TRUCKEE, Calif. — The 26th Barracuda Championship returns this week at Tahoe Mountain Club’s Old Greenwood Golf Course, and this year’s field is competing for a share of the tournament’s $4 million purse, with $720,000 going to the winner.
The Barracuda Championship, set for Thursday-Sunday, also has seven player exemptions, including one for Scott Piercy, who won in 2011 when the area’s PGA Tour stop was held at Montreux Golf & Country Club in South Reno.
This year, the Barracuda Championship is flipping the nines during tournament week, which means there will be two par 5s on the back nine and a drivable hole on No. 17.
Barracuda exemptions include Barclay Brown, Mats Ege, Patrick Newcomb, Ryan Palmer, Mitchell Schow (2024 Reno Open Winner), Neal Shipley and Piercy.
The past champions in the field are Chez Reavie (2022), Andrew Putnam (2018) and Piercy (2011).
Akshay Bhatia won it a year ago, his first PGA Tour title. He’s not back to defend because he’s in the 158-man field at the 152nd British Open.
Players currently in the top 70 in FedEx Cup standings are Patrick Rodgers (50), Peter Malnati (55), Mark Hubbard (60) and Luke List (68).
The Barracuda is the only event on the PGA Tour featuring the Modified Stableford scoring format, which encourages aggressive play. Golfers earn 8 points for a double eagle, 5 for an eagle, 2 for a birdie, 0 for a par, minus-1 for a bogey and minus-3 for a double bogey or worse.
The Barracuda is one of 37 full-field stops during the PGA Tour this season.
There were seven withdrawals Monday and Tuesday, including two former tournament champs, Erik van Rooyen and Richy Werenski. Harry Hall, who won an opposite-field event last week at the ISCO Championship, was among the seven WDs.
The Bike to Barracuda initiative returns, providing fans with a marked route through downtown Truckee and forest areas to a special entrance behind the No. 12 tee. Fans will receive $10 off a general admission ticket and one free beer courtesy of 5050 Brewing Co.
