While the stars of golf are over in Scotland for The Open, those players on the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour who were not fortunate enough to qualify for the final major of the season get their chance to shine at the Barracuda Championship.
That was an opportunity that Akshay Bhatia grabbed with both hands last year but as is so often the case with the winners of this tournament they kick on with their career and as such make it into The Open so aren’t around to defend the title. That is the case with the American so we are guaranteed a different winner.
Recent Winners
2023 – Akshay Bhatia
2022 – Chez Reavie
2021 – Erik van Rooyen
2020 – Richy Werenski
2019 – Collin Morikawa
2018 – Andrew Putnam
2017 – Chris Stroud
2016 – Greg Chalmers
2015 – JJ Henry
2014 – Geoff Ogilvy
The Scoring
It is Stableford scoring this week rather than the usual scoring system used on the PGA Tour. Players receive two points to their score for every birdie they make while each eagle is worth five points. You get nothing for a par and lose a point for each bogey your player makes. Double bogeys and worse are worth a loss of three points. At the end of the week the highest number of points wins the tournament.
The Course
This tournament will be staged at the Old Greenwood Course at the Tahoe Mountain Club once again this week so we have more of a feel for what is required. The Nicklaus designed course is a par 71 which measures 7,480 yards and is perfect for this scoring with three par 5s and three drivable par fours. It is a cross between Riviera and Muirfield Village, albeit easier to score on. The overriding thing to remember is birdies are the order of the day. While bogeys aren’t helpful here they might not be the hindering factor of a normal event, especially if a player backs it up with an ocean of birdies.
We are at altitude this week so the ball is going to go further so players with a good record in this part of the world or in places like Mexico or Switzerland are good to have on side. Nearly all Nicklaus designs have wide open landing spots and require accurate irons and this is unlikely to be any different. I’m after players who can putt well. A decent short game would be a bonus as I don’t expect many long irons being hit in. The temperatures are expected to be high so conditions will be quite firm here.
The Field
With the majority of the best players in the world heading to Scotland for The Open this tournament never gets a decent field and the players who are here are a mixture of rising stars on both main tours or fading forces with the odd exception here and there. Taylor Pendrith would be one of those exceptions and he is looking for a second win of the year having won the Byron Nelson earlier in the campaign. Keith Mitchell would be another anomaly here.
In terms of big or recognisable names in the field we have the likes of Daniel Berger, Ryan Moore and Charley Hoffman while former winners of this tournament in recent times Chez Reavie and Andrew Putnam are teeing it up while from the DP World Tour the likes of Andy Sullivan, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Fabrizio Zanotti and Edoardo Molinari will all be looking for a win which would revive their careers. Michael Thorbjornsen leads the young brigade.
Market Leaders
Keith Mitchell is the favourite to win the tournament this week at around the 16/1 mark. He has three top 10 finishes this season although he has missed two of his last three cuts. Having been on him to win the Valspar Championship earlier in the campaign only to see him completely fall apart when bang in contention on the Sunday I certainly can’t be going in again, especially at this price, but he probably is the best player in the field.
Taylor Pendrith is a player who is much more on positive terms with me having won the Byron Nelson earlier in the campaign with my money on him and the Canadian will be a popular pick at 22/1. He hasn’t just won this season but he has a couple of top 15 finishes around here and the fact he arrives here as a PGA Tour winner for the first time has to make him dangerous. That win was one of three top 10s this term and he was T16 at the US Open so he has plenty of form to be more than competitive in this company.
Patrick Rodgers is around a 25/1 shot to win the tournament this week. He is still looking for his first win on the PGA Tour but he came as close to winning here as anywhere last season when he chased home Bhatia. He actually has a decent record around here and missed the Scottish Open last week to be primed for this event so he will be a popular pick but his approach stats aren’t what I would like them to be to reel me in.
Chan Kim and Michael Thorbjornsen are both 28/1 on the best prices to win the tournament this week. The former has shown good form in recent times having gone T12-T10 at the John Deere and the Isco and his tee to green game should have him competitive here. The latter has only been on the PGA Tour for about a month and has already picked up a second placed finish at the John Deere Classic so he shouldn’t be written off either.
Main Bets
Taylor Pendrith is a favourite go to man for me these days, particularly now that he is a winner on the PGA Tour, and that is in full fields so I have to be on the Canadian in this second string field. Pendrith is in the top 40 of the FedExCup standings so a decent week here will see him going into the closing stretch of the season inside the top 30 and on course to make it to East Lake, and then go and compete in the Presidents Cup in his own country. On the form book over the season I have Pendrith as the man to beat here.
Beau Hossler has an acceptable record around here and he has enough form in the book for me to have him onside this week too. He was sixth at Torrey Pines earlier in the season which is form way above this level and more recently in his last seven starts, while he has missed three cuts, albeit two of those were at majors, he has also registered a T4 at the Myrtle Beach Classic and a T14 in the Canadian Open and his last two efforts were much better than the overall result because he had poor Sundays. If he can play Sunday well here then he should be able to at least match his T6 here last year if not better it.
Outsiders
I’ll go with a pair of outsiders this week as well with the first of those coming in the form of Patrick Fishburn who comes here off the back of a top 15 at the ISCO Championship last week after a T20 at the Myrtle Beach Classic and a T25 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. That is all good form and given that he is sixth on the tour for strokes gained off the tee and in the top 10 for greens in regulation he definitely has the long game to be a feature this week. At the ISCO last week only two men gained more strokes with the putter so this tournament might be coming at a good time for him.
Ryan Moore is probably beyond his best days now but he was inside the top 10 for strokes gained with the putter at the ISCO last week where he carded a 65 in the second round. We know that his long game is solid enough and the ball flying further at the altitude here negates and disadvantage that he will have length wise. His record in this tournament isn’t the best but a player who sits at 11 on the PGA Tour for proximity to the hole and comes in here with his putter cooperating has to be in with a better chance than a three figure price suggests.
Tips
Back T.Pendrith to win Barracuda Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 23.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
Back B.Hossler to win Barracuda Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 41.00 with William Hill (1/5 1-6)
Back P.Fishburn to win Barracuda Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 67.00 with William Hill (1/5 1-6)
Back them here:
Back R.Moore to win Barracuda Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 101.00 with Spreadex (1/5 1-6)
