New Presidents Cup assistant Haas looks for big week in Palm Coast
By Lauren Deason, PGATOUR.COM Editorial Coordinator
PALM COAST, Fla. -- One name came to the top of Fred Couples' mind when picking the assistant captain for his Presidents Cup squad. And no, it wasn't Robin Williams or Michael Jordan, as Couples had previously joked.
He selected his friend Jay Haas to help lead the team in San Francisco, a choice that was highly acceptable to the guys most likely to be there.
"They were really excited. Tiger [Woods], [Jim] Furyk, [Phil] Mickelson, you know, everyone kind of lit up," Couples said during a teleconference. "I think Jay has a lot of respect, and I've known him a long time, and he's a very good decision maker. And he'll be 60 percent of a captain, I'll be 40, but I just have more authority to nix some of his decisions."
With 32 years of experience on both the Champions Tour and the PGA TOUR, Haas is a natural fit to lead the mix of young guys and veterans that will likely make up the team. In fact, it wasn't long ago that Haas himself was on the squad. In 2005, Jack Nicklaus selected him as a Captain's Pick and Haas posted a 3-1-0 record in the event. He was also a Captain's pick in 1994.
Shortly after Couples made the announcement, Haas joked that he thought the U.S. captain had selected him to play, not coach from the sidelines.
"I misunderstood, when you called me, I thought you and I were going to be the picks," said Haas, who is playing in the Ginn Championship Hammock Beach this week.
"I already told Paul Azinger [the 2008 Ryder Cup captain], if you pick me for the Ryder Cup, you're in for The Presidents Cup," Couples replied. "You know, we could do that. As well as you're playing, we could pick you and one of your buddies on the Champions Tour, and that would really spice things up."
Haas wouldn't be such a bad choice based on his recent Champions Tour record. In 2008, the two-time Player of the Year has amassed four top-10 finishes, including a near-win at the Toshiba Classic. He was the defending champion in that event and took Bernhard Langer to seven holes in a playoff before losing.
One would expect him to do well this week, though Haas says there are no guarantees on a course like the Nicklaus-designed Ocean Course at Hammock Beach Resort. The Tour will play the 7,113-yard, par-72 venue for only the second year. It's the only true oceanfront course to open in Florida in more than 70 years and boasts eight holes overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
"This course beat me alive last year," Haas said, adding that it was no different when he teed it up Thursday in the pro-am. With a variety of holes, including ones with doglegs and a mix of uphill and downhill shots, the course poses a challenge to even the most seasoned player.
The tournament is the seventh of 29 official events for the Charles Schwab Cup, a year-long competition that concludes with the awarding of a trophy and $1-million annuity to the winner.
Loren Roberts barely edged Haas for this trophy in 2007 when he took it by a mere 165 points. That was just payback, however, since Haas beat Roberts by 20 points in 2006 to take home the prize.
Haas is currently fourth in the standings. Scott Hoch, the winner of the first two events on the Champions Tour held in Florida, holds the lead. Langer and Bart Bryant are ahead of Haas, while Jerry Pate rounds out the top five.
Keith Fergus, last year's winner at the Ginn Championship, and a host of other elite players are in Palm Coast for the event. So far it's the strongest field of the year with 11 members from the World Golf Hall of Fame and 20 major champions.
Haas is arguably one of the best of the bunch because he has already collected nine titles on the Champions Tour. He has a huge head start on 48-year-old Captain Couples, who will join the Champions Tour next season.
Get the best deals on the best equipment all at the SHOP.PGATOUR.COM.
WATCH LIVE!
PGATOUR.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network