Witnesses to History: Bill Haas and the Greatest FedExCup Shot of All Time

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree

Wake Forest University is home to one of the premier golf programs in America. Arnold Palmer put the program on the map, as did the great players who followed him, including Curtis Strange, Lanny Wadkins, and the Haas brothers, Jerry and Jay.

Jay Haas was part of what many consider to be the best college golf team ever. The 1975 Demon Deacons team won the national title by 33 shots, the largest margin of victory in NCAA history. Jay won the individual championship that year, while his teammate and 1974 national champion Curtis Strange took third place. An absolute juggernaut of a golf team with a roster that would go on to win 27 PGA TOUR titles and dozens of other professional tournaments worldwide.

Jerry Haas is Jay’s younger brother. Jerry was also a decorated player at Wake Forest, being named an All-American his senior year. He represented the United States in the 1985 Walker Cup and played professionally into the mid-nineties.

Jerry returned to Wake Forest and coached PGA TOUR players Webb Simpson, 2025 Wyndham champion Cameron Young and, my pick for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Will Zalatoris. His most accomplished player, however, was his nephew Bill Haas.

Bill Haas continued his family’s tradition at Wake Forest. He was awarded first-team All-America honors three years and won college golf’s top individual awards: the Ben Hogan, the Jack Nicklaus and the Haskins Award. He also earned a spot on the 2003 Walker Cup team, as his father (1975) and uncle (1985) had before him, and turned professional in 2004.

Because there was no PGATOURU program, college stars like Haas had to either make the most of sponsors’ exemptions or take a run at the six-round pressure cooker known as Q-School. Bill didn’t make it out of Q-School in 2004 and spent a year on the then-Web.com (now-Korn Ferry Tour. He returned to Q-school in 2005, battled for all six rounds and snuck in just inside the top-30 to earn his card.

By 2008 Haas was starting to settle in on the PGA TOUR. He eclipsed the $1 million mark for the first time and was comfortably inside the top 100 players on TOUR. The 2009 season was even better, just shy of $1.5 million and he was now a top 50 player in the FedExCup standings.

Like Father, Like Son…Again

Going into the final round of the Bob Hope Desert Classic, 27-year-old Bill Haas would need a special round to outlast PGA TOUR regulars Bubba Watson, Mike Weir, Tim Clark. He birdied his last two holes and shot a closing round 64 to win by one shot over Clark, Matt Kuchar, and Watson at –30. He had joined his father, Jay, as a winner on the PGA TOUR, becoming the first duo to do so since Brent and Al Geiberger.

Jay Haas wraps his arms around son Bill after his first win on TOUR.

Suddenly Haas had a newfound security as a TOUR winner. With a two-year winner’s exemption, he was free of the pressure of needing to stay inside the top 125. Haas would also escape the “when will this bright young player win” discussions that can weigh heavily on a player trying to break through. He had arrived.

Winning in 2010 meant that Haas would be able to play in the season opening Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. He finished in the top 10 of the event and had great momentum going back to Palm Springs to defend his title at the Bob Hope Desert Classic. He played well enough to get into a three-man playoff for the win, but was outlasted by Jhonattan Vegas. Still, Haas was off to a great start and would top 10 again at the Farmers Insurance Open the following week. All in all, Haas would post seven different top 10 finishes and lose two playoffs (Bob Hope, Greenbrier) before heading into the season-ending playoffs.

A Playoff Run for the Ages

There is a survive-and-advance element to the PGA TOUR playoffs that makes every week exciting. In 2011, the playoff system basically shrank the field each week before the final 30 advanced to the finals in Atlanta, much like we will have this year. In 2025, nobody starts with a 6-shot lead based on past performance, which had been the system since 2019. Now, you simply advance to the next stage or you don’t.

The 2011 playoffs started at the Barclays played at Plainfield Country Club in New Jersey. Haas played solid golf, finishing T24, nine shots behind winner Dustin Johnson, in the 54-hole event that was shortened due to Hurricane Irene.

The next week the top 100 players would square off at TPC Boston for the Deutsche Bank Championship. Fellow Wake Forest alum Webb Simpson would claim the title, while Haas limped in shooting one over par on the weekend and finishing T63. It definitely wasn’t the weekend Haas wanted, but it was enough to advance to the next stage.

The third leg of the playoffs was played at Cog Hill just outside Chicago. Justin Rose held off the field of 70 players to win by two shots. Haas, unfortunately, was not in form in the final round, playing his last 15 holes eight over par to shoot 78, which left him T16. It may have been an ugly finish, but it was enough for Haas to take his place among the top 30 players who would advance to the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola in Atlanta.

The Final at Eastlake

Eastlake was playing to a par-70 and Haas opened with a respectable 68. He followed that up with a stout 67, climbed to fifth place, and trailed only Adam Scott, K.J. Choi, Luke Donald, and Jason Day after 36 holes.

As the weekend came, Hunter Mahan and Aaron Baddeley caught fire. Baddeley shot 64 to put him in a tie for the lead with Mahan, who shot a tidy 66 of his own. Haas was steady again with 69, and sat T5.

In the final round Baddeley shot two-over 72 and Mahan posted 71. This left room for a surge from the pack, which is exactly what Haas did. His 68 was good enough to put him in a playoff with Mahan for the FedExCup— and the $10 million bonus that accompanied the title.

The playoff began on the par-3 18th hole at Eastlake where both players missed the green. Haas played a delicate flop that left him about 10 feet for par, while Mahan’s bunker shot left him with a nervy 5-footer. Both players converted and went on to the par-4 17th hole to continue the playoff.

Mahan navigated the hole about as well as you could ask. He played two solid shots, leaving himself 25 feet for birdie. Haas, playing his approach from a fairway bunker, was aggressive, but his approach landed just a hair left of the green and crawled into the greenside water hazard. Mahan looked like a lock to win the championship.

Then, the greatest shot in the history of the FedExCup happened. (1:05)

Haas made an absolutely bananas up-and-down from the hazard for par. Mahan’s birdie putt missed on the high side. It wasn’t technically over, but it might as well have been over. You don’t overcome that kind of magic. Mahan was done whether he knew it or not.

Much as nobody talks about the 1980 U.S.A. vs U.S.S.R. “Miracle on Ice” being the semifinal (the United States actually beat Finland 4-2 in the final), most people remember Haas’ improbable shot from the water as the hole that won him the FedExCup. In reality it was a par, once again, on the par-3 18th that bested Mahan’s bogey. Haas would pocket $1.4 million for winning the tournament and $10 million more for the FedExCup bonus.

On top of all the cash Haas was also selected to be part of the 2011 Presidents Cup team that would compete at Royal Melbourne. This carried extra meaning because his father, Jay, had been tapped by Captain Fred Couples to serve as an assistant. What an incredible honor for both father and son.

Bill Haas won a mountain of money in 2011 and he made some singular memories with his father that few competitors can even dream of. He represented his country successfully and with pride. He gave us one of the more magical golf seasons of recent memory, and we should all be grateful.

Here’s a toast to the Haas family, and to hoping that another great story emerges from the 2025 chase for the FedExCup.