Men's Golf Season Wrap-Up
6/11/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
June 11, 2002
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
A Super Season Ends Suddenly at NCAA East Regional...
The Wake Forest men??s golf team, after putting together one of the more succesful seasons in the program??s recent history, saw its run for an fourth NCAA title come to an abrupt end at the NCAA East Regional in Roswell, Ga. May 16-18. The Demon Deacons missed the cut, finishing 11th by one stroke. (The top 10 teams advanced to the NCAA Championships).
Despite the disappointing finish, the 2001-02 season was another great one for Wake Forest golf. The Deacs won two tournaments, reached a ranking of No. 1 in the fall, captured three individual titles and picked up numerous honors along the way.
Regional Recap...
After a disastrous final round, the Wake Forest men's golf team finished 11th at the NCAA East Regional, just one stroke away from qualifying for the NCAA Championships on a very tough course at Ansley Golf Club??s Settindown?? Creek in Roswell, Ga.
The day, which started chilly, rainy and windy, never seemed to get going for Wake Forest. After starting on hole No. 10 and playing the tougher back nine first, the Deacs found themselves in a hole quickly, shooting as high as 21-over par late in the round.
Wake did make a small comeback with several birdies on the final few holes. But it was only able to make up for part of the deficit, as they finished the day with a 17-over 305. After entering the day with a 19-over 595, WFU finished the tournament with a 36-over 900, just one stroke back of Florida and Georgia Southern, the final two teams to qualify for the championships.
Clemson and Georgia Tech shared team champion honors, both finishing with an 876. A third ACC squad, North Carolina, placed third, one stroke back of the Tigers and Jackets. Other East Region teams to qualify for the Championships included (in order): Augusta State, VCU, Georgia Southern, Auburn, Georgia, Florida and UAB.
Despite a final-round 78, Deacon sophomore Bill Haas posted Wake's best finish, placing 26th with a seven-over 223. Junior Chris Yoder birdied his final hole for the second straight day to finish with a nine-over 225. Teammate Chad Wilfong carded the Deacs' best score in the final round with an even 72 to also finish nine over for the tournament. Yoder and Wilfong tied for 36th overall.
Brent Wanner finished 60th in the standings, totalling an 11-over 227. Senior Jay Morgan struggled throughout the entire tournament, ending with an 82 and finishing 99th with a 239.
Wake Forest??s NCAA Regional History...
Since NCAA regional tournaments began in 1989, Wake Forest has competed in all but one regional. In those 13 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.
 Bill Haas capped a busy spring by earning first-team All-America honors.  | |
Wake Forest golfer Bill Haas was named to the 2002 PING All-America team, as announced by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA). Haas is the first Demon Deacon since 1986 to be named a first-team All-America.
Haas becomes the 10th player in Wake Forest golf history to be named a first-team All-America, and the first since Chris Kite in 1986. Haas and his father, Jay (a two-time first-team All-America for Wake Forest in 1975 and '76) are also believed to be the first father-son duo to be named first-team All-Americans.
The 10-member 2002 All-America team was loaded with underclassmen, with just one senior, Purdue's Lee Williamson, making the team. Haas was one of four sophomores on the squad, and joined Georgia Tech's Troy Matteson and Clemson's D.J. Trahan as the representatives from the ACC. No other conference had more than two golfers named to the team.
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 put together one of their more successful seasons in recent history. WFU has finished out of the top five just twice this year, placing 8th in its season opener at The Ridges and 11th in the NCAA East Regional. In between, the Deacs 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 just completed 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. The 2001 squad ?V all underclassmen ?V recorded a 10th place finish at NCAAs. And this year??s team was ranked No. 1 in the fall and were among the top three all season long.
Haas Qualifies for U.S. Open...
Wake Forest head golf coach Jerry Haas qualified for the 2002 U.S Open, which opens June 13 at Bethpage State Park??s Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y.
Haas, the individual medalist at a local qualifier in Huntersville in May, finished 22nd at a sectional qualifier in Rockville. Md. to earn one of 34 qualifying spots. He shot a six-under 137 (70-67).
Haas, who played on the PGA Tour from 1990-95, has participated in three other U.S. Opens ?V 1986, ??87, and ??88. He made the cut in the 1988 event.
