Damien Kayat previews the 2023 Barracuda Championship.
With the golfing world’s collective eye firmly fixed on Royal Liverpool this week, it’s little surprise that this quaint opposite-field event is garnering such little attention. The Barracuda Championship was originally known as the Reno-Tahoe Open and came into existence in 1999. It has always been an opposite-field event and for many years played second fiddle to the now defunct WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. It underwent a significant facelift last year following the PGA Tour’s decision to partner with the DP World Tour and co-sanction some of these Open-adjacent events.
It essentially replaced last week’s Barbasol Championship as the official opposite-field event to the Open Championship. There will be no top 50 players involved this week and these events are often nightmares to predict. The usual hodgepodge of PGA Tour strugglers, seasoned veterans and Korn Ferry Alumni will be looking to secure some vital FedEx Cup points this week (there will only be two events after this leading into the season-ending FedEx Cup Playoffs).
This event was long contested at Montreux Golf and Country Club outside Reno, Nevada. It moved to its current location, Tahoe Mountain Club, in 2020. This par-71 looks like a major championship-level monster at 7,480 yards. But that’s extremely misleading given the course is situated at around 6000 feet above sea level. This Jack Nicklaus-design is a pretty breathtaking trip through the High Sierras. The fairways are largely lined by pine trees and the undulating greens are extremely rapid. This will put a premium on good, consistent approach play. This will be a low-scoring affair with three reachable par fives and three drivable par 4’s. Or should I say high-scoring?
This is the only PGA Tour event on the calendar that utilized a Modified Stableford scoring system. Players are basically awarded points for holes. Scoring is as follows: Albatross 8, Eagle 5, Birdie 2, Par 0, Bogey -1, Double Bogey or worse -3. This obviously incentivizes the type of attacking golf that saw Erik Van Rooyen rack up 50 points in 2021.
As I noted earlier, there will be no top 50 players present in this field. But there will be plenty of players looking to protect their PGA Tour status or launch a late surge towards the FedEx Cup Playoffs this week. Six-time Korn Ferry Tour winner Stephan Jaeger currently leads the markets after some encouraging showings in recent weeks. 2019 Honda Classic champ Keith Mitchell will be looking to recapture some of the form he showed a little earlier in the season.
25-year-old Swede Vincent Norrman lived up to the hype last week, capturing his maiden PGA Tour title in a playoff at the Barbasol Championship. Could the up-and-coming Swede make it back-to-back opposite-field victories this week? There is a smattering of DP World Tour talent in attendance, with the likes of Maximilian Kiefer and Sebastian Soderberg waving the European flag this week.
Past Winners
2022: Chez Reavie (43 points)
2021: Erik van Rooyen (50 points)
2020: Richy Werenski (39 points)
2019: Collin Morikawa (47 points)
2018: Andrew Putnam (47 points)
2017: Chris Stroud (44 points)
Betting Favourites (To Win)
Stephan Jaegar (16/1), Keith Mitchell (18/1), Taylor Pendrith (18/1), Patrick Rodgers (22/1), J.J. Spaun (22/1)
Value Bets
Beau Hossler- To Win (22/1), To Place (48/10)
Beau Hossler looks like ridiculous value at 22/1. He has already posted an impressive eight top 10 finishes this season. This included a T10 at the Mexico Open in April. He bounced back from two missed cuts with a decent T26 in his last outing at the John Deere Classic. Hossler ranks just outside the top 25 on the PGA Tour in one-putt percentage. That could be a vital stat in a week that rewards hyper-aggressive golf.
Nicholas Lindheim- To Win (35/1), To Place (15/2)
I think hot form on any tour is a huge plus in these less-than-stellar events. Korn Ferry player Nicholas Lindheim comes into this event on a tear, with form figures that read 8-8-27-3-1. He has been surgical with the irons and deadly with the putter (which should be a brilliant combination this week). His victory in Colorado last week showcased his ability go low at significant altitude. He has won three Korn Ferry titles and I think he could be a real dark horse this week.
The Man to Beat- Keith Mitchell- To Win (18/1), To Place (39/10)
On his day, Keith Mitchell is one of the deadliest approach players on the entire tour. He has four top 10’s this season (including a T4 at Pebble Beach and a solo 5th at Riviera). But the results have dried up for Mitchell in recent times. He missed the cut in Scotland last week and only has one top 20 in his last eleven events.
However, that was a T20 finish at the recent US Open. The 2019 Honda Classic champion finished runner-up at the 2018 Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship (another opposite-field event). He has what it takes to compete with the best and he should have the class to contend this week.
