WFU Golf Alumni • 41
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WFU Golf Alumni 41 Alumni Spotlight Arnold Palmer The most engaging, popular and notable ambassador of lose his touch, Palmer returned to Wake For- the sport of golf is Arnold Palmer, who is also considered the est in 1953 and won the first-ever Atlantic most engaging, popular and notable alumnus of Wake Forest Coast Conference Championship in 1954. He University. No other alumnus has brought more honor and reached the pinnacle of his amateur career prestige to his school than the incomparable golfing great. with a victory in the U.S. Amateur in 1954. Unmatched in his athletic endeavors in terms of both suc- Palmer’s incomparable professional cess and popularity, Palmer is also an accomplished business- career includes 61 United States PGA Tour man, a golf course designer, a spokesman and a family man. victories, 19 wins in foreign or international “There is no question Arnold Palmer has meant a great events, and 12 Senior PGA Tour titles. He has deal to our program at Wake Forest,” says Golf Coach Emeri- won seven majors: the U.S. Open, the British tus Jesse Haddock. “He is a tre- Open twice, and of course, the Masters four mendous ambassador to the times, in 1958, ‘60, ‘62 and ‘64. Only the game of golf and has stayed very PGA Championship trophy has escaped much in touch with our pro- Palmer’s grasp; he placed second in that event gram. There have been many three times. times he has done little things Palmer was a participant in seven Ryder that are so important. He is truly Cup Matches, captaining the 1963 champi- a great man.” onship team. He has earned countless hon- Palmer’s legendary golf ca- ors and awards for his play, including induction in the World and American Golf Halls of reer started at what was then Fame, the PGA Hall of Fame and, of course, the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame. Palmer has Wake Forest College in 1948. also received several honorary degrees, including a Honorary Doctor of Laws from Wake While playing for the Demon Forest, and countless awards for his civic, business and philanthropic endeavors. Deacons he captured the South- In the fall of 1994, an endowed scholarship was established for the Wake Forest golf ern Conference championship in program in Arnold Palmer’s name by the Annenberg Foundation. Palmer himself has en- 1948 and 1949. In 1949 and dowed a memorial scholarship in honor of his boyhood friend and Wake Forest teammate, 1950, he was the NCAA indi- Buddy Worsham. vidual champion along with Named the Athlete of the Decade for the 1960s by the Associated Press and Sportsman of winning the Southern Intercol- the Year by Sports Illustrated in 1960, Palmer has long been recognized as much for the legiate crown in 1950. Follow- attention and goodwill he brought to the game of golf as for his success as a player. Palmer ing a three-year stint in the Coast brings that attention and goodwill to his alma mater as well, including his service as a Guard, during which he did not member of the Wake Forest University Board of Trustees. William B. Greene, Jr. Wake Forest Golf Alumnus The College Golf Foundation and Rolex Watch U.S.A. presented Wake Forest alumnus William B. Greene, Jr. with the fifth annual Rolex Achievement Award in June of 2000. Arnold Palmer, who serves as an Honorary Chairman of the College Golf Foundation, presented the award to his fellow Demon Deacon alumnus. The Rolex Achievement Awards honor former collegiate golfers who have achieved excellence in their chosen career (outside of golf) and in doing so, have made a special contribution to society. William B. Greene, Jr. graduated from Wake Forest in 1959 with degrees in history and philosophy. He attended WFU on a basketball and golf scholarship, playing varsity golf his sophomore, junior and senior years. He completed post-graduate work at Wake Forest, Northwestern and Harvard Business School and graduated from Rutgers’ Stonier Graduate School of Banking. He served in the U.S. Army as an Infantry Officer, retiring as a captain. Banking has been Greene’s primary career. At age 26, he was the youngest bank president and CEO in the United States. Greene was a part of the first major banking merger in the U.S. with First Union, which has grown to become the sixth largest bank in America. Greene co- founded the Bank of Tennessee and is currently Chairman of BancTenn Corporation and the Carter County Bank and Carter County BanCorp. Arnold Palmer presents WFU golf alumnus Greene recently donated $5 million