Haas emulates father in Palm Springs

Bob Hope Classic: Nine-time PGA Tour winner Jay Haas saw son Bill win the Bob Hope Classic 22 years after he did - and predicted…

Bob Hope Classic:Nine-time PGA Tour winner Jay Haas saw son Bill win the Bob Hope Classic 22 years after he did - and predicted he will not want to lose the winning feeling. The 27-year-old moves from 200th to 112th in the world  rankings after his maiden victory .

Haas followed in his father's footsteps as he claimed his first PGA Tour title at the 90th hole in Palm Springs, California.

Jay Haas, 56, who won the 1988 Bob Hope Classic, the tour's only annual five-round event, paid a surprise trip to the PGA West's Palmer course having played in the opening Champions Tour event of the season in Hawaii on Sunday.

He arrived to see his 27-year-old son two-putt from 27 feet for a final-round 64 to win by a stroke at 30 under par from Tim Clark, Matt Kuchar and Bubba Watson.

READ MORE

"It's somewhat of a monkey to get that first win," Jay Haas said. "I think Bill came out (on tour) with some great expectations from a lot of people but especially of his own.

"But it's tough out here, there's a deep field every week and now that he's tasted winning I think he'll like it and want to do it again and again.

"I told him he'd be nervous but you'd much rather be nervous on those last few holes with a chance to win as opposed to being in 50th place or in the car, already gone from the event.

"It's what you play for and you try to embrace that feeling."

All four contenders had been seeking their first US tour victory with Kuchar shooting a nine-under 63 to get to 29 under.

Bill Haas, playing with fourth round co-leaders Alex Prugh and Watson in the final group, took advantage of his rivals' caution after both South Africa's Clark and the big-hitting Watson laid up at the par-five 18th hole.

Clark then missed his subsequent putt to get to 30 under, while Watson, on 28 under, left himself with a chip-in from the fringe for the eagle he needed to reach the same mark.

Haas, who had birdied the par-three 17th, went for broke off the 18th tee and sent his iron approach to 27 feet to leave himself with the two-putt, keeping his nerve to seal victory, unaware that his father had witnessed the event.

"This definitely adds confidence," Bill Haas said. "Everybody has been talking about this father-son duo and he's won nine (tournaments) out here so there's a bunch I can do that in.

He added: "It's pretty special."

Proud father Jay Haas paid tribute to his son.

"I know how hard it is to win out here," he said. "You have to be playing really well and you have to be a little bit lucky.

"Bill was a little bit there at the end. It looked like Bubba's chip had a real good chance to go in and Tim had about an eight or nine footer.

"So things just fall into place, and Bill was in the right place at the right time.

"I won here in 1988 but anywhere you win is pretty special and I'm real proud of him. I gave him a big hug."

Haas birdied the last two holes of the Bob Hope Classic in California to finish one ahead of fellow Americans Matt Kuchar and Bubba Watson and South African Tim Clark.

Latest leading positions:

1 Tiger Woods 13.59pts, 2 Phil Mickelson 7.83, 3 Steve Stricker 6.83, 4 Lee Westwood 6.37, 5 Jim Furyk 5.51, 6 Martin Kaymer 5.31, 7 Padraig Harrington5.24, 8 Henrik Stenson 5.20, 9 Paul Casey 5.16, 10 Ian Poulter 5.12 11 Rory McIlroy5.10, 12 Geoff Ogilvy 4.96, 13 Kenny Perry 4.68, 14 Sergio Garcia 4.34, 15 Robert Allenby 4.26, 16 Sean O'Hair 4.16, 17 Stewart Cink 3.99, 18 Ross Fisher 3.96, 19 Retief Goosen 3.95, 20 Ernie Els 3.88

Other leading Europeans:

29 Luke Donald, 31 Robert Karlsson, 38 Soren Kjeldsen, 39 Francesco Molinari, 41 Anders Hansen, 42 Graeme McDowell,43 Oliver Wilson, 44 Soren Hansen, 47 Simon Dyson, 51 Edoardo Molinari, 52 Alvaro Quiros, 54 Peter Hanson, 57 Miguel Angel Jimenez, 58 Alexander Noren, 64 Ross McGowan, 67 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, 70 Justin Rose, 72 Chris Wood, 84 Martin Laird, 88 Anthony Wall, 89 Gregory Bourdy, 90 Shane Lowry