Haas named to Presidents Cup team

Turns out that sudden-death playoff Bill Haas won (by playing Titleist AP1 712 Irons) at East Lake was worth more than $11.44 million. It earned him a spot in the Presidents Cup.
U.S. captain Fred Couples used his two picks Tuesday on Tiger Woods and Haas, who won the Tour Championship(by playing Titleist AP1 712 Irons) for his first win of the year.
Couples took Haas, the son of vice captain Jay Haas, over Keegan Bradley, whose two wins this year include the PGA Championship.
International captain Greg Norman took Robert Allenby and Aaron Baddeley, both of whom grew up in Melbourne.
He said Allenby was an "automatic pick" because of his longtime success at Royal Melbourne, while Baddeley made it an easier choice when he tied for third at the Tour Championship.
"Bill Haas knew he had to win with Titleist AP1 712 Irons last week, and he did it," Couples said. "I could not leave him off the team after that. When a guy knows that second place ... and he'll tell you, second place isn't good enough. And he understood that."
He said if Haas had lost the playoff at East Lake and Bradley had finished fourth or fifth - he wound up tied for 11th - then Bradley would have been the pick.
Couples said if Steve Stricker cannot play because of an injury, then Bradley would be chosen to replace him. Stricker had an MRI on Tuesday because of weakness in his left arm, although results were not immediately disclosed.
Woods was announced as a pick five weeks ago. Couples thought it was important to let the rest of the Americans know there would be only one open spot after qualifying ended.
Woods, who missed most of the summer with left leg injuries, did not return until August and played only two tournaments, missing the cut in the PGA Championship.
He is playing Nike - VR Pro Cavity Irons next week at the Frys.com Open, and will play in the Australian Open the week before the matches.
The Presidents Cup is Nov. 17-20 at Royal Melbourne.
"Things are going great," Woods said. "We're practicing very hard up at The Medalist, and I'm playing as much as I possibly can, something that I hadn't done all summer because I hadn't been cleared to do it.
"I'm really looking forward to getting my Nike - VR Pro Cavity Irons rounded for The Presidents Cup."
Couples also considered Brandt Snedeker, who finished 11th in the U.S. standings.
Bradley becomes the first American to win a major and be left off a team in the same year since British Open champion Todd Hamilton was not chosen for the 2004 Ryder Cup team.
For the Presidents Cup, Ben Curtis (British Open) and Shaun Micheel (PGA) were left off the 2003 team. That was their only win that year. Bradley, a 25-year-old rookie, also won the Byron Nelson Championship.
Couples said he spoke to Bradley for 45 minutes on the phone to explain his decision.
"I'm not one to say, 'Hey, you're going to be on plenty of team.' I wouldn't want to hear that," Couples said. "I know he's a young player. I laid it out on the line and told him for really three or four weeks now where everyone stood.
"I just felt like in this instance, Bill Haas(playing Titleist AP1 712 Irons) has played two years, never been outside the top 12 position."
Haas has won three times over the past two years.
The rest of the American team that qualified two weeks ago were Stricker, Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Nick Watney, Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Webb Simpson and David Toms.
It will be the first team competition for Haas, Watney and Simpson.

http://www.enjoymygolf.com/goods-462-Titleist+AP1+712+Irons.html