May 10, 2000

Deacon Details

Mastercard Team Ranking (5/10): No. 37

Golfweek/Sagarin Team Ranking (5/10): No. 38

2000 ACC Championships Finish: 4th of 9

1999 NCAA Finish: did not participate as a team

Head Coach: Jerry Haas (Wake Forest '85), third season

1999-2000 Statistics

The 2000 NCAA East Regional

The 2000 NCAA East Regional Championship will be held May 18-20 at the Glenmaura National Golf Club in Moosic, Pa., with Temple University serving as host. Twenty-seven teams and six individuals will compete for the right to advance to the NCAA Championship, held May 31-June 3 at the Grand National Golf Course in Auburn, Ala. A total of 30 teams and six individuals from the East, Central and West Regionals will advance to the NCAA finals. Daily results from the NCAA East Regional will be available on the internet at www.owlsports.com.

A Look at the Deacs' NCAA Lineup

Jay Morgan (So, Choctaw, OK) 73.3 avg

The "veteran" in the Deacon lineup as a sophomore ... named Team MVP for 1999-2000 ... has played in every single event of the 99-00 season (12 tournaments) ... the team's top finisher six times ... ranks second in stroke average on the year ... owns three top 10 finshes and one other top 20 ... won his first career tournament in the fall of '99, taking medalist honors at the Cavalier Classic ... helped WFU to the team title in the that event as well ... tied for fourth at the Purina Missouri Classic ... shot a career-low 66 in the final round of that event and posted a career-low 54-hole score of 209 ... tied for eighth in his first-ever ACC Championship appearance ... tied for 15th at The Intercollegiate at MacGregor Downs (another WFU team win) ... led the Deacs in the fall with a 72.6 average in five events ... has a 73.8 average through seven spring tourneys ... 16 of his 35 rounds on the year have been at or under par, with four rounds in the 60s ... leads the team in percentage of rounds counted (.978) ... played in nine events last year as a freshman and had the third-best stroke average on the team (75.8).

Brent Wanner (Fr, Chatham, MA) 73.0 avg

Though just a rookie, owns the team's top stroke average on the season ... has played in 11 of 12 events on the year, sitting out just one fall tourney ... owns five top 5 finishes and has another top 20 showing as well ... tied for second at the Birkdale Collegiate Classic ... tied for third at both the Cavalier Classic and The Intercollegiate at MacGregor Downs ... shot a career-low 67 in the final round at MacGregor Downs to help Wake secure the team title ... tied for fourth at the Cleveland Golf Collegiate ... fired back-to-back rounds in the 60s to open that event (69-68) and posted a career-low 54-hole total (210) ... tied for fifth at The Ridges Intercollegiate ... tied for 14th in his first ACC Championship ... posted a 73.2 average in four fall events, second best on the team ... owns a 72.9 spring average through seven tourneys ... has been WFU's top finisher four times ... 14 of his 32 rounds this year have been at or under par, with four rounds in the 60s (all in the spring) ... second on the team in rounds counted (.953).

Chad Wilfong (Fr, Thomasville, NC) 75.0 avg

Owns the team's third-lowest stroke average on the year ... has competed in 10 of 12 events ... owns three top 20 showings ... best finish was a tie for 11th place at the Purina Missouri Classic in the fall ... closed that event with a career-best 67 on the final 18 holes, his only sub-70 round on the year ... also had a career-low score of 213 over 54 holes at the Purina ... tied for 15th at both the Iron Duke Classic in the fall and The Intercollegiate at MacGregor Downs in the spring ... team's top finisher at the Iron Duke ... 6 of his 29 rounds this year have been at or under par ... tied for 31st at the ACC Championship ... posted a 74.5 average over four fall events ... owns a 75.3 average in the spring (six events) ... 71.4 percent of his rounds have counted on the year.

