Bill Haas Named National Amateur of the Month
11/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Nov. 17, 2003
Wake Forest senior Bill Haas has been named National Amateur of the Month for October by the Southern Golf Association. Haas gained the award mainly on the strength of his impressive 5-stroke victory over an elite field in the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate in Birmingham.
Haas, son of PGA Tour star Jay Haas, shot 18-under par 195 at Old Overton, a par-71, 6,958-yard course for his seventh individual title in a distinguished college golf career. Haas took control of the event right from the outset with an opening round of 64.
The monthly SGA award is selected by a blue-ribbon panel of college golf coaches, golf writers and golf officials.
Honorable mentions went to Indiana's Jeff Overton and Florida's Matt Every. Overton sizzled in October, winning three events - the Hoosier Invitational, 49er Classic and Xavier Invitational. The Evansville junior fired a school-record 17-under-par 199 to win the 49er Classic. Every shot 11-under-par to take medalist honors at the Gary Koch/Cleveland Golf Intercollegiate at Tampa's testy Old Memorial Club, storming to the title with a closing 66.
Concluding its inaugural March-October season, the SGA award was awarded in previous months to Hunter Mahan of Oklahoma State, Ricky Barnes of Arizona, Troy Matteson of Georgia Tech, Michelle Wie of Honolulu, Southern Am champ Casey Wittenberg of Memphis and U.S. Am champ Nick Flanagan of Australia and UCLA's John Poucher. The 101-year-old SGA puts on three of the nation's top amateur tournaments, including the Southern Amateur which will be contested on the prestigious Honors Course near Chattanooga next July.
For more information, visit the Southern Golf Association's website at www.sgagolf.com.