Haas, Piller add DFW spice to Web.com golf event

The PGA Tour has concluded its two-week run through Dallas-Fort Worth, with titles going to Chris Kirk (Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial) and Steven Bowditch (AT&T Byron Nelson).

But professional golf remains an option on the local sports calendar this week. Competitors will head to Lewisville for Thursday’s opening round of the Greater Dallas Open, a first-year event on the Web.com Tour at The Lakes at Castle Hills.

Here’s a look at some players and storylines to follow in Lewisville, where Sunday’s winner will collect a $90,000 payday at the $500,000 event:

Hunter Haas: The Fort Worth native has earned more than $3.5 million during a professional career that began in 2000. Included are four victories at Web.com Tour events and four full seasons as a PGA Tour participant (2001, 2005, 2011, 2012).

Haas, a Southlake resident, ranks 113th on this year’s Web.com earnings list ($13,555) and has a scoring average of 71.77. The 38-year-old was a standout amateur for Fort Worth Southwest and the University of Oklahoma. His best finish this season was a tie for 26th in March at the Cartagena de Indias at Karibana Championship.

Martin Piller: The Fort Worth resident is married to Gerina Piller, a fellow professional golfer who finished fifth at Sunday’s LPGA ShopRite Classic in Galloway Township, N.J. A Texas A&M graduate, Martin Piller has three career victories at Web.com Tour events, including one last season. He ranks 67th on the season money list ($36,267) with a scoring average of 71.20. Piller, 29, was a full-time participant on the 2011 PGA Tour. He posted his best finish this season at the Colombia Championship, where he tied for eighth.

Cody Gribble: The Dallas resident will be among a handful of golfers in Lewisville competing in North Texas for a third consecutive week. Gribble, a member of Texas’ 2012 NCAA championship team, missed the cut at Colonial as a Champions’ Choice invitee and tied for 78th at the Byron Nelson. He competes primarily on the Web.com Tour, where he has one top-10 finish in nine starts this season.

Tim Herron: The 2006 Colonial champ has earned more than $18.7 million as a PGA Tour competitor, with four career victories. He has competed in five PGA Tour events this season, and this will be his fifth start on the 2015 Web.com Tour. Herron, 45, tied for fifth at the United Leasing Championship on May 3 and ranks No. 68 on the Web.com money list ($35,025). He missed the cut at this year’s Colonial.

PGA Tour legacies: Because their fathers won PGA Tour events, most fans will recognize the surnames of these second-generation touring pros (and their dads) competing in Lewisville: Kevin Tway (Bob), Tyler McCumber (Mark), Matt Weibring (D.A.) and Jeff Curl (Rod). Jeff’s father, Rod Curl, claimed his lone tour title at the 1974 Colonial. Of the four, Kevin Tway ranks highest on the season money list at No. 13 ($121,122).

Steve Marino: The longtime PGA Tour veteran, who lost to Steve Stricker in a playoff for the 2009 Colonial title, is making headway in efforts to recapture playing privileges on the PGA Tour. Marino, 35, ranks No. 11 on the Web.com Tour money list ($125,903) during a season that includes a playoff loss at the Colombia Championship on Feb. 8. Marino, who has earned more than $9.4 million as a PGA Tour participant, owns a season scoring average of 69.90 in Web.com Tour events.

Rod Pampling: The Flower Mound resident, 45, heads into the opening round as one of the hottest players in the field. Pampling won the BMW Charity Pro-Am during his last appearance on the Web.com Tour (May 17) and tied for 22nd at last week’s Byron Nelson on the PGA Tour.

Pampling, a native of Australia, has earned more than $14 million as a PGA Tour competitor, including $1,397,282 during 12 appearances at Colonial. Pampling has collected four top-10 finishes in Fort Worth, including a runner-up finish to Phil Mickelson in 2008.

Tag Ridings: A Keller resident, Ridings has earned more than $4.2 million as a PGA Tour participant and another $779,972 in Web.com Tour events during his professional career. Ridings, 40, captured a Web.com Tour title during the 2002 season and posted his best PGA Tour finish at the 2004 Michelin Championship at Las Vegas, where he tied for second. He ranks No. 76 on this year’s Web.com Tour money list ($31,004).

Kelly Kraft: The former SMU standout ranks third on the Web.com season earnings list ($192,812), including a March 29 victory at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open. Kraft, a Denton native, has a season scoring average of 70.11. He missed the cut last week at the Byron Nelson while competing on a sponsor’s exemption.

John Rollins: The Colleyville resident will be making his fourth start of the season in a Web.com Tour event. He has earned more money on the PGA Tour ($194,764) than on the developmental circuit ($2,945) this season, but missed the cut in last week’s Byron Nelson. The 39-year-old has won three titles and more than $18.2 million as a PGA Tour participant.

This story was originally published June 3, 2015 at 10:53 AM with the headline "Haas, Piller add DFW spice to Web.com golf event."