Bold effort pays off

Though admittedly nervous on the 18th tee, Bill Haas had the gumption to hit a 3-iron over water and at the flag near the front of the green from about 206 yards with his second shot on the par-5 finishing hole of the Bob Hope Classic yesterday in La Quinta, Calif. It made all the difference when he two-putted for a birdie and scored a one-shot victory over Matt Kuchar, Tim Clark and Bubba Watson.

The birdie-binge in the desert was extended a day by a rain delay and didn't have the strongest of fields, but what it lacked in marquee names it more than made up for in drama. On a scale of 1 to 5, Oldgolfdawg would throw it 4 1/2 dog biscuits.

Haas, Kuchar, Clark and Watson all had a shot at victory coming down the stretch, but it was Billy the Kid, the son of PGA Tour veteran Jay Haas, who stood tallest in the saddle when the dust settled. He two-putted from about 27 feet on the 18th green and recorded his first tour victory with a 30-under effort over 90 holes.

The Golf Channel broadcast team wasn't overly critical when Kuchar, playing in the second-to-last group, went for the green in two at No. 18 before three-putting. He was left with a 70-foot downhill putt, and three-putting from that distance isn't considered a choke.

Watson and Clark, however, were shown no mercy by the Golf Channel crew when in pursuit of their first tour victories they took their foot off the gas pedal at critical junctures.

Watson, the tour's longest driver, laid up on the par 5 14th hole with his second shot even though he was just 214 yards from the green. He ended up making par on the hole after a bad birdie putt attempt.

"That's not the way to win golf tournaments," Golf Channel analyst Frank Nobilo said in a disgusted manner.

Watson, playing in the last group with Haas, still had a chance to force a playoff when he chipped for eagle from about 13 feet on the final hole. But the ball slid off to the right about a foot past the cup.

Clark, a plucky South African who buoyed the International team with his strong play in the most recent Presidents Cup, elected to lay up with his second shot to the 18th green after watching Kuchar three-putt. He did so despite being some 215 yards away and being noted for his ability to hit precise fairway wood shots. The strategy appeared to have merit when he hit a wedge to within 8 feet of the cup with his third shot. But then he missed the putt and the second-guessing began in earnest.

David Toms followed a similar final-hole strategy in winning the 2001 PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club by one shot over Phil Mickelson. But Toms sank his putt.

You can empathize with Watson and Clark for doing what they thought was best at the time, but you can't protect them from the slings and arrows of the media. It's the cost of doing business on the PGA Tour. The only way to silence the critics is, in the words of Al Davis, "Just win, baby!"

* * *

One of Jay Haas' nine PGA Tour victories was the 1988 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. His son's victory yesterday makes them the eighth father-son combination to win PGA Tour recognized events. The others are Tom Morris Sr. and Tom Morris Jr.; Willie Park and Willie Park Jr.; Joe Kirkwood Sr. and Joe Kirkwood Jr.; Jack Burke Sr. and Jack Burke Jr.; Clayton Heafner and Vance Heafner; Julius Boros and Guy Boros; and Al Geiberger and Brent Geiberger.