Jerry Haas of Wake Forest Recipient of Labron Harris Sr. Award

NORMAN, Okla. – Jerry Haas, Head Men’s Golf Coach at Wake Forest and a member of the Carolinas PGA Section, was named winner of the Labron Harris Sr. Award presented by the Golf Coaches Association of America in cooperation with The PGA of America. PGA of America President Suzy Whaley presented the award at the GCAA National Convention. The Harris Award is presented to the college or high school coach and Class A PGA Professional whose support of the game through teaching, coaching and involvement in the community has helped ensure the continued growth of the game of golf and who represents the finest qualities the game has to offer.

“I am very honored and very excited to receive the Labron Harris Sr. Award as a PGA of America member and college golf coach,” said Haas. “Coaching has been my life. I can’t thank everyone enough for this tremendous honor. I am a proud member of the PGA of America and look forward to serving the coaches in representing this tremendous profession.”

Haas is in his 22nd season as head coach at Wake Forest. Haas rebuilt his alma mater back into a perennial contender for ACC and NCAA championships. The Deacons have finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships three times since 2001. Under Haas Wake Forest has been a fixture in the national ranking, including a No. 1 ranking in 2001. Over the last 14 years, the Deacons have won 22 tournaments, including three NCAA regionals.

During Haas’ tenure as head coach, Wake Forest has produced 31 All-ACC selections and 19 individual tournament champions. In addition, Bill Hass was a three-time PING First-Team All-America selection, the 2003 and ‘04 ACC Player of the Year, winner of the 2004 Ben Hogan Award, and represented the United States in two Arnold Palmer Cups.

A standout player as a collegian, when he was as four-time PING All-America selection and played in the 1985 Walker Cup, Haas has continued to play, as time allows, during his coaching tenure. He qualified for the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black and the 2006 PGA Championship at Medina. Haas won the 2012 South Carolina Open. He played his first Champions Tour event in September of 2013 and qualified for the U.S. Senior Open, his first senior open. He twice has won the Carolinas Open, including becoming the event’s oldest winner, at age 54, this past summer.

Haas also runs one of the biggest junior camps in the country, having over 150 campers go to play at the Division I level throughout the 22 years of the camp.

Jerry and his wife, Elizabeth, reside in Winston-Salem. They have two children, Percy and Kyle.

Haas follows in the footsteps of past Labron Harris Award recipients Jay Hardwick (Virginia Tech/Middle Atlantic PGA Section), Devon Brouse (Purdue/Indiana PGA Section), the late Rod Myers (Duke/Carolina PGA Section), Herb Page (Kent State/Northern Ohio PGA Section), Jim Brown (Ohio State/Southern Ohio PGA Section), Pat Owen (U.S. Naval Academy/Middle Atlantic PGA Section), Rick Pohle (Williams College/Northeastern New York PGA Section), John Bermel (Northern Iowa/Iowa PGA Section), Pat Goss (Northwestern/Illinois PGA Section), Mike Small (Illinois/Illinois PGA Section), Mike Mayer (Indiana/Indiana PGA Section), Puggy Blackmon (South Carolina/Carolinas PGA Section), Harry Hammond (West Chester/Philadelphia PGA Section), and Scott Cartwright (Cal Poly/Southern California PGA Section).