Buck Williams (Fr, Raleigh, NC) 75.1 avg

Has experienced both highs and lows in the 1999-2000 season ... has shot 11 rounds under par, the most of any Deac, but has also carded the most rounds in the 80s (6) ... ranks sixth in stroke average on the year ... has competed in 11 of 12 tournaments as a rookie ... owns two top 5 finishes on the year and one other top 20 ... tied teammate Brent Wanner for third place at the Cavalier Classic in the fall ... tied for fourth in the Puerto Rico Classic to open the spring season ... carded a career-low 54-hole score of 212 in that event ... tied for 19th in his first ACC Championship ... shot a career-low 69 in the opening round of the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate in the fall and also in the second round of The Intercollegiate at MacGregor Downs in the spring ... had a 76.1 average in four fall events (including one tourney played as an individual competitor) ... owns an improved 74.5 spring average through seven events.

Chris Yoder (Fr, Ashland, OH) 75.1 avg

Another rookie who has continued to improve over the course of the year ... ranks seventh on the team in stroke average ... owns one top 20 finish ... tied for 20th place at The Intercollegiate at MacGregor Downs inthe spring, helping the Deacs to the team title there ... tied for 29th in his first ACC Championship ... has competed in seven events on the year ... recorded his lowest round at the Cleveland Golf/Augusta State Invitational, carding a 70 in the second round ... his 221 in that event was also a personal best for 54 holes ... has shot 3 of 21 rounds at or under par on the year ... had a 76.2 average in two fall events ... improved his average to 74.7 in five spring tourneys.

Regular-Season Review

Despite having an extremely young roster, the Wake Forest men's golf team has turned in a very promising 1999-2000 campaign thus far. The young Demon Deacons have continued to improve over the course of the year, capturing two tournament titles along the way. The Deacs have used an all-sophomore and freshman lineup every event but three (all of which came in the fall). After opening the fall with a disappointing 13th place finish at The Ridges Intercollegiate, WFU won its first team trophy in four years at the Cavalier Classic. Three Deacons finished in the top five at that event, including sophomore Jay Morgan, who took medalist honors. After solid showings at the Carpet Capital and the Purina Missouri Classic, Wake closed the fall on a bit of a down note with a 14th place finish at the Iron Duke Classic. The Deacs have enjoyed a fine spring, however, finishing in the top half of the field in five of seven spring events and taking home another team title at the Intercollegiate at MacGregor Downs. The Deacs closed the regular season with a fourth-place showing at the always-tough ACC Championship (see below), securing their return to the NCAA tournament after a one-year hiatus.

Deacs Place Fourth at ACCs

Three Deacons placed in the top 20 as Wake Forest finished fourth of nine teams at the 2000 ACC Men's Golf Championship, held April 21-23 at the Old North State Club at Uwharrie Point, NC. It marked the best ACC finish for the Deacs in Head Coach Jerry Haas' tenure. Playing with a sophomore and four freshmen, Wake Forest carded team rounds of 294, 290 and 291 to finish at 11-over par, 19 strokes behind champion Clemson. Sophomore Jay Morgan shot 72-69-75 to tie for eighth at even-par, while freshman Brent Wanner (+3) tied for 14th and rookie Buck Williams (+5) tied for 19th. Freshmen Chris Yoder (+9) and Chad Wilfong (+10) placed 29th and 30th, respectively.

Head Coach Jerry Haas

Jerry Haas is in his third season at the helm of the Demon Deacon men's golf program, having taken the reins in September 1997 upon the retirement of Jack Lewis. A 1985 graduate of Wake Forest and a four-time collegiate All-American, Haas played nine years of professional golf, including four years on the PGA Tour, before returning to his alma mater as a head coach. His playing career was highlighted by a 31st-place showing in The Masters in 1985.

Wake in the NCAA's

Wake Forest owns three NCAA team titles, winning the crown in 1974, 1975 and 1986. The Demon Deacons were also the NCAA runners-up four times, most recently in 1997, when they finished three strokes shy of Pepperdine for the title. WFU also claims four NCAA individual medalists: the legendary Arnold Palmer (1949, 50), Curtis Strange (1974), Jay Haas (1975), and Gary Hallberg (1979).

Wake Forest has been represented in NCAA play every year since 1967 and has earned a team bid in 33 of those 34 years. Last spring marked the first year since 1967 that they were left out, although senior Michael Capone represented WFU as an individual competitor. Since the NCAA began its regional playoff format in 1989, the Deacs have advanced to the finals seven times - every year except 1989, '90, '98, and '99).