Monday Backspin: Haas has his win; Watson's lay-up; more

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In 2006, I spent a week with Bill Haas at q-school. He was a year removed from some controversial comments about how he didn't feel like he belonged on the Nationwide Tour, that his game was better than that. While Haas said those comments were taken out of context, he admitted the Nationwide experience humbled him.

Fast forward to Monday afternoon and the Bob Hope Classic (I'll get to Bubba Watson in the Back Nine). It was Haas' first career win on the PGA TOUR. It was a victory many thought would come in year one, not year five. Anyone who watched Haas hit a golf ball could see superb natural talent. What he didn't necessarily have was the patience. Or he wasn't working on the right things -- until now.

Champion's Replay

Want to hear what Bill Haas said about his win at the Bob Hope Classic? Click here Shot Tracker Replay Haas' final round MORE PLAYERS • Final-round highlights • Shot of the Day • Final wrap-up • Complete tourney coverage

Haas, who thought about dropping out of Wake Forest after his junior year to turn pro, put in a lot of time with Billy Harmon recently and the tip he got from him last Monday was the difference.

"Not a chance," Haas said when asked if he could've won without that tip, which was to turn his right foot out a little bit. "I was on the range with my dad before he went to Hawaii with Billy Harmon, with my Uncle Bob, and my brother, and we -- I think they were listening to me and tired of listening to me complain about how bad I was hitting it."

Growing up, Haas had a lot live up to, both as a prodigy at Wake Forest and as the son of Jay Haas, who won nine times on TOUR and who, unbeknownst to his son, showed up in the crowd Monday after an outing at nearby Toscana.

"Winning is hard," Bill said. "I've given it my best go here for 100-something events, and I have come up short every time."

Monday, despite some pretty intense nerves, Haas was able to slow things down, be more patient and instead did not get ahead of himself.

"I've complained so many times that under pressure, I've not been able to do it," Haas said. "Today I did it."

Stock up

Matt Kuchar: You hear it all the time, how golfers don't hit their prime until their 30s. That's what we're seeing with the 31-year-old Kuchar, who has now finished in the top three in two of three events this season and in the top 20 in eight of his last nine tournaments dating back to the end of last year. FedExCup rank: 4 (7 last week) Ryan Moore: Two tournaments, two top-10s and a scoring average of 68.11. It's not a question of if Moore will win again as much as it is when. He's good enough to win multiple titles this year. FedExCup rank: 11 (21 last week) Martin Kaymer: Remember the name, especially come Ryder Cup time. Kaymer's win at Abu Dhabi was all-world with a birdie on the last hole to beat Ian Poulter by one and Rory McIlroy by two. Kaymer's won that event twice in three years. Oh, and in case you forgot -- he tied for sixth at last year's PGA Championship. FedExCup rank: N/A

Stock down

Justin Leonard: You have to go back to 2007 to find the last time Leonard started a season this poorly. This year, he missed the cut in both events he's played in and has broken 70 just once in six rounds. In 2007, he began with six straight missed cuts. FedExCup rank: N/A Boo Weekley: How a player of Weekley's caliber shoots three rounds in the 70s at the Bob Hope Classic is a mystery. This is just a feeling, but injuries and all the extracurricular stuff that goes with being a star seem to have had some effect. FedExCup rank: 101 (65 last week) David Duval: It was right around this time last year when Duval talked about being back. Maybe he feels like he is, but the results are saying otherwise. Since finishing in a tie for second at the U.S. Open, he has missed nine of 10 cuts, including the Bob Hope Classic, where he had maybe the greatest final round ever with a 59 in 1999. FedExCup rank: N/A

THE BACK NINE: 9 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. Bubba Watson's decision to lay up on the par-5 14th Monday of the Bob Hope Classic trailing by a shot was maybe the strangest/most questionable one we'll see all year. Watson had just 231 yards -- after hitting driver off the tee -- and a chance to not only take the lead but send a message. He did neither.

2. Similar to Watson, Tim Clark's decision to lay up from 225 yards on the par-5 18th hole also seemed questionable. He doesn't have nearly the length Watson does, but he's deadly with a fairway wood in his hand. As a result, Clark could only manage a par to finish at 29 under, one shot short of Haas.

