted eight top-five finishes in 22 career collegiate tournaments, including individual medalist honors at both the 2002 Birkdale Collegiate and The Intercollegiate.
Other finalists for the award include Ryan Hybl (Georgia), Hunter Mahan (Oklahoma State), Troy Matteson (Georgia Tech), Graeme McDowell (UAB), Chez Reavie (Arizona State), D.J. Trahan (Clemson), Camilo Villegas (Florida), Nick Watney (Fresno State) and Lee Williamson (Purdue).
The Rankings Report...
After reaching the No. 1 ranking during the fall, Wake Forest is currently ranked second in the both the GolfWorld and GCAA Precept Coaches Poll. Georgia Tech tops both polls. In the Golfweek/Sagarin ratings, the Deacons are third behind the Yellow Jackets and Clemson. Just two one-hundredths of a point separate the Tigers (70.75) from WFU (70.77).
In the individual rankings, Wake's Bill Haas ranks seventh nationally, while Brent Wanner checks in at No. 28. Jay Morgan is 57th, Chad Wilfong is 79th and Chris Yoder is 148th.
1-2-3 in the Nation All From ACC...
The ACC championships are perennially one of the premier events in collegiate golf, due to the high level of competition between the nine schools.
Currently, three ACC schools - Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Clemson - are ranked 1-2-3 in the country. Six ACC schools - two-thirds of this weekend's field - are also ranked among the nation's top 50 teams. In addition to the three teams at the top, NC State also checks into both polls at No. 13 (GCAA) and 21 (GolfWorld). In the Golfweek ratings, three ACC teams are among the top 50, including #18 NC State, #37 Duke and #50 North Carolina.
Seventeen ACC players - over one-third of the championship field - are currently ranked among the nation's top 100 golfers. Nine rank among the top 30 players nationally, including three in top 10 - Clemson's D.J. Trahan (3), Georgia Tech's Troy Matteson (4) and Wake's Bill Haas (7). Georgia Tech leads the ACC with five top-100 players in its lineup. Wake Forest is tied with NC State with three apiece.
Statistically Speaking...
Collectively, nearly 52 percent (15-of-29) of Wake Forest team rounds this season have been equal or under par ... Wake has shot six straight rounds under par over its last two events ... the Deacs are just one of three teams averaging under par, as their 71.63 average is second behind Georgia Tech (70.92) ... team members have combined for 24 top-20 finishes this season and 13 top 10s ... Wake Forest has compiled a won-loss record of 121-20 (.858) ... versus ACC competition, the Deacs own a record of 27-2 (.931) ... Bill Haas owns the team's lowest round of the season, shooting a 65 on two occasions ... Haas' spring stroke average of 71.00 ranks third in the ACC, behind Georgia Tech's Troy Matteson (70.83) and Clemson's Gregg Jones (70.92).
