Shane Lowry was the talk of golf after winning his first major championship at last week’s Open. He was not the only delighted winner of a high class professional tournament though. Jim Herman claimed his second PGA Tour win in the Barbasol Championship, an alternate event to the Open. There’s another chance for a rather unheralded player to win on the PGA Tour this week with another alternative event, the Barracuda Championship.
A hungry field comprised of up and coming stars and PGA Tour stalwarts will descend on Reno for the latest renewal of an event which is features a modified Stableford scoring system. Daniel Berger is as hungry as any of the competition he faces this week having seen his world ranking plummet. He could well give his career a much needed shot in the arm with a third PGA Tour win.
Top Tips
Daniel Berger @ 22/1
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Course Info
The 2019 Barracuda Championship is, as ever, held at Montreux Golf and Country Club. This is a desert venue which is just outside of Reno, Nevada and towards Lake Tahoe. As ever, the players will have to cope with some challenging conditions as the forecast is for the temperature to push 40 degrees Celsius with unbroken sunshine over the weekend.
The temperature makes Montreux a tough walk for players and caddies. That’s made even tougher by the fact that the course is at altitude. On the plus side, the hot temperatures and slightly thinner air will mean that balls fly significantly further through the air. That allows even relatively shorter hitters to cope with the official yardage of 7,472 yards which is on the long side for a par 72.
This is far from the toughest course you’ll find on the PGA Tour. The number of birdies and eagles possible at Montreux suit this tournament down to the ground. Rather than the usual stroke play format, the Barracuda Championship is a modified Stableford event with eight points awarded for an albatross, five for an eagle, two for a birdie, nothing for a par, minus-one for a bogey and minus three for anything worse than bogey.
| Course | Location | Length | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montreux Golf and Country Club | Reno, Nevada | 7,472 Yards | $3,500,000 |
Recent Winners
As an alternate event, the Barracuda Championship tends not to feature too many out and out stars of the PGA Tour. Nevertheless, it is a great opportunity for players to accrue some FedEx Cup points and secure a PGA Tour win. Winning here requires a real commitment to attacking golf, which is exactly what Geoff Ogilvy exhibited when setting the tournament points record of 49 in 2014.
| Year | Winner | To Par | Winning Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Andrew Putnam | 47 Points | 4 Points |
| 2017 | Chris Stroud | 44 Points | Playoff |
| 2016 | Greg Chalmers | 43 Points | 6 Points |
| 2015 | J. J. Henry | 47 Points | Playoff |
| 2014 | Geoff Ogilvy | 49 Points | 5 Points |
Analysis: Who Can Handle the Heat?
Dealing with the heat in Reno is going to be key to deciding the Barracuda Championship winner. That’s true both in a literal and metaphorical sense with players tasked with coping with the oppressive heat and the need to keep on firing birdies and eagles. This is not an event for players to plod their way around and stay in contention. It’s going to require aggressive golf right from the off and a commitment to attempting shots that would seem too risky in a stroke play tournament.
Berger Can Thrive in Drop Down in Class
Every player in the field for the Barracuda Championship would love to be playing in the WGC-FedEx Invitational. That’s where the real money and world rankings points are this week. Daniel Berger is more upset than most to miss out on the trip to TPC Southwind though. He is a two-time winner at the course and could do with a friendly set up to help boost his world ranking which recently slipped outside the top 100.
Berger understands that he has to work very hard if he is to get back to where he once belonged, amongst the elite of world golf. Taking a slight step down in class to an alternate event may hurt his pride but could be exactly what he needs to rediscover that winning feeling on the PGA Tour.
At his best, Berger has all the tools required to take the risks needed to win this tournament. This will be a big test of his mentality but it’s a test Berger can pass so back him to win at odds of 22/1 with Ladbrokes.
Haas’ Quality Unquestionable
Bill Haas is another player working hard to get back amongst the elite. The American has reached far higher heights than Berger in his career to date with seven PGA Tour wins. Indeed, he was the 2011 FedEx Cup champion so has really scaled the heights of professional golf. Sadly, that was nearly taken away from him after he was involved in a serious car crash that killed the driver, his friend Mark Gibello.
It was a long road back to competing on the PGA Tour for Haas. He has shown signs of some very good form in recent weeks with back to back finishes of T10-T11. He’s still some way from his previous best but there is no doubt Haas has the quality to win an event of this calibre at 33/1 with Betfred.
Final Verdict: Daniel Berger to Win
Daniel Berger and Bill Hass both understand what it takes to compete against the very best golfers in the world. They’ve each fallen some way below their best for different reasons but have also both shown signs that they’re rediscovering their game in recent weeks. They’ll both be taking the Barracuda Championship seriously and can utilise their class to contend come Sunday.