Haas And Simpson Reestablish Wake Forest's Dominance
9/27/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Since Wake Forest great Arnold Palmer took the PGA Tour by storm in the early 1960s, former Demon Deacons have shown up atop professional golf leader boards on a regular basis. Lanny Wadkins won the 1977 PGA Championship, Curtis Strange won back-to-back U.S. Opens in 1988 and 1989 and the two finished first and second on the 1985 money list. The 2011 season will also go down as one of the most memorable.
Bill Haas came into the final round of the Tour Championship in 25th place in the FedEx Cup standings and knew he would need some help to win the $10 million dollar first prize. But Haas was likely more focused on securing a spot on this year's President's Cup. The 2004 Wake Forest graduate fired a final round 68 and pulled off one of the most remarkable recovery shots to outlast Hunter Mahan in a playoff to secure his third PGA Tour victory.
The win vaulted Haas from 25th in the FedEx Cup standings all the way to the top, just 15 points ahead of fellow Demon Deacon Webb Simpson. That's the first time that two players from the same university have finished 1-2 in the FedEx Cup's five year history.
Haas and Simpson have not only been part of the new youth movement on Tour the past two years, but they have also helped put Wake Forest back in the forefront of professional golf.
"Wake Forest is unique because you have to have the right kind of player who will do all the things you need to do above and beyond," said four-time All-American and current Wake Forest head coach Jerry Haas. "You have to be a good person, a good student and a man of character. I think Bill and Webb are excellent examples of that and I think this type of year will not only spring board them but will help everyone to follow. I was talking with a guy on this year's team, Charlie Harrison, and he said he is inspired by what Bill did. I think Charlie is just one of many current, former and future Deacons that are inspired."
Haas has recorded seven top-10s in 2011 and has been a part of three playoffs. He's made over $4 million dollars this season and has jumped to 20th in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Like Haas, Simpson is also having a tremendous 2011 season. He won his first two PGA Tour titles -Wyndham Championship and Deutsche Bank Championship - in a three week span and was No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings coming into the Tour Championship. Simpson has made $5.7 million in 2011 and leads the Tour's All-Around statistic by a large margin. His 69.34 scoring average and 10 top-10 finishes are second only to Luke Donald and he has risen to a personal-best 12th in the OWGR.
The duo will also represent the United States in this year's President's Cup which begins Nov. 17 in Melbourne, Australia. Wake Forest is the only school with two of the 12 members of this year's President's Cup team. The last time there were two Demon Deacons on the same President's Cup team was in the inaugural event in 1994 when Jay Haas and Scott Hoch helped the U.S. to a 20-12 victory.
Simpson finished fourth on the U.S. President's Cup points list and Haas joined Tiger Woods as one of Fred Couples two captain's picks. Bill's father Jay will also serve as one of the assistant captains for this year's squad.
The 2011 success hasn't been limited to just the PGA Tour. Jay Haas won the Champions Tour's 3M Championship and has recorded five top-10s this year. Kyle Reifers has recorded three top-10s on the Nationwide Tour and finished as the low-pro at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational. That vaulted him into the top-10 on the money list and virtually secured his PGA Tour card for 2012. Recent graduates Brendan Gielow and Chris McCartin also picked up their first professional victories this past summer on the Carolinas eGolf Tour.
Players Mentioned
