Wake Forest Athletics
Men's Golf Competes in NCAA East Regional
5/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
May 15, 2002
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Wake Forest Men's Golf News & Notes
2002 NCAA East Regional * May 16-18 * Ansley Golf Club's Settindown Creek * Roswell, Ga.
Course
Ansley Golf Club's Settindown Creek
Roswell, Ga.
Par 72 * 7,054 Yards
Format
54 holes, 18 each day
WFU Tee Times
First Round
11:33-12:09 (No. 10 tee)
Second Round
7:30-8:06 (No. 1 tee)
Final Round
determined by standings
Wake Forest Lineup (stroke avg.)
Bill Haas (70.53)
Brent Wanner (72.44)
Jay Morgan (72.77)
Chris Yoder (73.41)
Chad Wilfong (73.55)
Obtaining Results
Results will be faxed and emailed at the conclusion of each day. Contact Joanna Sparkman if you are not receiving results. Live scoring and results after each round are available on the following websites:
www.Ramblinwreck.com
www.Golfstatlive.com
WFU Golf Earns NCAA Berth; Fourth Seed in East...
The Wake Forest men's golf team has earned a berth in the 2002 NCAA Championships, as announced by the NCAA last week. Ranked second nationally, the Demon Deacons' championship run begins this Thursday with regional tournament action.
Wake Forest will travel to Roswell, Ga. to compete in the NCAA East Regional, held at Ansley Golf Club's Settindown Creek. Georgia Tech is serving as host of the 54-hole tournament.
The East Regional, like its counterparts in the Central (Little Rock, Ark.) and West (Albuquerque, N.M.), features 27 teams and six individuals competing for 10 team slots and two individual slots which advance to the championships. The NCAA Men's Championships takes place at the Ohio State University Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio from May 29- June 1.
Wake Forest finds itself among a tough regional field, as eight of the top 20 teams in the GCAA/Precept Coaches Poll will compete in the East, including four of the top five squads. The Yellow Jackets, currently ranked No. 1, are the top seed in the East, followed by Florida and Tennessee, who are ranked fifth and ninth in the poll. Wake Forest is the fourth seed, just ahead of Clemson. The Deacs and the Tigers are currently tied for second in the poll.
Wake Forest's NCAA Championship History...
Wake Forest men's golf has a long NCAA championship history, having captured three NCAA team titles (1974, '75 and '86). As a team, WFU has made 41 trips to the NCAAs, including a streak of 32 straight appearances from 1962 to '98. Additionally, four former Deacons have either been the NCAA medalist or pocketed the individual championship - Arnold Palmer (1949, '50), Curtis Strange (1974), Jay Haas (1975) and Gary Hallberg (1979).
Wake Forest's NCAA Regional History...
Since NCAA regional tournaments began in 1989, Wake Forest has competed in all but one regional. In those 12 previous outings, WFU has advanced to the championships nine 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 on a Hot Streak...
Although a fourth-place finish at the ACC Championships halted a streak of four straight first or second-place finishes, the Demon Deacons have put together one of their more successful seasons in recent history. WFU has finished out of the top five just once this year, placing 8th in its season opener at The Ridges. Since then, the Deacs have racked up two team titles and four second-place finishes, as well as a third, two fourths and a fifth-place finish.
Wake was on a particularly hot streak in March and April. After winning the Birkdale Collegiate on March 17, Wake posted two second-place finishes at the The Schenkel and Augusta State Invitationals. The Deacons then won their second event of the season, The Intercollegiate, in Chapel Hill on April 14.
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.
A Look at the Deacon Lineup...
Wake Forest will sport a lineup of one senior, three juniors and one sophomore at this year NCAA Championships - four of the same five players that placed ninth at last year's West Regional and 10th at the 2001 NCAA Championships.
Leading the way for the Deacs is sophomore Bill Haas (Greer, S.C.), a 2002 Ben Hogan award finalist. Haas is shooting below par (70.53 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 nine of 11 tournaments, including eight top 10 finishes. Over 78 percent of his rounds have been equal or under par this season (including nine straight and 11 of the last 12), and he's counted 31 of 32 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 (72.44) and has pocketed eight top 20 finishes. Wanner was a 2002 All-ACC selection, becoming just one of five WFU golfers to earn All-ACC honors at least three times.
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 finish of the season in October at the Carpet Capital Collegiate, placing fifth with a -2 224. His best score, however, has come in the last two tournaments (The Intercollegiate and ACCs), turning in a four-under 212 in both events. Morgan has compiled a 72.77 stroke average this season to go with five top-20 finishes.
Junior Chris Yoder (Ashland, Ohio) is competing in NCAAs for the second straight year, as he was the Deacs' second-best finisher in 2001, placing 34th at the Championships. Yoder has seen action in six events this season, compiling a 73.41 stroke average. He posted a season-best ninth-place finish at The Schenkel last month in March.
