Bill Haas Wins First PGA Tournament at the Bob Hope Classic

Sports News - January 26th, 2010 - Written By John Ritter

It only took 140 PGA Tour events, but Bill Haas finally achieved what had a eluded him for so long; a victory. Haas birdied the final hole of the six-day, five-round, weather marathon at La Quinta CC, to claim his first win since joining the Tour in 2006.

Haas came to the 90th hole of the tournament in a three-way tie for the lead. After a perfect drive, he executed a solid, albeit aggressive approach shot to the Par-five 18th, that came to rest on the green. With his heart racing, Haas was able to get down in two, tapping in the birdie putt for a round of 64. It good enough for a one-shot victory at the Bob hope Classic.

"I'd been wanting to win from the first tournament I played, but it's a process, and there's a lot to it," said Haas in his post-round interview. "It's special, but I don't know if it's a monkey off my back. I know how hard it was to win, and I'm grateful."

With the win, Haas joins his father Jay as a fellow champion of the Bob Hope Classic. He finished a total of 30-under par, and collected a winner's check of $900,000. In addition he excluded himself from the club of good players who have yet to win a tournament. Jay Haas was able to make it to the tournament to see his son's first victory after the Champions Tour event he played in completed on Sunday. The weather that washed out play on Thursday pushed the conclusion of the tournament.

"To win the same tournament I won is special, and then for me to get to see it, that's really special," said Jay Haas.

This year's Bob Hope Classic was pushed to a Monday finish for only the third time ever. Players endured lengthy weather delays, odd tee times, and six days of competition. This required patience and focus, something Haas admitted has never been his strong suit.

"Patience isn't one of my key virtues," Bill Haas remarked. "It's something I'm still trying to learn. This week, we were forced to be patient. Who knows? Maybe the rain-out was good for me. It obviously was. It worked out for the best."

He had to dodge several players that were within a shot of the lead, including Bubba Watson, who narrowly missed a chip shot on the 18th green that would have sent the tournament into a playoff.

Haas spent the majority of the round hanging around the lead of Matt Kuchar, before supplanting his name on top by the day's conclusion.

Kuchar started out on fire, making eight birdies on his first 11 holes. He stumbled coming in however, compiling only one birdied on the remaining seven, that included a par on the 18th.

"It's a hole where you're counting on making a 4," Kuchar said of the 18th hole at La Quinta CC. "I put myself in a difficult situation, but shooting 63 is fantastic. I wasn't sure if I had that much in me today. It was a great round of golf."

PGA Tour rookie Alex Prugh came into the final round tied atop the lead with Watson, but finished two shots out of the lead. He played sporadically, but finished strong, making birdies on his final three holes.

Coming into the final round, Haas odds were 6/1 to claim the Bob Hope Classic, according to the Golf Betting Lines at Bodog Sportsbook.