A former Wake Forest golfer with strong ties to the Triad got off to a great start Thursday at the Myrtle Beach Classic, the PGA Tour’s secondary event this weekend.
Bill Haas, a former Wake star and the nephew of coach Jerry Haas, was 4-under-par through his first 10 holes in the first round at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club, and near the top of the leaderboard.
But the 2011 FedExCup winner, who has struggled in the past decade while suffering injuries and surviving a car crash that killed one person involved, finished with seven pars and his sole bogey of the round at the Dunes Club’s par-3 ninth for 68 and a tie for 32nd.
Haas, only 42, has missed the cut in his four previous PGA Tour starts this year.
Brandt Snedeker, who shot 59 on his way to the 2018 Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club and is a favorite at the Greensboro tournament, shot 73.
Like Haas, Snedeker has struggled in recent years, playing the previous two seasons on medical exemptions. Snedeker has made seven cuts in nine starts in 2025.
Webb Simpson, another struggling player with strong Wyndham and N.C. ties, withdrew from the field before the round.
Mackenzie Hughes shot 63 to take the 18-hole lead.
