Since 2010, there are two guys who have more PGA Tour wins than Bill Haas: Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods.
Haas notched his sixth tour title on Sunday, pulling out a one-shot win at the Humana Challenge over a slew of challengers, including Matt Kuchar, at 22 under par. The 32-year-old fired a final round of 5-under 67 to pull out his second win in this tournament.
The victory didn’t come stress-free for Haas, whose tee shot at the par-5 finishing hole stopped on the very edge of a fairway bunker. After weighing whether to swing backwards outside the bunker or sideways in it, Haas took a baseball-style cut to set up a third shot and a two-putt par for the win.
Justin Thomas appeared on the verge of a win in his rookie season — or at least a chance in a playoff — but his approach shot to the par-4 16th at the Palmer Private Course at PGA West found the water. The resulting double bogey ended his chances.
A number of players who finished a shot back, including Charley Hoffman (64), Brendan Steele (64) and Sung Joon Park (65) came from well behind at the start of the day to earn big paydays. Colt Knost, who shot 63 early in the day, jumped 30 spots into a tie for 10th place.
But back to Haas, who told Golf Channel after the win that, earlier in the week, he didn’t think he had the game to score in a tournament that commands taking it deep under par. Not only did Haas have that game, but it coupled well with his ability to close out tight tournaments. Of his now six wins, four were by a shot, either in regulation or a sudden-death playoff.
The question for Haas now is if he can start to produce in majors. Until 2014, Haas had never even made the cut in all four in a single season. His best major finish is a T-12 effort in 2011 at Atlanta Athletic Club. If Haas will ever figure seriously on any of the game’s four biggest stages, it’s likely now since he’s in the sweet spot where most players get theirs. However, given his father’s longevity both on the PGA and Champions Tours, Haas could prove a late bloomer.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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