Pressel and Haas win 2012 CVS Caremark Charity Classic

BARRINGTON, R.I (WPRI) — Morgan Pressel and Jay Haas had quite a morning at the 2012 CVS Caremark Charity Classic at Rhode Island Country Club.

Starting the day tied for the lead, Pressel and Haas birdied nine straight holes from 3-11 and followed that up with an eagle on 12 to move to 21-under-par.

"It was just kind of a magical start for us. Either one of us would hit it close and the other would tap it in," Haas said after the round. "In this format, you expect to make a lot of birdies but not quite like we did, 12-under through 12. That was pretty crazy out there."

It was a lead that couldn't be matched although the teams of Lexi Thompson/Corey Pavin and Suzann Pettersen/Fred Funk gamely tried.  Both of those teams finished tied for second at -19 although Thompson and Pavin needed a birdie at 18 for the tie.

"Lexi drove the ball fantastically today and made a lot of great putts," said Pavin. "But at the last hole I knew we needed to make it to tie for second. Lexi hit a great putt that came up a little bit short, but it really helped me with the line. I hit a really good putt, and it was just what the doctor ordered."

After their great start, Pressel and Haas won the event by just not making many mistakes. They played even par for their final seven holes of the day.

"There were a lot of cross winds that made it difficult [on the final holes]," said Haas.

After starting the day tied for the lead, tournament co-hosts Brad Faxon and Billy Andrade finished at -16.  They played well, but couldn't catch Pressel and Haas, whom they were paired with in the final round.

Pressel becomes the first woman to be part of a winning team at the Charity Classic, fitting as she was one of the first women to participate in the event when it became co-ed.

"There aren't many events out there like this. This is such an amazing tournament," said Pressel. "We play a lot of golf on tour and a lot of it is very stressful, and this is just a lot of fun."