Bill Haas is moving to another level as a PGA Tour golfer.
After his exciting victory at the Tour Championship that led to his winning the FedEx Cup points title, he is no longer just a son of pro golfer Jay Haas.
Haas, 29 and a former All-America at Wake Forest, is reaching toward superstar status.
One indication of his new-found fame was a recent issue of Sports Illustrated with the golf-plus section — three ads featuring Haas in the nine-page section.
"I don't know if it's going to be like that," Haas said when asked about being a PGA Tour superstar.
Haas, his wife, Julie, and their dog, Dock, live a pretty peaceful life in Greenville, S.C., and Haas said he doesn't expect that to change. But as the youngest winner of the FedEx Cup, Haas might find that more fans want to know more about him.
He also seems likely to attract more media on a more regular basis, and chances are he won't be confused with Nick Watney again. During the British Open, Haas' hometown newspaper ran a picture of Watney but identified him as Greenville resident Bill Haas.
Despite winning the biggest prize in golf, Haas says there's room for improvement in his game. He won $11.44 million, largely because he put a ball that was half-submerged in a lake onto the green during the second playoff hole of the Tour Championship.
"Even though I'm the FedEx Cup champion and all of that, I still didn't have as consistent (of a) year as I would have liked," said Haas, who now has three career victories. "I have room for improvement, even if I really can't really improve on the FedEx Cup."
When Haas returns to Winston-Salem later this month for the Wake Forest pro-am at Old Town Club, he'll be a main attraction — even with legendary Arnold Palmer on hand.
Haas remembers being a Wake Forest student and getting to see the PGA Tour players at the pro-am.
"The common theme with all those great players is that they loved Wake and miss it even though they've had successful careers beyond school," Haas said of playing the pro-am.
Although Haas appears to be easygoing, he has a competitive fire and can become quite upset with himself when he's not playing well. Older brother Jay Jr., also Bill's caddie, said not many people realize that.
Haas says he doesn't expect his life to change much. He spent this past weekend at the beach for an extended fishing vacation, and he'll take more time off before playing for the U.S. team in the President's Cup in Australia. Webb Simpson, another former Wake Forest All-America, is also on the team.
"I think I'm the kind of guy who wants to give it up that freely because I like to spend time with my family and friends," Haas said of demands on his time. "I like getting away from the game, and I'm not going to change anything there."
As for his new-found wealth, Haas said he'll use some of the money for the house he and his wife want to build in the Chanticleer area of Greenville.
"It's a process," he said, "so we're taking our time, but we are looking forward to it."
Haas said that the house must have a driveway with enough room for a basketball goal. According to Haas, Hunter Mahan and his wife also are building a house, and theirs will have a full basketball court in the basement. Haas said he couldn't talk Julie into doing that.
"That's not in our plans, but that would be neat," he said. "But we'll probably just have a basket up in the driveway."
Around the green
- The American Junior Golf Association has used more than $1 million from its grant program over the past nine years to help more than 2,500 junior golfers gain entry into AJGA tournaments. One beneficiary is Jay Ealley, a senior at Northern Guilford High.
- Mike Sprouts of Newton defeated Larry Boswell of Jamestown on the first playoff hole to win the N.C. Super Senior tournament in Mount Airy. Bob Kulp, a semi-retired dentist from Winston-Salem and the N.C. Senior Amateur champion, tied for third.
- Natalie Sheary, a Wake Forest graduate now in her first pro season, made it through the second stage of LPGA Tour qualifying school and will play in the final qualifying tournament, Nov. 30-Dec. 4 in Daytona Beach, Fla. Heather Angel of Winston-Salem failed to make it through the second stage but will again have status on the LPGA Futures Tour in 2012.
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