Hallberg and Haas Victorious
10/3/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Sunday was a good day for Wake Forest golf alums Bill Haas and Gary Hallberg, as both reached the winners circle on their respective tours. Haas completed a wire-to-wire victory at the PGA Tour's Viking Classic outside of Jackson, Miss., and Hallberg fired a course-record 61 to come from behind and win the Champions Tour Ensure Classic at Rock Barn outside of Hickory, NC.
The win for Haas was the second of his career and the second of the season. He joins Jim Furyk, Ernie Els, Dustin Johnson, Steve Stricker, Justin Rose and Hunter Mahan as two-time winners on Tour this year. For Hallberg, it was his first victory on the Champions Tour and his first win since the 2002 Northeast Pennsylvania Classic on the Nationwide Tour.
Haas opened the Viking Classic with a pair of 6-under 66s and shared the 36-hole lead with Brendon de Jonge. Another strong round of 69 on Saturday gave the 2004 graduate a four-shot lead heading into the final round.
After a bogey at No. 1 on Sunday, Haas made birdies at Nos. 5 and 7 to regain his four-shot lead at 16-under par. He then made the turn at 16-under and held a three-shot lead over playing partner Michael Allen.
At the start of the back nine, Haas made bogeys at Nos. 11 and 12, and after Allen made birdie at No. 11, the Champions Tour player had pulled even with Haas with six holes to play.
However, Haas rebounded with a nice birdie at No. 13 and Allen found some trouble on his way to a double-bogey six and Haas once again had a three-shot lead.
Another bogey by Haas at No. 14 trimmed the lead to two but the four-time All-American birdied both Nos. 16 and 17 to give himself a three-shot cushion heading to the last. Unlike his first win at the Bob Hope Classic, Haas just need to stay out of trouble on the last hole to secure the victory. Despite a bogey on No. 18, Haas claimed his second tour win.
Haas finished the tournament at 15-under par, three shots ahead of Michael Allen. He made a tournament-leading 23 birdies on the week and was No. 3 in driving distance, averaging over 329 yards per drive. The $648,000 winner's purse jumped Haas to No. 26 on the money list and earned him a spot in the Masters and the U.S. Open. His second victory of the year extended his exemption through 2013.
Haas is no stranger to success at Annandale Golf Club. In his two previous starts, he finished tied for third in 2007 with rounds of 68-67-70-72 and tied for fourth in 2008 with rounds of 69-69-66-68. He is now a collective 42-under in 12 rounds at Annandale GC, all at par-or-better.
Hallberg started his day five-shots behind Fred Couples and Bernhard Langer, who shared the lead at 12-under par. He would go out in a blazing 6-under 30, including an eagle on the par-5 eighth. After hitting-it to within inches at the par-4 12th, Hallberg rolled in the birdie, which started a string of four birdies in the next five holes. His birdie on the par-4 16th gave him the outright lead at 17-under par.
After a solid par at the tough par-3 17th, Hallberg hit two good shots to just off the green on the par-5 18th. His chip for eagle ran 5-feet past the hole, but the former four-time first team All-American calmly rolled in the birdie putt for a sensational 11-under 61, which was his lowest round as a professional.
Hallberg then had to wait as Langer and Couples tried to match him. Langer needed an eagle on the 18th while Couples needed just a birdie. But both players would end up making par and Hallberg claimed his first Champions Tour victory.
Hallberg made just one bogey over the 54-holes. He carded one birdie and two eagles in his opening round 67 and then three more birdies and one bogey in a second-round 70.
The 61 on Sunday was not only his lowest round as a pro, but it tied the course record at Rock Barn and his 54-hole total of 18-under par also set a new course record.
The win was Hallberg's first since winning the Nationwide Tour's Northeast Pennsylvania Classic in 2002 and it could not have come at a better time. He was 63rd on the Champions Tour money list coming into the week and was running out of playing status. Only the top-30 on the money list are fully-exempt for the next year but the win takes care of that.
Fellow Deacon Jay Haas was also in the field this week at the Ensure Classic. Haas, who was the defending champion at Rock Barn, bookended a second-round 73 with a 68 and a 67 to finish in a tie or 17th at 8-under par.
Both Haas and Hallberg will be in the field next week in the Champions Tour's final major of the year at the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship at the TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm in Potomac, Maryland.
On the PGA Tour, Bill Haas and Webb Simpson are both scheduled to play next week as the Fall Series continues at The McGladrey Classic in Sea Island, Ga.
Players Mentioned