Junior Chad Wilfong (Thomasville, N.C.), the 2001 N.C. Amateur Champion, rounds out the Deacon lineup. Wilfong did not participate in NCAA play last season, but competed in the East Regional and Championships as a freshman in 2000. This year, he has played in 10 events with four top-20 finishes, and is currently averaging 73.55 strokes per round.
A Stacked Regional...
Wake Forest will face some tough competition at the NCAA East Regional. Eight of the top 16 teams in the Precept Coaches Poll and nine of the top 25 in GolfWorld poll are headed to Settindown Creek. Four of the nation's top five teams in both polls - host Georgia Tech, Clemson, Wake Forest and Florida - will be vying to be among the top 10 finishers in the East.
Of course, having a large percentage of the nation's top teams in one tournament also means you'll be seeing some of the country's top individual golfers. Twelve of the top 20 golfers listed in the Golfweek/Sagarin individual rankings will be in the East this weekend, including six of the top seven. Wake Forest's Bill Haas is among those, as he's currently ranked fifth.
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). In Chapel Hill in April, 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 individual titles, including one by current head coach Jerry Haas and two by current PGA Tour member Billy Andrade.
Wanner, Haas Named All-ACC...
Wake Forest's Brent Wanner and Bill Haas were both named to the 2002 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Golf Team, as selected by a vote of the ACC's nine head coaches.
Wanner, a junior, currently ranks second on the team in stroke average with a 71.8 average this spring, ranking 10th among ACC golfers. Wanner won individual medalist honors at The Preview this past September on the upcoming NCAA Championship course in Columbus, Ohio. Wanner owns eight top-20 finishes this season, while nearly 47 percent of his rounds have been equal/under par.
Haas, a sophomore, was one of 10 national finalists for the 2002 Ben Hogan Award, given to the nation's top collegiate golfer. Ranked fifth nationally, Haas leads the Deacs in stroke average and has won two tournaments this spring - the Birkdale and The Intercollegiate. Haas has posted seven top five finishes in 11 events this season, while over 78 percent of his rounds have been equal/under par. Last month he received a sponsor's exemption to compete in the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic with his father, Jay, a former WFU and All-ACC golfer himself. Most recently, the younger Haas was selected to represent the United States in the Palmer Cup this summer.
Both Wanner and Haas are making repeat appearances on the All-ACC squad, as Wanner was named to the team for the third straight season. He is the first Demon Deacon since Eoghan O'Connell (1987-90) to earn all-conference honors three times and joins a group of just five other WFU golfers who have been named to three or more teams, including Gary Hallberg (1977-80), Robert Wrenn (1978-81), current head coach Jerry Haas (1983-85) and Billy Andrade (1983-86). The ACC began naming an annual all-conference team in 1975.
Haas is making his second straight All-ACC appearance after being selected the league's Rookie of the Year last season.
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 lineup for the NCAA East Regional, includes one senior, three juniors and a sophomore.
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, and the Deacs are tied with Clemson for second in the coaches poll. In the Golfweek/Sagarin ratings, the Deacons are third behind the Yellow Jackets and Clemson. Just nine one-hundredths of a point separate the Tigers (70.71) from WFU (70.80).
In the individual rankings, Wake's Bill Haas ranks seventh nationally, while Brent Wanner checks in at No. 36. Jay Morgan is 58th, Chad Wilfong is 112th and Chris Yoder is 142nd.
1-2-3 in the Nation All From ACC
The ACC has proven to be one of the premier leagues in collegiate golf. Currently, three ACC schools - Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Clemson - are ranked 1-2-3 in the country with four teams in the top 10. In addition to the three teams at the top, NC State also checks into both polls at No. 10 (GCAA) and No. 9 (GolfWorld). Eight of nine ACC teams earned berths in the NCAA Regionals, including six league schools who are headed to the East (Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, UNC, Virginia and WFU). Maryland and NC State will compete in the Central Regional.
Thirteen ACC players are currently ranked among the nation's top 50 golfers, including three in top 10 - Clemson's D.J. Trahan (3), Wake's Bill Haas (5), and Georgia Tech's Troy Matteson (7).
Statistically Speaking...
Collectively, over 53 percent (17-of-32) of Wake Forest team rounds this season have been equal or under par ... eight of the last nine team rounds, spanning the last three events, have been under par ... the Deacs are one of four teams in the ACC averaging under par, as their 71.50 average is second behind Georgia Tech (70.68) and just ahead of Clemson (71.52) and NC State (71.99) ... Deacon team members have combined for 28 top-20 finishes this season and 14 top 10s over 11 events ... Wake Forest has compiled a won-loss record of 126-23 (.846) ... versus ACC competition, the Deacs own a record of 32-5 (.865) ... Bill Haas owns the team's lowest round of the season, shooting a 65 on two occasions ... Haas' spring stroke average of 70.71 ranks first in the ACC ... Chris Yoder set a new career low for 54 holes with a one-under 215 at the ACC Championships ... Haas' 13-under 203 at The Intercollegiate was a new career low for him as well.
