CT Golf Headlines

Hartford, CT (June 23, 2004) -- The Greater Hartford Jaycees announced today that collegiate All-Americans Bill Haas and Casey Wittenberg have turned professional this week and will receive sponsors exemptions to compete in Hartford at the Buick Championship.

Haas, the son of Tour pro Jay Haas, and Wittenberg played together on the 2003 Walker Cup team and they both made the cut at last week's U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. Other players previously committed include: Nick Price (21), Stewart Cink (28), Stephen Leaney (32), Brad Faxon (42), Peter Lonard (50), Zach Johnson (41), Jerry Kelly (30), Billy Andrade, Heath Slocum and Connecticut natives Tim Petrovic and J.J. Henry. (numbers in parenthesis represent current world rankings of the top 50).

"The Jaycees have a tradition of identifying the best young professionals in the game and providing them with a chance to earn their PGA Tour card," said 2004 Tournament Chairman John LeDoux. "We have had great success with this program introducing players to our event. Bill's dad, Jay Haas, made his professional debut in Hartford and so did David Duval, Justin Leonard, Stewart Cink and Charles Howell."

"Bill Haas established himself as the best collegiate golfer in the country this year, and certainly over the last four years," said Tournament Director Dan Baker. "He won the 2004 Ben Hogan award given to the top collegiate golfer and he won 10 individual collegiate titles in his career, the most by any Wake Forest alumni, which includes some folks named Palmer, Strange and Wadkins, all major champions who won here in Hartford. Casey also established himself as the number-one ranked amateur in the nation before he even set foot on a college campus. Only Tiger Woods did that before going to college," said Baker. "What does that mean to the fans here in New England? It means they are going to see two of the best young golfers in the world who might tear up the Tour for the next 30 years."

Haas has won 10 individual collegiate titles and set a record for 13 consecutive rounds under par. Haas set the single-season NCAA stroke average record with an astonishing 68.92, which would put him in third place on the PGA Tour behind Phil Mickelson (68.75) and Ernie Els (68.90). Haas won the 2004 Ben Hogan Award given to the top collegiate golfer in all divisions. He also won the Jack Nicklaus award presented to the college player of the year by the Golf Coaches Association of America. Haas was a three-time first team All-American in his last three years in school. He was a semifinalist in the 2002 U.S. Amateur and a quarterfinalist in the 2003 U.S. Amateur. His dad Jay made his professional debut on the PGA Tour at the 1976 Sammy Davis Jr. Greater Hartford Open. Haas was a member of the 2003 U.S. Walker Cup team, the highest honor awarded to an amateur golfer in the U.S.

Wittenberg, a native of Memphis, Tenn., was the number-one ranked amateur golfer in the country before he entered college. Only Tiger Woods achieved that feat. Wittenberg was a teammate of Haas’ on the 2003 U.S. Walker Cup team. He finished runner-up at the 2003 U.S. Amateur where he lost in a playoff at Oakmont Country Club to Nick Flanagan. Wittenberg was the 2001 AJGA Player of the Year, which earned him a sponsor exemption into the 2002 Canon GHO where he shot rounds of 75-75 to miss the cut. Wittenberg recently made the cut at both the Masters and the U.S. Open.