Wake Forest Athletics
Bill Haas Wins The Bob Hope Classic
1/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Jan. 25, 2010
LA QUINTA, Calif - Bill Haas fired a bogey-free 8-under 64 on Monday and still needed to birdie the final two holes to claim his first PGA Tour title at the Bob Hope Classic in La Quinta, Calif.
Haas outlasted a host of players in a shootout on the final day, finishing at a remarkable 30-under par after rounds of 68-66-66-66-64=330. Rain in the California area last Thursday pushed the final round of The Hope back until Monday.
Matt Kuchar got off to a hot start and was 8-under par through 11 holes but would slow-up down the stretch and finish a shot back. Tim Clark was 5-under on the back nine but failed to birdie the par-5 18th and he too finished a shot behind Haas. Bubba Watson, who played with Haas on Monday, birdied two of his final three holes but was never able to pull even all day. He ended-up 29-under.
The win was the first PGA Tour victory for Haas. His best finish before Monday was tied for third, which he did twice at the 2007 Viking Classic and the 2009 Valero Texas Open.
"I'm so happy for Bill," said Wake Forest head coach Jerry Haas. "He has been on tour for five years now and has kept his card every year. He is only getting better. I know he thought this day would come sooner but now that it has, he can build on this and I expect only good things to come."
Haas got off to a blazing start, birdying four of the first six holes and he took a 2-shot lead at 26-under. After another birdie at No. 8 and a solid par at No. 9, Haas shared the lead with an equally as hot Kuchar at 27-under at the turn.
Starting the back nine with a perfect drive, he tried to shape his second shot to the back-right flag on No. 10 but came over the top and missed the green long left. After a decent chip to seven feet, he faced a tough par putt. With Kuchar on fire, a save at the tenth was crucial and Haas stood-up to the test, knocking home the par putt.
Haas let a couple or opportunities slip at Nos. 11 and 12 but after a nice par at the tough par-4 13th, he was still just a shot behind Kuchar at 27-under with five holes to play. He then made a nice birdie at the par-5 14th to get to 28-under and once again tied for lead.
But as hot as Kuchar was at the start, Clark was at the end. Clark birdied Nos. 14, 15, and 17 to get to 29-under and was tied with Kuchar after he birdied No. 17 as well. Haas was one-shot behind the two as he stood at the tricky par-3 17th. He hit a three-quarter nine-iron to within seven feet and rolled in a birdie of his own to pull even with Kuchar and Clark.
As Haas stood on the tee at the par-5 18th, Kuchar was putting for birdie on the green and Clark stood in the middle fairway. Kuchar would miss his birdie putt and Clark too would miss an eight-foot birdie of his own leaving the three tied at 29-under.
After a perfect drive into the middle of the fairway, Haas was left with 206 yards to the pin and he struck a perfect 3-iron to 27-feet right over top of the hole. Needing just two putts to win, the former All-American nestled his first putt to tap-in range and walked away with his first PGA Tour title.
In all, Haas birdied three of the final five holes under pretty intense pressure, which he admittedly felt. "I was pretty nervous to start the day and then coming down the stretch, I was really feeling it," Haas told The Golf Channel's Judy Rankin. "I don't know how I hit that second shot on 18 with my hands shaking so bad. But this is an amazing feeling."
With the win, Haas now vaults to the top of the FedEx Cup Standings and earns a two-year exemption on Tour. He will also likely earn a spot in this year's Masters Tournament in April and an invitation to the winners-only SBS Championship at Kapalua to start the 2011 season.
Fellow Deacon Webb Simpson was also in the field this week at The Hope. He opened with rounds of 67-72 and found himself a ways back at 5-under par. But he fired a pair of 66s on Saturday and Sunday to climb right back into the mix. He entered the final round tied for 17th but finished with a 1-under 71 on Monday to tie for 33rd.
Players Mentioned
