Wake Forest Athletics
Hall of Fame Profiles: Webb Simpson
2/14/2019 4:52:00 PM | Men's Golf
Before Webb Simpson was a PGA Tour star, a US Open Champion or a United States Ryder Cup player, he was a Wake Forest Demon Deacon. And before he was a Demon Deacon, he was a junior golfer with big dreams.
Nearly 20 years ago, Simpson was a young golfer in Raleigh trying to plan out his future. He was so eager to play collegiate golf, that he got a jump start on his search. Luckily for Wake Forest, Simpson looked west down I-40 and found exactly what he wanted in Winston-Salem.
"I feel like I had a pretty unusual recruiting experience because I started considering things so early," said Simpson. "Between my freshman and sophomore years in high school, I was really thinking about where I wanted to go play. I took a few unofficial visits, one to Wake and one to Georgia Tech. I loved both of them and I knew I didn't want to go too far from home because my swing coach was in Raleigh. When I visited Wake, I hit it off with Jerry (Haas). He told me how he could help me develop as a player and I believed in him. He had played on tour for a few years and knew what it took to get to the next level."
Simpson will join six other Wake Forest legends in the 45th induction class of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame. The group will be honored during a dinner on Friday, February 15 at Bridger Field House and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during halftime ceremonies of Wake Forest's men's basketball game with North Carolina on February 16.
From his arrival in the fall of 2004 to his graduation in the spring of 2008, Simpson had an extraordinary career in Old Gold and Black. A four-time All-ACC selection, he went from ACC Freshman of the Year in 2005 to ACC Player of the Year in 2008. Simpson earned All-America honors all four years, highlighted by first team recognition as a senior. It was a career that earned him a place in the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame.
Simpson made his mark early in his career, posting the first of his of 14 career top-5 finishes in his collegiate debut. A 5-under third-place finish showed his skill, not the nerves he had as he finally made his long-awaited collegiate debut.
"I remember my first event, at East Tennessee State, just being incredibly nervous," said Simpson. "Coach Haas helped us prepare, so I knew I was ready. Although I was nervous, I knew that I had put in five to six weeks of work with Coach to improve and this was my chance to show what I could do in competition."
Over the next four years, Simpson put on a show on the course. He helped the Deacs to six team titles, including three victories at NCAA Regionals, and a third place finish at the 2006 NCAA Championship. His 71.92 career scoring average ranks fourth in program history. He won three individual titles as a senior, including the 2008 ACC Championship. Yet when he looks back at his time at Wake Forest now, the first thing to come to his mind aren't the titles and records, it is the camaraderie of those teams.
"The road trips stand out to me," said Simpson. "We would watch movies in the van and Coach knew every line and would be saying them just as they were on the screen. We were a team that laughed a lot and I remember those laughs. The thing I miss about college golf, specifically being at Wake, was how close we were. We would be on campus, in class all morning, then go play a round at Old Town or Bermuda (Run) or Forsyth (Country Club) in the afternoon and then have dinner together afterward. We were a close team and had a coach who enjoyed being part of that group. He competed against us and still beat a lot of the guys. He beat me a lot, which made it fun to be part of a program where a coach is that involved."
Now in his 11th year on the PGA Tour, Simpson has made a name for himself on the game's biggest stage. He has won five times on tour, highlighted by the 2012 U.S. Open and, in 2018, The Player's Championship. His career earnings are over $30 million and he has represented his country five times in international play at the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup.
"Wake Forest prepared me more than I ever dreamed it would," said Simpson. "I learned so much from Jerry about being ready and being organized. Those are the basics of life and also the basics of being a good golfer. I learned so much on-course strategy, the intangibles you can only learn through experience. How to navigate a golf course, when to take a risk and when not to, the idea of keeping your head down and playing a round one hole at a time and one shot a time; that I could never have taught myself. That is learned from Coach Haas and I'm grateful for it."
Simpson will return to Winston-Salem this week to be enshrined in the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame. Although he and his family have not been strangers to campus, this visit will be extra sweet.
"I was so excited (to learn of the selection) because not only has the golf team meant so much to me, but the school has too," said Simpson. "I met my wife (Dowd) there on my second day at Wake. Coach Haas is a big fan of my wife and my wife is a big fan of Coach Haas. All those pieces of my college career are special to me. I love keeping in touch with the Wake alumni and the program. I practiced a few weeks ago with Kyle Reifers, who I have stayed in touch with. Those sort of things, I don't think happen as often at bigger schools, but at Wake it is a family and a tight-knit community. Every tournament I play, I hear 'Go Deacs' as I am walking the fairway. That part is really cool and I am grateful to be going into the Hall of Fame to join all the greats that have come before me."
Simpson is the 20th member of the men's golf program to be inducted in the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame. Three of those inductees, Arnold Palmer, Curtis Strange and Lanny Wadkins, are also enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame. Three others, Scott Hoch, Jay Haas and Bill Haas have won at least five times on the PGA Tour, just like Simpson.
"That is a special group," said Simpson. "As I look at those names, they have a lot of wins and a lot of career money on the PGA Tour. It is a bit surreal. Before I got to Wake, I looked at those guys as distant figures who had done so much in golf. Now, by going to Wake I have gotten to know them and have a bond with them. The little boy inside of me, that 15-year old Webb that verbally committed to Wake, is just really excited to think about being in the Hall of Fame next to them and how our careers have all connected."
