The Thornblade Club in Greer has a tradition tied into its handful of members who also are PGA Tour players. Whenever one of the "Jay Haas mafia" wins a big event, the club's non-professional members hang a congratulatory banner in front of the clubhouse to celebrate the accomplishment.
On Monday, Bill Haas, Champions Tour veteran Jay's son, joined several exclusive clubs with his one-shot victory at the weather-delayed Bob Hope Classic: Americans under 30 with a tour win (he's 27); S.C. Junior Golf Association alumni who have won titles (joining Lucas Glover, Jonathan Byrd, D.J. Trahan and Dustin Johnson); and his own family's winner's circle (Jay, Jay's uncle Bob Goalby, brother-in-law Dillard Pruitt).
Still, Haas said with a laugh this week, he's uncertain if he'll be accorded banner status at his former home club.
"I think they did that for my dad when he won the (2009) Senior Players (Championship) and his two Senior PGA's (all Champions Tour majors)," Bill said. "And they did it for Lucas' (2009 U.S.) Open. But those are bigger deals.
"Maybe they'll do it for me, too. I'm not out there as much these days," having moved to Greenville Country Club's Chanticleer course. "But (Thornblade) is where I grew up and learned to play."
Indeed, Thornblade has a growing reputation for its potent membership. Besides the Haases and Glover, tour veterans Charles Warren, Matt Bettencourt, Kyle Thompson and Matt Hendrix play and practice there, as does PGA Tour rookie Brent Delahoussaye. Looking for a game? They've got you covered.
Meanwhile, the SCJGA continues to hone its reputation for producing top guns. As a high school freshman, Haas recalls that "Lucas was the guy to beat" in state events, and he competed with Trahan and former USC player Michael Maness, a former mini-tours player who became Haas' caddie in mid-2009.
"Michael wasn't playing great and wanted a break," Haas said. "We finished third in San Antonio (2009 Valero Texas Open, tying his previous best finish) and we had fun, so we kept going."
Haas laughed. "Now that we've won, he's probably not going anywhere."
For the past four years, Haas sometimes wondered if his career similarly was on hold. The NCAA player of the year as a Wake Forest senior, he chafed at having to play the Nationwide Tour in 2005, but went winless that year, then played 140 PGA Tour events without a triumph.
"Back then I was quoted as saying I didn't want to play the Nationwide, but I was eating my words afterward," he said. "That was me being immature. My dad was (on the PGA Tour) for 30 years and I wanted to do that, too."
His failure to win promptly humbled Haas - "that shows how tough both tours are," he said - and Monday's final-hole victory didn't change that attitude.
"It's a pretty neat feeling, but it's a long year and I want to see improvement over the year," he said. "But yeah, it's super exciting, something I'll never forget."
Too, as a winner, his playing opportunities, including a spot in this year's Masters, will increase, "and I'm looking forward to that," Haas said.
Somewhere in that mix, a banner would be nice, too.
Tournament of Champions
Laurens' Walter Todd stayed steady in wet conditions at Pawleys Island's Tradition Club with back-to-back rounds of 71 for a 2-under-par 142 and a four-shot win in the men's club champion division of the S.C. Golf Association's Tournament of Champions.
Todd topped Aiken's Chad Meldrum and Boiling Springs' Kevin Roberts. In the men's senior club division, Greenville's Doug Tooke (74-71-145) topped Mount Pleasant's John Ebersole by three shots. Top-10 finishers included Blythewood's Gene Spencer (149) and Columbia's Mark Giles and Bernie Shealy (both 152).
Columbia's Alexandra VanDine (77-78-155) defeated Murrells Inlet's Cecelia Barksdale to win the women's division by three shots, with Chapin's Charlotte Twitty (159) third and Gilbert's Nancy Dodge (164) fourth. Irmo's Steve Liebler finished second by two shots to Laurens teen Caleb Sturgeon (70-74-144) in the one-day gross division; Columbia's Les Bradstreet (134 net) won the one-day net by 10 shots; and Greenwood's Lewis Rollins captured the one-day senior men by a shot.
S.C. on TV
Golf Channel will air a series focusing on golf courses in South Carolina, "Destination: Golf," on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. beginning Feb. 9
Among the courses featured are Harbour Town Golf Links, home of the Verizon Heritage; Kiawah Island's Ocean Course, site of the 1991 Ryder Cup and 2012 PGA Championship; and Penny Branch Club, a course in tiny Furman, S.C., built by the McKenzie family on farmland and an out-of-the-way gem.
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