Augusta, Ga. – The first-round leader of the Masters paid homage to his father and honored his uncles on Thursday, a few weeks after he fired his brother.
Bill Haas shot a 68 on Thursday at Augusta National to take the lead, then talked about his family. Some portions of the conversation were more comfortable than others.
His father, Jay, has 31 professional wins but never finished better than third in a major. His father's uncle, Bob Goalby, won the Masters in 1968. His uncles, Jerry Haas and Dillard Pruitt, have played the tournament, too.
"This has been a special place for my family," Haas said.
After a remarkably stress-free round in which he followed both of his bogeys with birdies, Haas couldn't stop talking about his father, who played in 22 Masters and is staying with him and acting as an unofficial coach this week.
He was also forced to talk about his brother, Jay Jr. Haas fired him as his caddie a few weeks ago, replacing him with veteran Scott Gneiser. Strangely, his brother's departure may have helped him more than his father's experience at Augusta.
"I needed to switch it up," Haas said. "My brother has been on the bag a bunch for a few years, and I think I needed a change."
Craig Stadler and his son, Kevin, are both playing the Masters this week. Bill and Jay never got to play it together, but they've spent a lot of time together at Augusta National.