to Wake Forest, for which The Psychology and Foreign Language building was named in his honor. A William Greene, Jr. with the member of the Board of Trustees, Greene has chaired the Trustee Investment Policy Committee for the past eight years and is currently co-chair 2000 Rolex Achievement Award. of WFU’s $400 million capital campaign. In 1990, he received WFU’s Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest honor bestowed to alumni. Still an active competitive golfer, Greene has represented Tennessee five times on the Mid-South Cup Team, serving as captain once. He was also a member of the Tennessee Amateur Cup seven times, where he also served twice as captain. He won the Tennessee State Senior Four Ball in 1998 and has had four top-ten finishes in the Tennessee State Amateur Championship. As Chairman of the Tennessee Golf Foundation, Greene has been a driving force behind the First Tee Project and the Vinny Links for Kids - country music star Vince Gill’s pro-celebrity golf event which has raised more than $1.7 million for junior golf. 42 2002-03 Wake Forest Golf Alumni Spotlight Jay Haas Scott Hoch Wherever his golf career has taken him, former Demon The lessons that golf provides never really stop, and one Deacon Jay Haas has found success, and he has found it quickly. person who can verify that statement wholeheartedly is former The middle link in one of golf’s most admired dynasties is Wake Forest player and current PGA Tour star Scott Hoch. soft-spoken Illinois title-winner Jay Haas. The nephew of former Hoch is in the prime of his career on the PGA Tour, having pro standout and Masters’ champion Bob Goalby, Haas is the earned over $1 million per year in each of the past seven sea- older brother of current Deacon head coach Jerry Haas. Jay sons. He has collected 10 career PGA victories and ranks sev- Haas has become a representative of the high standards of Wake enth on the Tour’s career money winners list. Forest golf on and off the course. Hoch has been a hallmark of consistency over the past Haas came to Wake Forest in 1973 as an excellent all- several years, earning 46 top 10 finishes and at one point mak- around athlete with outstanding prep golf credentials. It didn’t ing 25 consecutive cuts at PGA events. In fact, Hoch has fin- take him long to make his mark on the collegiate scene: he ished among the top 40 money winners on the tour every year claimed the individual Atlantic Coast Conference championship as a freshman that year. In but one since 1982 - a mark of consistency unmatched by any other active player. At the end fact, before he left Wake Forest for the pro ranks in 1976, Haas earned first-team all-America of the 2002 season, Hoch had earned a world ranking of 22nd. honors twice, and captured the 1975 Fred Haskins Award, given annually to the nation’s top One of the most underrated players on the Tour, Hoch began to make a name for himself collegiate player. He claimed victories at a bevy of college tournaments and became one of with his solid play in 1996. He made the cut in 23 of 28 events that year, earning eight top four Deacs to earn individual honors at the NCAA Championships, taking home the indi- 10 finishes and one tournament title at the Michelob Championship. He tied for fifth at The vidual title in 1975. Masters and placed seventh at the U.S. Open. Haas’ success on the pro circuit came equally as fast. After earning his tour card in 1976, Hoch built on that success in ‘97, making the cut in all 22 events he entered and record- his initial tour victory came at 1978’s Andy Williams-San Diego Open, the first of his nine pro ing 11 top 10 finishes. He won the Greater Milwaukee Open in thrilling fashion, sinking a 60- wins. He collected two wins each on the 1981 and ‘82 tours, then added single victories in the foot eagle chip shot on the 18th hole to win by a stroke. He finished in the top five in seven 1987, ‘88, ‘92, and ‘93 seasons. On the 1992 tour, Haas turned in a record-setting four-round other events, including second place at The Players Championship. Hoch even earned a spot total of 263 to capture the title at the Memphis Federal Express St. Jude Classic. His dramatic on the much-heralded 1997 U.S. Ryder Cup team and compiled the best individual record of win, finishing a sizzling 21 strokes under par, was a full six strokes better than the event’s the Americans, going 2-0-1 in match play. previous record. His most recent tour victory came at the 1993 H.E.B. Texas Open. The 1998 season was another strong one for Hoch, as he earned over $1.2 million.