Meet American Captain's Assistant Jay Haas

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Chris Condon/PGA TOUR

American Captain's Assistant Jay Haas has competed in two Presidents Cup and compiled a 5-3-1 career record.

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Over the course of a career that saw him win nine times on the PGA TOUR and 14 Champions Tour tournaments, including the last two events, Jay Haas has received his fair share of compliments. But one of the greatest may have come from his old Wake Forest teammate, two-time U.S. Open champion Curtis Strange.

"I always hated playing against Jay because he is such a nice guy that I could never think of a reason to get mad at him," said Strange who, by his own admission, always played a little better when he could work up a nice, hot anger at an opponent.

Neither can anyone else, which may be one big reason why Fred Couples asked him to serve as his Captain's Assistant. Of course, there was also the matter of Haas' considerable experience.

Haas played on the United States Team in the 1994 and 2003 Presidents Cups, posting a 5-3-1 record. He also has a 4-6-2 record as a member of three Ryder Cup teams.

"Jay has been one of my closest friends in golf for many years, and I respect his competitive instincts and leadership abilities very much," said Couples in announcing his selection. "Jay has been a part of The Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup, and that experience will be very important to the team. I will be counting on him to help me with everything we do. I think when you pick a Captain's Assistant you want someone who will get along with not just three or four people but all 12 people, including myself (and with Jay) it's a no-brainer. Everybody likes Jay."

For Haas, the Captain's Assistant role is one that is something to savor at this point in his career -- a career that saw him win the Champions Tour's Charles Schwab Cup in 2006 and 2008 and saw him voted the Champions Tour Player of the Year in those same years by his fellow players.

"I can't tell you how excited I was when Fred called," Haas said. "It's an honor and a huge thrill for me to be part of the 2009 Presidents Cup, and I look forward to it with great anticipation. It will be fun just being around the best players in the world."

Being named Captain's Assistant is another in a long list of honors Haas has received over the years, including the 2004 Payne Stewart Award for upholding the traditions of golf; the 2005 Jim Murray Award from the Golf Writers Association of America and the 2005 Bob Jones Award, the United States Golf Association's highest honor for distinguished sportsmanship. Additionally, Haas won the 2006 and 2008 Charles Schwab Cup competitions and was named 2006 and 2007 Champions Tour Player of the Year and 2005 Champions Tour Rookie of the Year.