A limited number of $60 tickets are available for sale to the general public for the Hall of Fame dinner on Friday, February 15. Contact Amy Fleet at fleetac@wfu.edu to reserve a ticket.
Nearly 20 years ago, Simpson was a young golfer in Raleigh trying to plan out his future. He was so eager to play collegiate golf, that he got a jump start on his search. Luckily for Wake Forest, Simpson looked west down I-40 and found exactly what he wanted in Winston-Salem.
"I feel like I had a pretty unusual recruiting experience because I started considering things so early," said Simpson. "Between my freshman and sophomore years in high school, I was really thinking about where I wanted to go play. I took a few unofficial visits, one to Wake and one to Georgia Tech. I loved both of them and I knew I didn't want to go too far from home because my swing coach was in Raleigh. When I visited Wake, I hit it off with Jerry (Haas). He told me how he could help me develop as a player and I believed in him. He had played on tour for a few years and knew what it took to get to the next level."
Simpson will join six other Wake Forest legends in the 45th induction class of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame. The group will be honored during a dinner on Friday, February 15 at Bridger Field House and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during halftime ceremonies of Wake Forest's men's basketball game with North Carolina on February 16.
From his arrival in the fall of 2004 to his graduation in the spring of 2008, Simpson had an extraordinary career in Old Gold and Black. A four-time All-ACC selection, he went from ACC Freshman of the Year in 2005 to ACC Player of the Year in 2008. Simpson earned All-America honors all four years, highlighted by first team recognition as a senior. It was a career that earned him a place in the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame.
Simpson made his mark early in his career, posting the first of his of 14 career top-5 finishes in his collegiate debut. A 5-under third-place finish showed his skill, not the nerves he had as he finally made his long-awaited collegiate debut.
"I remember my first event, at East Tennessee State, just being incredibly nervous," said Simpson. "Coach Haas helped us prepare, so I knew I was ready. Although I was nervous, I knew that I had put in five to six weeks of work with Coach to improve and this was my chance to show what I could do in competition."
Over the next four years, Simpson put on a show on the course. He helped the Deacs to six team titles, including three victories at NCAA Regionals, and a third place finish at the 2006 NCAA Championship. His 71.92 career scoring average ranks fourth in program history. He won three individual titles as a senior, including the 2008 ACC Championship. Yet when he looks back at his time at Wake Forest now, the first thing to come to his mind aren't the titles and records, it is the camaraderie of those teams.
"The road trips stand out to me," said Simpson. "We would watch movies in the van and Coach knew every line and would be saying them just as they were on the screen. We were a team that laughed a lot and I remember those laughs. The thing I miss about college golf, specifically being at Wake, was how close we were. We would be on campus, in class all morning, then go play a round at Old Town or Bermuda (Run) or Forsyth (Country Club) in the afternoon and then have dinner together afterward. We were a close team and had a coach who enjoyed being part of that group. He competed against us and still beat a lot of the guys. He beat me a lot, which made it fun to be part of a program where a coach is that involved."
Now in his 11th year on the PGA Tour, Simpson has made a name for himself on the game's biggest stage. He has won five times on tour, highlighted by the 2012 U.S. Open and, in 2018, The Player's Championship. His career earnings are over $30 million and he has represented his country five times in international play at the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup.
"Wake Forest prepared me more than I ever dreamed it would," said Simpson. "I learned so much from Jerry about being ready and being organized. Those are the basics of life and also the basics of being a good golfer. I learned so much on-course strategy, the intangibles you can only learn through experience. How to navigate a golf course, when to take a risk and when not to, the idea of keeping your head down and playing a round one hole at a time and one shot a time; that I could never have taught myself. That is learned from Coach Haas and I'm grateful for it."
Simpson will return to Winston-Salem this week to be enshrined in the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame. Although he and his family have not been strangers to campus, this visit will be extra sweet.
"I was so excited (to learn of the selection) because not only has the golf team meant so much to me, but the school has too," said Simpson. "I met my wife (Dowd) there on my second day at Wake. Coach Haas is a big fan of my wife and my wife is a big fan of Coach Haas. All those pieces of my college career are special to me. I love keeping in touch with the Wake alumni and the program. I practiced a few weeks ago with Kyle Reifers, who I have stayed in touch with. Those sort of things, I don't think happen as often at bigger schools, but at Wake it is a family and a tight-knit community. Every tournament I play, I hear 'Go Deacs' as I am walking the fairway. That part is really cool and I am grateful to be going into the Hall of Fame to join all the greats that have come before me."
Simpson is the 20th member of the men's golf program to be inducted in the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame. Three of those inductees, Arnold Palmer, Curtis Strange and Lanny Wadkins, are also enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame. Three others, Scott Hoch, Jay Haas and Bill Haas have won at least five times on the PGA Tour, just like Simpson.
"That is a special group," said Simpson. "As I look at those names, they have a lot of wins and a lot of career money on the PGA Tour. It is a bit surreal. Before I got to Wake, I looked at those guys as distant figures who had done so much in golf. Now, by going to Wake I have gotten to know them and have a bond with them. The little boy inside of me, that 15-year old Webb that verbally committed to Wake, is just really excited to think about being in the Hall of Fame next to them and how our careers have all connected."
A limited number of $60 tickets are available for sale to the general public for the Hall of Fame dinner on Friday, February 15. Contact Amy Fleet at fleetac@wfu.edu to reserve a ticket.
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