A FRENETIC, wildly unpredictable final day at the Tour Championship ultimately ended with Bill Haas winning both the tournament and FedExCup honours, though it took a while for his double success to sink in.
The 29-year-old American sealed victory by beating compatriot Hunter Mahan in a sudden-death play-off, but he did not realise he had also scooped the season-long play-off jackpot of €7.4 million until the trophy presentation.
“We did some TV interviews up in the grandstands there on 18 and both trophies were there,” said Haas after clinching his third PGA Tour title.
“And there was no other player, so I kind of assumed,” he added, sparking widespread laughter in the interview room. “I looked at my wife and she nodded her head, so that was when I realised.”
Every player in the elite field of 30 began the week with a mathematical chance of winning the FedExCup and on Sunday points leader Webb Simpson and British world number one Luke Donald were among the likeliest.
However, they both fell short, Simpson finishing 22nd when 18th place would have earned him the €7.4 million bonus, while Donald came even closer, tying for third when outright third would have done the trick.
“I knew $11 million was on the line somehow, whether Luke Donald won it or Webb Simpson won it or I won it, it was there, so that was in my head,” said Haas.
“When I was putting for that four-footer to win, it was just to win the Tour Championship, knowing that was all I could do.”
Haas played with Donald in Sunday’s final round at East Lake Golf Club and he initially thought the Briton had wrapped up play-off honours after finishing with three birdies in the last five holes.
“He birdied the last, and I thought that won the FedExCup for him,” Haas explained. “So, afterwards, I told him: ‘Congratulations, I hope that won it for you, I just hope maybe I can win this tournament.’
“I was fortunate to get in a play-off. It was my third one this year and I was 0 for 2 coming into this one. But I told myself it’s not over until it’s over. I could hole this chip, anything can happen. And I did.”
Haas was watched on Sunday by his father Jay, a successful Champions Tour player who triumphed nine times on the PGA Tour.
Jay also happens to be an assistant to United States Presidents Cup captain Fred Couples and his son may have done enough at East Lake to earn the final wildcard pick on the 12-man team.
Couples will announce his two picks later today to complete the 12-man team to take on the Internationals in Australia from November 17th-20th. He has already promised one of those spots to Tiger Woods.
Woods has appointed Joe LaCava, once caddie for Fred Couples and most recently Dustin Johnson, as his full-time bagman, the former world number one has announced.
LaCava informed Johnson – who finished tied 23rd – of his decision after the final round of the Tour Championship on Sunday.
Woods, who parted company with his long-time caddie Steve Williams in July, will have LaCava on his bag for the first time at the PGA Tour’s Frys.com Open in San Martin, California from Thursday week.
“(Woods’s manager) Mark (Steinberg) and I were approached by a lot of people, including Joe, who expressed an interest in becoming my caddie,” Woods said in a statement. “This was an important decision, and I wanted to think about it carefully. Joe is an outstanding caddie, and I have known him for many years. I’ve personally seen the great job he did for Freddie.”
