PORTSMOUTH — For 18-year-old Kyle Haas, golf is in the blood.
His uncle Jay was a nine-time winner on the PGA Tour and a three-time Ryder Cup participant. Father Jerry Haas is the head golf coach at Wake Forest.
With such a lineage, the recent high school graduate set foot on the Elizabeth Manor Golf & Country Club course Saturday two shots behind leader Jack Schoenberger of Belmont University, but with great confidence and a wealth of links knowledge to draw from.
On the 72nd hole of the 66th Eastern Amateur Championship on Saturday, Haas sank a 5-foot birdie putt to top Schoenberger and Utah’s Brandon Robison by one shot. He finished the tournament with an 8-under 272.
Robison provided a spirited charge at the end, making a birdie on the 17th hole and then draining an 81-foot eagle putt from the front of the 18th green. It put added pressure on Haas to make par on the final hole, a 534-yard behemoth with a dogleg right and water hazard.
After a rainy night followed by Saturday’s strong gusts of wind, there would be no guarantees for any of the 60 golfers who made the cut on Thursday. Haas felt the elements immediately.
“I did not have a great start today,” said Haas, who will continue his academic and athletic careers at Wake Forest this fall. “But it was windy, so I decided to stay patient.”
As one golfer after another dropped back in the standings, Haas methodically attacked the course, staying at par through the first 17 holes, which was good enough to vault him from fifth place to first.
Surprisingly, Haas was unaware of his elevation in the standings.
“I didn’t realize that I was leading until I got to the 18th,” said Haas, who bogeyed the 16th hole and missed a birdie putt on the 17th. “I thought I was a shot or two back. But I had two good shots to start off 18 and figured, “Hey, I’m winning, let’s finish this.”
It was Haas’ first time playing the tournament, but he knew the reputation of the event, whose past winners include Ben Crenshaw and Williamsburg PGA pro Curtis Strange.
“It was awesome to see the course in good shape,” Haas said. “It hasn’t been as great in recent years.”
Sihan Sandhu of Ashburn and Bryce Corbett of Radford University tied for fourth with a 4-under 276.
Adam Horton of Chesapeake was the top local finisher, tying for 10th with an even-par 280. Yorktown 14-year-old sensation Brandon Sipe made the cut and finished tied for 26th with a 6-over 286.
