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Watson wanted Bill Haas, talked himself into Webb Simpson

By John Woodcock

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Alex Miceli of Golfweek reports that Ryder Cup Captain Tom Watson was originally not going to pick Charlotte resident Webb Simpson in favor of fellow Wake Forest Demon Deacons alum Bill Haas for the last pick on the Ryder Cup team.

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In fact, Watson was ready to go with a Hunter Mahan, Keegan Bradley, Bill Haas hand right after the end of the Deutschebank Championship before suddenly changing his mind. According to Miceli, his co-captains, Andy North, Raymond Floyd, and the still active Steve Stricker had more or less signed off on this original decisions and had no input on the change.

Watson was apparently influenced by two individuals leading up to his decision. One was Tiger Woods, who discussed the merits of Bill Haas and Webb Simpson with Watson. What Woods said is unknown. The other person who talked to Watson through voicemail was Webb Simpson himself. Despite Webb’s game never catching fire during the last half of the season, that phone call is cited as the factor that got Webb on the team.

Sep 28, 2014; Auchterarder, Perthshire, SCT; Team USA captain Tom Watson (L) Jimmy Walker (C) and Patrick Reed (R) watch the final singles match of the 2014 Ryder Cup. The US lost to Europe on day three at Gleneagles Resort – PGA Centenary Course. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY

It is natural to second guess the losing Ryder Cup captain, and so to say he made the wrong choice in which Demon Deacon he put on the squad is hard to say. Simpson did nothing for the team in Scotland. Watson ignored his gut instinct to go with his feelings, which is a problem. It is probably also why he felt that he had to chew the team out for their performance.

So what was the deal with Haas? Haas, if you remember the Wyndham Championship at all, had a track record of heating up late in the golf season. He has a FedEx Points Championship to his name for this very reason. If you extend that trend into the Ryder Cup, played after the season, you are probably getting Haas’ best golf that you are going to get.

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    • Haas missed no cuts in 2014, and Miceli indicated that Haas was top-20 in strokes gained this year. Combine that with a decent Presidents Cup record and well you have Tom Watson before the answering machine.

    This episode will be a good lesson for all future Ryder Cup captains to look at.

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