Bill Haas gets fifth PGA Tour win at Congressional
Bill Haas (Photo credit: Keith Allison)
Bill Haas was able to outlast the field and the weather on Sunday at Congressional, posting a final round 66 to get to 12-under par and win the AT&T National by three shots over Roberto Castro.
What Happened
Due to the threat of nasty weather again in a final round, the PGA Tour decided to move up tee times on Sunday, causing Golf Channel and CBS to show tape delayed coverage of the final day. Haas was part of three-way tie for the lead going into Sunday, as he was paired with James Driscoll and Roberto Castro, and outside of a bogey on the par-4 5th, Haas was far and away the best player of the three. D.H. Lee, he of the middle finger throwing on Saturday, was the only player on Sunday who posted a lower number on Sunday. After a birdie on the par-5 16th, Haas had a three shot lead on Castro with two to play, and it was all over at that point. Haas picks up his fifth career PGA Tour win, and the first since last February at the Northern Trust Open.
Final Leaderboard
- 1. Bill Haas -12
- 2. Roberto Castro -9
- T3. D.H. Lee -8
- T3. Jason Kokrak -8
- 5. Stewart Cink -7
What The Win Means For Haas
With the win, it gives Haas at least one victory in each of the last four seasons, which puts him in some impressive company, as he joins Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose as the only players to do that on the PGA Tour since 2010. The next step will be for him to contend regularly in major championships, which is an area that he has struggled with to this point in his career. His best finish in 15 career major championships was a tie for 11th last year at the PGA Championship, so it’s really about him taking the next step in his development as a PGA Tour player. He’s made it pretty clear that he isn’t going to be disappearing from the PGA Tour anytime soon, but he’s quickly climbing that list of best players in the world without a major championship victory.
The PGA Tour Doesn’t Know What Year It Is
It’s the year 2013, and unless you were watching an illegal stream like I was this morning and afternoon, there was no way to watch the event live. I understand there are logistical roadblocks with both Golf Channel and CBS wanting some piece of the action, but at some point, the PGA Tour needs to realize that the only people that are losing out when weather gets in the way like this are the people who actually want to watch their product. Granted, with players like Haas, Driscoll and Castro at the top of the leaderboard this week, it seems like a moot point, but keep in mind that this would have happened even if it was Tiger and Rory battling in the final group. For a sport and league that struggles to maintain relevancy these days, the PGA Tour should be working a little harder and smarter to get their content out to the people who want to see it.
Other Notes
- Notables to miss the cut: Aaron Baddeley, Marc Leishman, Freddie Jacobson, K.J. Choi, Ryo Ishikawa, Hunter Mahan, Ben Crane, Sang-moon Bae, Ben Curtis, Scott Stallings, Charles Howell III, Seung-yul Noh, Bo Van Pelt
- Other notable finishes: Jordan Spieth (6th), Graham DeLaet and Brandt Snedeker (T8), Angel Cabrera (T13), Jason Day, Rickie Fowler and Nicolas Colsaerts (T21), Russell Henley, Vijay Singh, Ryan Palmer and Harris English (T34), Jim Furyk (T44), Ken Duke (T52), Adam Scott (T57), Nick Watney and Billy Horschel (T61).
- WD’s this week: Justin Hicks (back), Vaughn Taylor (back), Davis Love III (hip), Charlie Beljan (elbow) and Rory Sabbatini (back).
AdamSarson.com 