Stableford scoring makes Barracuda Championship unique (Aug 2, 2017)
The goal this week at the PGA Tour's Barracuda Championship in Reno, Nevada, is about racking up points rather than worrying about breaking par.
Yes, the Barracuda Championship is an alternate event and most of the tour's best players are in Akron, Ohio, for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
But that won't stop the Barracuda Championship from making its mark on the lives of those who play well. Just ask Australian journeyman golfer Greg Chalmers, who captured his first PGA Tour event here last year and reaped the benefits with trips to The Open Championship and the winners-only SBS Tournament of Champions.
"The Barracuda exemption is the first time in my career I've had any kind of job security," the 42-year-old Chalmers said, partly in jest.
The tournament uses modified Stableford scoring. Eagles earn five points, birdies are worth two and pars zero, with bogeys deducting a point and double bogeys losing three. The Barracuda is the only PGA Tour event to use the modified Stableford scoring format.
A field of 132 players will challenge the hilly, Jack Nicklaus-designed Montreux Golf & Country Club for a total purse of $3.3 million. The winner's share comes in at $594,000, along with 300 FedExCup points.
The course for the 72-hole event will play at a par of 72 and at 7,472 yards but expect players to take big swings and go for every tucked hole location, throwing caution to the wind in search of birdies and eagles.
Chalmers sank a nine-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole last year to become the 12th left-hander to win on the tour. He took a one-point lead to the last hole and finished with 43 points, beating out Gary Woodland, who totaled 37 points after three-putting for a bogey on the 18th hole.
Since his win here last year, Chalmers has had his choice of PGA Tour events in which to play. He tied for 25th in last month's John Deere Classic to produce his best finish of this season.
"I've never defended before, but that doesn't matter to anyone but the person defending," Chalmers said. "I'll probably put more pressure on myself, but I'm excited about the opportunity. I'll try to put up a strong defense."
Chalmers became the eighth winner at Reno-Tahoe to make it his first PGA Tour victory, the first since Scott Piercy's triumph in 2011.
The highest-ranked player in the field in Reno this week is Luke List, who is at No. 43 in the FedExCup points standings.
Padraig Harrington is back after a two-year absence, making just his eighth start on U.S. shores this year; the Irish pro tied for fourth in the Scottish Open two weeks ago.
Six other former major champions are in the field, including two major winners Angel Cabrera of Argentina and Retief Goosen of South Africa, while two-time PGA Tour winners J.J. Henry and Vaughn Taylor add to the roster. Then there's Hunter Mahan, Rory Sabbatini of South Africa, David Duval, Australia's Stuart Appleby and Davis Love III and his son, Dru Love.
"This course is hilly and obviously you're going to have to hit the ball a long way," Love III said. "I guess Chalmers last year proved you don't have to be a bomber to win here, but it certainly helps. If I get in the fairway, I can still score. So I'm excited about my chances. Both my son and I are very excited about this format. We made more birdies and too many bogeys than probably we should (in practice rounds), so we're liking our chances this week."
Maverick McNealy, No. 2 in the world amateur rankings, makes his fourth start of the year on a sponsor invitation. He'll make a decision about turning pro after next month's Walker Cup.
Since the modified Stableford system was adopted at Montreux, all five editions have seen the 54-hole leader finish the task. Moreover, just one of the past 12 winners has come from off the pace, as Matt Bettencourt overtook Scott McCarron in 2010.
