Young Haas Receives Award

MyrtleBeachGolf.com Staff Reports

COLUMBIA, S.c. -- The South Carolina Junior Golf Association is proud to announce Bill Haas as the Jay Haas Player-of-the-Year. The honor is awarded by the Thornblade Classic and PGA Tour Player Jay Haas. This year's award is truly special in that Bill is Jay's son.

The Association's highest honor (for boys) is awarded to South Carolina's highest ranked player on the year-end standings of the BB&T Rankings. The BB&T Rankings are based on overall finishes in tournaments across South Carolina and the country. Points are earned in tournaments conducted over the past twelve months.

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Haas started the year 5th on the rankings while Delahoussaye was 6th. The pair battled for the top position all year with Delahoussaye on top for five of the last seven months.

Haas would not be denied. To have a chance to win, he had to finish strong and did. Haas started by successfully defending his title at the SCJGA Players Championship in Harstville. Those points made it possible for Haas to catch Delahoussaye at the Polo Classic.

Although there were many combinations that could have led to either player coming out on top, Haas had to make it through qualifying and into the final sixteen of match play to have a chance.

Haas' trip, all the way to the finals, proved he was up to the challenge. More importantly, it cemented his right to be the SCJGA Jay Haas Player-of-the-Year.

Haas will be honored at a press conference Thursday, December 16th in the main lobby of the BB&T Building on 301 North Main St. in Greenville. The program will start promptly at 4 p.m.

On hand for the presentation will be PGA Tour player Jay Haas, Bill Haas and representatives form the Thornblade Classic, the SCJGA and BB&T.

Bill Haas' 1999 accomplishments include:

CGA Jr. Championship, Champion AJGA Polo Golf Jr. Classic, Runner-up SCJGA Players Championship, Champion AJGA Greater Greensboro, Runner-up S.C. AAA H.S. Championship, Champion SCJGA Junior Four-Ball, Champion