Bill Haas wins Humana Challenge

Bill Haas of the USA won the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation by a single shot at PGA West in La Quinta, California. It was a second Humana Challenge title for Haas.

Bill Haas of the USA won the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation by a single shot at PGA West in La Quinta, California. It was a second Humana Challenge title for Haas.

Haas came out on top in a congested final day. He broke free from the pack with a birdie at his 16th hole and held on to win by a single stroke from a group of five players: Charley Hoffman, Matt Kuchar, Sung Joon Park, Brendan Steele and Steve Wheatcroft.

But it wasn’t plain sailing for Haas down the stretch. On the par-5 18th, the 32-year-old found his drive on the front lip of a fairway bunker. After considering the possibility of left-handed and back-handed shots, he elected to stand in the sand and clip the ball off the bank, at almost waist height.

Choking down an 8-iron, he advanced the ball some 70 yards down the fairway, from where he was able to find the green and two-putt for a winning par. Having won this event back in 2010, this was a second Humana Challenge title.

“I think of myself more of a painter than a mechanic,” he said. “I could have easily whiffed that shot, could have chunked it and moved it five yards.”

It was an astonishing victory for Haas considering this was his first competitive start since sustaining a wrist injury last November.

“If you’d told me last week I would do this, I would have laughed at you. It’s an unbelievable feeling,” he said.

There was good scoring on the final day at La Quinta and a number of players moved up through the field. Charley Hoffman and Brendan Steele both finished with 64s to join the log-jam in second place.

Justin Thomas shared the lead until the 16th when he found water from a fairway bunker and racked up a double-bogey. The 21-year-old finished two behind and in a tie for seventh place.

Francesco Molinari of Italy finished as the leading European in a tie for 10th place. Martin Laird of Scotland was the best-placed Brit, in tied 15th.

Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation PGA West, La Quinta, California Jan 22-25, purse $5,700,000, par 72

1    Bill Haas (USA)        67    63    69    67    266    $1,026,000 T2    Charley Hoffman (USA)    71    63    69    64    267    $342,000 T2    Matt Kuchar (USA)    65    64    71    67    267    $342,000 T2    Sung Joon Park (Kor)    68    67    67    65    267    $342,000 T2    Brendan Steele (USA)    67    68    68    64    267    $342,000 T2    Steve Wheatcroft (USA) 65    67    68    67    267    $342,000 T7    Webb Simpson (USA)    70    66    68    64    268    $177,650 T7    Justin Thomas (USA)    68    63    68    69    268    $177,650 T7    Boo Weekley (USA)    70    66    67    65    268    $177,650

Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage