Gold Rush: Older and Wiser
1/16/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Jan. 15, 2003
By Jay Reddick
Before the spring portion of its schedule even begins, the Wake Forest men's golf team has had a successful regular season. The team already has won two tournaments, equaling its best total since 1996, and is a fixture among the nation's top-10 teams.
But of course, there's plenty left to do. That's why coach Jerry Haas and his team are back to practice in the second week of January - not exactly the best weather for golf in the Triad.
"We had a good fall, but I just see us continuing on," Haas said. "We need to win the ACC championship. We need to atone for what happened at Regionals last year. And we have the ability and the mindset to do that.
"I think we'll see a great, great spring."
That success will begin with the most experienced lineup Wake Forest has seen in years. Four seniors and an All-American junior figure to comprise the lineup for most of the big events.
It all starts, of course, with Bill Haas. The junior, who played in the PGA's Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic last spring, had two first-place finishes and four top 10s in five events this fall, but senior Brent Wanner is not far behind him, with three top 10s of his own.
"Brent and Bill are very solid," Haas said. "Bill is obviously a very, very good player, and Brent is real close to becoming a more consistent player. He works really hard at both ends of his game, and he's about to break through.
"But - and I hope I'm not saying this after the fact - we need better play from the others in our lineup. They're all very, very capable of doing it, they've done it before."
The Deacs' other three seniors have all had moments of glory for the Deacons but seemingly never put it all together in the same week. Cortland Lowe led the team at the Preview Invitational, but his tie for 13th there was his best finish of the fall season. Chad Wilfong tied for ninth at East Tennessee State, but otherwise never even cracked the top 25. And Chris Yoder's finishes in four events ranged from 10th to 80th.
Jerry Haas is seeking a good finish for his seniors, not just for the usual reasons, but because the group represents Haas' first large recruiting class to finish school. His pride in their play is evident.
"I never worry about these guys all that much," Haas said. "They're all leaders in different ways. They're good players, coachable, and others will listen to them. It helps to know that they listen to me.
"They don't need a lot from me, just a little tip here and there. What I've tried to instill in them this year is the confidence to walk into any tournament with the attitude that 'I own the place.'"
That attitude was missing at times last season, when the Deacons missed the cut at the regional level and did not advance to the NCAA championships as a team. But, Haas says, it's very much back.
The busy schedule allows the team to be tested early, scout their competition for ACC and NCAA titles and have a little fun along the way. It all starts in Tucson on Feb. 3 at the Ping Arizona Intercollegiate.
"We start a little earlier than usual," Haas said. "But it's good. We can spend a couple of days working on our short game in the warmer weather.
"We come back and play in New Orleans (at the Tulane Invitational) the next week, That's a nice tournament, and everybody needs to experience the French Quarter at least once in their life.
"Then it's right back to Sawgrass (the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate in Florida), which is usually our first event of the year. It's a tough course, but with what we'll already have in terms of experience, we should be right there in the hunt."
After a three-week break, the Deacons play at the Seminole Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla., against many of their ACC foes. The Schenkel E-Z Go Invitational in Statesboro, Ga., March 22-23 is an event the Deacons almost won a year ago.
The Cleveland Golf/Augusta State Invitational April 5-6 could be an NCAA preview of sorts. Then Wake defends its title at The Intercollegiate in the Triangle area. The ACC Championship will be played April 18-20 at its traditional home in Uwharrie Point.
Physically, Haas said, the Deacons are ready for the grind. But the mental game will decide the future.
"In golf, we always expect more of ourselves," Haas said. "If we shoot 68, we want 66. If we shoot 73, we wonder why we can't get over the hump to even-par. Conquering that is the hardest part of the game, and we need to push ourselves to the very edge in that regard.
"We can't be too complacent, but if we play the way we can, nobody can beat us."