Haas will join his brother, Jay, as well as WFU alumni Billy Andrade, Scott Hoch and Lan Mattiace at the 2002 U.S. Open.
 Senior Jay Morgan wrapped up a successful four-year career with the Wake golf program. | |
A Look at the Deacon Lineup...
Wake Forest??s most consistent lineup this season included one senior, three juniors and one sophomore ?V four of the same five players that placed 10th at the 2001 NCAA Championships.
Leading the way for the Deacs was sophomore Bill Haas (Greer, S.C.), a 2002 first-team All-America and Ben Hogan award finalist. Haas averaged below par (70.86) and won individual medalist honors at two spring tournaments ?V the Birkdale and The Intercollegiate. He placed in the top 20 in nine of 12 tournaments, including eight top 10 finishes. Over 74 percent of his rounds were equal or under par this season, including nine straight and 11 of the last 12 prior to the NCAA Regional. He counted 34 of 35 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 (72.71) and has pocketed eight top 20 finishes. Wanner was a 2002 All-ACC selection, one of just five WFU golfers to earn All-ACC honors at least three times.
The lone senior in the lineup, Jay Morgan (Choctaw, Okla.) saw 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 two-under 224. His best score, however, came in The Intercollegiate and ACCs, where he turned in a four-under 212 in both events. Morgan compiled a 73.38 stroke average this season to go with five top-20 finishes.
Junior Chris Yoder (Ashland, Ohio) competed in NCAAs for the second straight year and saw action in seven events this season, compiling a 73.65 stroke average. He posted a season-best ninth-place finish at The Schenkel last month in March and a career-low 215 at the ACC Championships.
Junior Chad Wilfong (Thomasville, N.C.), the 2001 N.C. Amateur Champion, rounded out the Deacon lineup. He played in 11 events with four top-20 finishes, and averaged 73.69 strokes per round.
Two Tourney Titles in ??02...
For the first time in six years, Wake Forest 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 ?V Bill Haas and Brent Wanner ?V were 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 ?V 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.
Both Wanner and Haas made 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 wrapped up their careers in 2002 (Bart DeLuca, Jay Morgan), this squad was still relatively young. Wake??s most consistent lineup this season included one senior, three juniors and a sophomore.
The Rankings Report...
After reaching the No. 1 ranking during the fall, Wake Forest finished the season second in the GolfWorld poll and third in the Golfweek/Sagarin ratings. Wake Forest was also ranked second in the GCAA Precept Coaches Poll heading into the NCAA Tournament, but did not appear in the final rankings as the coaches use the NCAA Championships standings as their final poll.
In the individual rankings, Wake??s starting five all finished the season among the nation??s top 125 collegiate players. Bill Haas ranked fifth, while Brent Wanner checked in at No. 43. Jay Morgan was 76th, Chad Wilfong was 105th and Chris Yoder was 122nd.
1-2-3 in the Nation All From ACC...
The ACC has proven to be one of the premier leagues in collegiate golf. Three ACC schools ?V Georgia Tech, Clemson, and WFU ?V ranked 1-2-3 in the country in the final Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. In addition to the three teams at the top, NC State also checked in at No. 9. Eight of nine ACC teams earned berths in the NCAA Regionals, and four teams competed in the Championships, with Georgia Tech placing second and Clemson third.
Statistically Speaking...
Collectively, nearly 49 percent (17-of-35) of Wake Forest team rounds this season were equal or under par ... prior to the NCAA Regional, eight of the last nine team rounds, spanning three events, were under par ... as a team the Deacs averaged just over par (72.03) for the season, an average which ranked third in the ACC behind Georgia Tech (71.08) and Clemson (71.69) ... Deacon team members combined for 28 top-20 finishes this season and 14 top-10s over 12 events ... Wake Forest compiled an overall won-loss record of 142-33 (.811) ... versus ACC competition, the Deacs owned a record of 34-8 (.810) ... Bill Haas owned the team??s lowest round of the season, shooting a 65 on two occasions ... Haas?? spring stroke average of 71.25 ranked third in the ACC behind Clemson??s D.J. Trahan (70.77) and Gregg Jones (71.18) ... 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.