Bill Haas Falls in U.S. Amateur Semifinal
8/24/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Aug. 24, 2002
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. - Wake Forest junior Bill Haas (Greer, S.C.) lost by one hole in the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur on Saturday morning, falling to Arizona golfer Ricky Barnes, 1-up. It was a close match the whole way, as the duo were all square for seven holes and the biggest lead by either golfer was a 2-up for Barnes on hole No. 4.
Barnes broke a three-hole deadlock on the 462-yard par-4 18th. With both players in opposite roughs, Barnes opted to go for the green 101 yards out despite looking uphill into the wind. His ball went into a bunker right of the green. Meanwhile, from about 110 yards away, Haas chose to lay up short of the green but instead mishit a sand wedge. The ball fluttered about 50 yards onto the fairway.
??I tried to smoke a sand wedge,?? said Haas. ??It was awful. Terrible. I probably could have gotten up to one of the bunkers, but I was scared of hooking the ball left.??
Haas got on with his next shot but the ball, displaying radical backspin, hit close to the flagstick and rolled off below the hole. Barnes got out, actually hitting the flagstick until the ball stopped five feet short. When Haas couldn??t navigate in a 12-footer, Barnes emerged as the victor.
Barnes will face Hunter Mahan in Sunday??s 36-hole final. Mahan, who defeated Wake Forest??s Brent Wanner in the first round of match play, topped UNC??s Dustin Bray, 1-up, in Saturday??s other semifinal.
Haas?? U.S. Amateur Recap Qualifying Stroke Play: 67-68 (1st place) Match Play: 1st Round - def. Lee Williamson, 1-up 2nd Round - def. Greg Kennedy, 4 and 3 3rd Round - def. D.J. Trahan, 2 and 1 Quarterfinal - def. John Klauk, 5 and 4 Semifinal - lost to Ricky Barnes, 1-up