‘Captain’ Haas has his game in order

If USA team captain Jay Haas ever has a senior moment, wondering when he needs to be in South Korea for the 2015 Presidents Cup, all he need do is go to the website.

There, he will find a countdown clock ticking away to the last second before the first man tees it off in this biennial golf event that pits America vs. a team of international players.

During Thursday afternoon’s casual press conference, the clock stood at 381 days and 15 hours. Hardly a cause for night sweats, but Haas knows he can’t sit on his golf bag forever.

Fellow Champions Tour player Nick Price, who is also part of a field of 81 professionals teeing it up in Friday’s opening round of the Pacific Links Hawaii Championship, is captain of the International team. Both will have to spend some time on the PGA Tour over the coming months just to get a feel for the place.

"I’m very thrilled," Haas said of being selected Presidents Cup captain. "I went down to watch (son) Bill play in Atlanta at the Tour Championship and I saw three or four of the guys there and they called me captain. And that was kind of cool. I really felt good about some of the younger guys recognizing me and saying ‘I really want to play in South Korea.’ And stuff like that.

"So even though we haven’t played the Ryder Cup, they’re putting in a good word for themselves. It will be a ton of fun for me. I was on the phone with Fred Couples (one of two co-captains with Davis Love III being the other) last week and we were talking a little about it already."

Part of the conversation centered on the agony Tom Watson recently went through for his captain’s picks for the Ryder Cup. For Haas, he wouldn’t mind the top 12 making it automatically, instead of the top 10 and two selectees. But that’s not how it’s set up, prompting him to visit the regular tour often enough to see who’s hot and who’s not.

"Fred said he was going to be laughing at me a year from now when I have to make those picks," Haas said, then smiled.

It will not affect Haas’ playing schedule on the Champions Tour, where these days, the 60-year-old thinks he’s young again. At age 59, Haas felt well enough during 2013, but it wasn’t showing up on his paychecks. At age 60, that has all changed.

"I’ve played very consistently this year," said Haas, who had some back problems plague him midyear, but that has since passed.

"I’ve been in the hunt quite a few times, probably had three or four really good chances to win. Not a shock to me that I have played well, but at the same time, it has probably been one of my best years in a long time."

In this case the stats don’t lie. He is third in the Charles Schwab Cup points race behind Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie. The Greenville, S.C., resident, who turned pro in 1976, has a dozen top-10 finishes, including a runner-up and five thirds. His scoring average is a blistering 68.65. All that’s missing is a win as the 2014 campaign winds down.

About 83 percent of the winners on the Champions Tour are players from age 50 to 55. By the time a guy hits 60, hoisting a trophy isn’t in the rub of the green that often. Haas thinks that will change as better-fit golfers join the senior set.

"I think, as a rule, that number will move higher and higher as guys realize the Champions Tour is a viable option," Haas said.

"You maybe are not going to see players like Davis immediately jump out here or the guys who have amassed tens of millions of dollars on the PGA Tour, they’re not panting to get out here because they need the money.

"But, the competition I think is what fuels so many players. You are seeing guys taking better care of themselves to play well in their 40s to compete on the PGA Tour. You have seen that, so, it’s just a natural carryover to the guys when they feel like: You know what? I’m tired of beating my head against the wall against these 20-somethings and 30-somethings. I’m coming to the Champions Tour."

It has been a profitable swing for Haas, who has pocketed $1.26 million this year alone. He has 16 career victories, the last coming in 2012, and has earned nearly $15.5 million since turning 50. By contrast, he made $14.5 million on the PGA Tour.

"In 1977, I won $32,000 and I was 77th on the money list," Haas said. "I think last year, 81 guys won a million dollars on the PGA Tour. You can struggle, finish 70th, 80th, 90th, or 100th on the money list and still make a hell of a living on the PGA Tour.

"In 1977, you couldn’t struggle. If you were 45 years old, you probably had high school-age kids or college-age kids, and your take-home pay was say 22 grand, you needed to find something else to do because there was no Champions Tour."