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Video: How Bill Haas saved par from a lake

September 25, 2011

When the late Seve Ballesteros instructed Golf Digest readers on how to hit a ball partially submerged in water, his first piece of advice was to "put on your rainsuit."

Bill Haas didn't bother with that part, but after his remarkable par save on the second playoff hole Sunday in the Tour Championship, it's fair to say he can afford a few wet clothes. The shot out of the lake on the 17th hole, which allowed Haas to stay alive in his playoff with Hunter Mahan, ended up being worth $11.44 million -- $10 million for the FedEx Cup title, and $1.44 million for his win in the Tour Championship, both of which he clinched on the ensuing hole.

As for the rest of Ballesteros' advice -- opening your clubface, swinging back steeply and entering the water behind the ball -- Haas followed it perfectly. See for yourself in the video below.

-*- Sam Weinman