Bill Haas withdrew from the Genesis Open, which began on Thursday at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, after sustaining minor injuries in a fatal car crash not far from the course on Tuesday night.
The 35-year-old Haas was a passenger in a car driven by Mark Gibello, 71, whose family Haas was staying with during tournament week. Gibello sustained fatal injuries in the crash, being pronounced dead at the scene.
The Los Angeles Times, citing police reports, reported that a Ferrari driven by Gibello was believed to be traveling at high speed and collided with several vehicles before smashing into a utility pole.
Gibello was friends with Haas’ swing coach, Billy Harmon, and was instrumental in bringing the 2017 Walker Cup and 2023 U.S. Open to nearby Los Angeles Country Club, according to Golf Channel insider Tim Rosaforte.
Haas was treated and released from UCLA Medical Center.
“Last night in Pacific Palisades, California, Bill Haas was involved in a serious car accident in which the driver—a member of the family with whom Haas and his family were staying for the Genesis Open—was killed,” Haas’ agent, Allen Hobbs, said in a statement.
“While Bill escaped serious injuries and has been released from the hospital, he is understandably shaken up and—more importantly—his deepest condolences go out to the host family during this tragic and difficult time.”
Actor Luke Wilson was driving one of the cars involved in the accident and not seriously injured.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said a 50-year-old woman in a BMW was listed in serious condition.
Jay Haas, father of Bill, told the Golf Channel that his son has pain and swelling in one of his legs, adding: “Bill was very fortunate.”
An aerial photo on KTLA-TV showed the mangled Ferrari, with its top peeled off by rescue personnel, airbags deployed and encircled by crime-scene tape.