3. Speaking of Haas, coming to the 18th hole he knew he needed at least a birdie to win after seeing Clark miss. He told himself that if he hit a good drive, he was going to go for it. Just 205 yards out, he hit it to 27 feet and two-putted. Now there are two Haas names on the trophy.

4. Rickie Fowler apparently lost his swing somewhere over the Pacific on his way to Hawaii this year. His first six rounds of the 2010 season: 75, 72, 74, 70, 75 and 75. "Terrible," Fowler said of his swing. "[It] doesn't feel very good. I wish you could tell me [what's wrong]." Fowler had two top-seven finishes last year, including a playoff loss in Scottsdale, but life on TOUR as a rookie is a whole different ballgame.

5. Here's why I love the Bob Hope Classic, at least in the final round. The top 10 names on the leaderboard were a combined 63 under on Monday. That's an average of better than 6 under per player. The lowest score was Matt Kuchar's 9-under 63, and he didn't even win the tournament, while the highest number was a 68 by Chad Collins, who tied for 10th.

6. Forbes came out with its list of the 10 most trusted celebrities. No athlete, including the world's top-ranked golfer, made the list, which included names such as Tom Hanks and Morgan Freeman. Topping the list? James Earl Jones.

7. I think if I'm Corey Pavin this morning, I realize that while the U.S. has pretty good Ryder Cup team, they're going to have an awfully difficult time defending against a European team that will likely include, among others, Rory McIlroy, Padraig Harrington, Martin Kaymer, Ross Fisher, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter.

8. Not to throw stones, but a headline last week in the Daily Telegraph newspaper read the following: "Sergio Garcia: American Ryder Cup team better off without Tiger Woods." Now, here is what Garcia actually said: "Tiger's absence made a difference. It made some of the other players step it up. They wanted to show everyone they could win without Tiger. Maybe when he's there, he's the leader and everyone falls in behind him. Without him, everyone wanted to be the leader. They played amazing golf. You could see a different energy in the team."

9. The work that course superintendents and their staffs do is often overlooked, but it shouldn't be. The Bob Hope Classic was another case of that. La Quinta normally averages about 1 ½ inches of rain a year. Last Thursday, it got over 2 inches. That meant that Juventino Cardona and his crew had to be out there around 3 a.m. Friday to get the place playable -- not an easy task with less than stellar drainage. They did and Monday they didn't even have to play lift, clean and place.

FROM THE MAILBAG (Click here to send your question)

"Are Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson offically members of the PGA TOUR? And will their winning count on the PGA TOUR money list for 2010? I read/see conflicting reports." -- Brendon Hutchins

Be confused no more -- both are official members of the TOUR this year. There were some conflicting reports prior to the start of the season about whether or not McIlroy would join the TOUR. Ultimately, McIlroy did. He was eligible to join after his 2009 earnings as a non-member were enough to have placed him inside the top 125 on the TOUR's official money list last year. As for Stenson, he got his status by winning THE PLAYERS Championship. That's good through 2014.

"Am I the only one to think that Aaron Baddeley and Jason Day are flying below the radar? How do two Aussie former top-10s (Baddeley and Day) sink so far down the World Ranking? They are not even getting good commercial endorsements and they are pretty easy on the eye, according to my wife." -- Christian Stevens

If by flying below the radar you mean completely off it, then no, you aren't the only one. Over the last few years, Baddeley's results have steadily declined. In 2007, he won the FBR Open for his second career title and finished with more than $3 million in earnings. Since then, he's won $1.6 million in 2008 and $837,000 in 2009. On the bright side, Baddeley has remained a very good putter. On the down side, his driver and iron play hasn't been nearly as good. As for Day, we need to remember he's only 22 years old. Last season, Day had two top-10s, including a runner-up in Puerto Rico, and seven top-25s on his way to more than $1.2 million in earnings. There are plenty of guys who would've gladly taken that. But hey, at least they have their looks.

The Forward Spin

By all accounts, Phil Mickelson is more prepared for this season than any other. We'll find out when he makes his debut this week at the San Diego Open, a tournament in his backyard that he's won twice. Previously, you could casually refer to this as the Tiger Woods Open because Woods had won it six times, including four in a row from 2005-2008. Woods is still on his indefinite leave of absence, however, and that could open the door for Mickelson (not to mention everyone else).