Congratulations to Bill Haas who scored his first PGA Tour title at the Bob Hope Classic, today. After 141 starts, he raised the same trophy that his father, Jay Haas, won in 1988.
Last Monday before the event, Bill played a round with his dad and his great uncle Bob Goalby, the 1968 Masters Champion. Billy Harmon of the famous family of golf instructors rounded out the foursome. Harmon suggested that the younger Haas flair his right foot to allow for a bigger turn on the backswing — a tip that the new champion credited for propelling him to victory
Bill and Webb Simpson are the current young guns representing Wake Forest on the PGA Tour. Beginning with Arnold Palmer, the school has a long tradition of top players, including Lanny Wadkins, Curtis Strange, and Scott Hoch. From my own Demon Deacon team in the 1980’s, Billy Andrade and Len Mattiace have each won multiple victories on the big tour.
In the history of the PGA Tour, Jay and Bill are the eighth father-son duo to win the same tournament in their careers. On Sunday, the proud dad completed his play at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii on the Champions Tour and caught a red-eye flight to the mainland to watch his son claim the title in California with the Monday finish precipitated by rain delays earlier in the week.
Hopefully, Bill will have a breakout year on the PGA Tour, and the Bob Hope Classic will be the first of many career victories for him.
