Father’s Day historic pairing with son nearly comes off for Haas

JAY HAAS did not quite get the Father Day’s present yesterday he had been hoping for on Friday evening but it came pretty close.

When his 22-year-old son Bill made the US Open cut to join him over the final two days it forged the first father-son combination in the 104-year-old championship. And the 50-year-old Jay, then still in contention at even par, said: “Hopefully he can shoot some lights out and maybe we can get paired together.”

It almost happened, though it was dad moving backwards with rounds of 66, 74, 76 rather than his son tearing up Shinnecock Hills that brought them together on Saturday night at six-over-par for the championship.

Instead, with seven other players on the same mark, the sentimental pairing of parent and child was denied and Jay teed it up with Pat Perez while Bill went off three groups and 30 minutes later with Jerry Kelly.

With the wind finally getting up on the East End of Long Island, New York, the early starters were finding it tough, averaging eight over par around Shinnecock and Bill Haas was struggling a little with bogeys at two, three, five and six. After an opening bogey, Jay Haas recorded birdies at the second and fifth and was finding the touch that had pushed him into the headlines after the first round when he shot a four-under-par 66 to take the lead.

That also prompted the first of several questions for both men about the unique experience of playing together in a major championship.

The fledgling was understated about the achievement but generous in praise of his father.

On being the first father-son combination at the US Open, Bill Haas said: “It’s great but I don’t think it’ll be talked about again until somebody else does it. It’s a nice stat to have and a nice stat to have up on a list but I don’t know if it means a whole lot. I try to play my best. I hope my dad beats me.

“He’s the reason I play. He’s been my teacher, mentor, idol. I’m pretty proud, but not surprised. He can play. I’ve played every practice round with him and he’s playing wonderful. I hope he continues.”

Despite promptings from the media, though, the 22-year-old refused to take too much credit for his father’s continued success beyond his 50th birthday.

Was he an inspiration to his dad? “Maybe, a little,” he said. “I think it’s something to do with working out, him not wanting to go to the seniors’ tour, playing on the President’s Cup last year, the Ryder Cup this year. There are certain motivations that are keeping him out here.

“He’s been out here 28 years, I can’t give him a whole lot of advice. He beats me regularly and I occasionally beat him. He wants me to beat him. He doesn’t let me have it but he wants me to win. He wants me to be better than him.”

Bill graduated from his father’s alma mater Wake Forest University this spring having finished tied for second as an individual at the NCAA Championships and winning the Ben Hogan Award for the college’s top collegiate/amateur golfer for 2004. He will turn pro and make his debut at the Booz Allen Classic on the PGA Tour this week and making the cut at the US Open has more practical benefits for the rookie pro.

“It gives me an exemption into the second round of qualifying at Q-School which was kind of my goal,” he said.

Bill Haas is not the only son of a famous golfer to make it through to the weekend at Shinnecock. Craig ‘The Walrus’ Stadler’s embarrassment at being fined for a drunk-driving incident during the Memorial Tournament earlier this month will have been eased somewhat by his son Kevin first qualifying and then making the cut in his US Open debut.

Stadler, 24 and a pro since 2002, opened up with a first round 68 to the delight of his watching father and took a 72 on Friday.

An 82 on Saturday and 85 to finish the tournament at 27 over, Stadler was rescued from last place by Billy Mayfair’s final round of 89. Plenty for The Walrus to work on there then.

Much more hands on than either Haas or Stadler senior, though, has been former pro Don Levin, who played in the 1983 US Open. He has been on the bag for his 20-year-old son Spencer Levin, a gifted but temperamental amateur renowned for throwing his clubs around when the going gets tough. He made a name for himself for the right reasons in the first round with a hole in one at the par- three 17th hole and his dad, who is also his instructor, said: “He’s something. He didn’t really like golf until he was 15. He really liked baseball but he was runner-up in the high school (golf) championship playing twice a week.”

Spencer Levin revealed that his father had actually tried to steer him into a baseball career.

“I quit baseball my junior year of high school, then I just started playing all golf when I was probably about 16. It was my decision. He (Dad) kind of wanted me to be a baseball player but I decided to play golf. It worked out good. I’m a little better at golf than baseball.”