Bring on the high scores at the Barracuda Championship

The PGA TOUR’s overseas voyage continues this week, but the domestic focus shifts west to the mountains. Tahoe Mountain Club plays host to the Barracuda Championship, the one time of year where players will look to rack up high scores.

The Barracuda will utilize a Modified Stableford scoring system that is unique in look and feel. Players on the Old Greenwood Course will be rewarded for eagles and birdies and penalized for bogeys or worse, with points awarded (or lost) as follows:

• Double bogey or worse: -3 points

The scoring setup means that an even-par round with five birdies and five bogeys will net 5 points, while a round of 18 pars would net a score of 0. So while every other week the goal is shoot the lowest score, this week the higher the number the hotter the player.

Players in the field are going to be rewarded if their aggression pays off, so expect some high-risk shots amid a unique style of competition. There’s also plenty of room for some unique plays from the gambling side.

The current betting favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook is Stephan Jaeger, who has received a whopping 27.5 percent of pre-tournament handle as his odds dipped from +2000 to +1400. Jaeger remains in search of his first PGA TOUR win, but a high finish this week could go a long way toward bolstering his Playoff chances.

Veterans Taylor Pendrith and Keith Mitchell come in not far behind Jaeger, each priced at +2000, while last week’s winner, Vincent Norrman, is +2800 to go back-to-back after his victory at the Barbasol Championship. However, those names are not among my mentions for my favorite plays up in Tahoe.

Here’s a look at the players I expect to rack up the points this week, with odds via BetMGM:

After turning pro in 2019, Suh made waves on the Korn Ferry Tour while earning fully exempt status on the PGA TOUR. He has subsequently had some notable finishes: a T5 at the Honda Classic and two weeks later a T6 at THE PLAYERS Championship that brought some attention to the 26-year-old from California. He is 11th on the TOUR is Strokes Gained: Putting with a putter he has been using since he was in eighth grade. And while he might not have the firepower that our next potential winner possesses, he does have a sure putting stroke that could lead to a lot of birdies and keep him out of trouble.

Last week he did not make the type of splash in Round 1 that I believed he could, but that did not stop him from a T9 finish after a final-round 65 last week in Kentucky. He finished solo second at the Puerto Rico Open in March when much of the TOUR was at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, so he has proven to have success in these types of events, and this week should be no different. In a week when birdies mean more than normal, who better to like than the guy that leads this field in birdie average? Bhatia should find plenty of opportunity to showcase his creativity, which could lead to him hoisting the trophy on Sunday.

A backdoor winner for us last week with a top-20 finish, Murray has a good thing going right now. His last two outings have both resulted in top-10 finishes, and that trend should continue in Tahoe. Murray has been playing arguably the best golf in this field over the last month, so don’t let the price scare you away.

Low amateur at this year’s Masters, Bennett has since turned pro and has been a player that dabbles with front pages of leaderboards. He has not yet put together four straight rounds of the quality of golf that matches some of his peaks. A 76 in Round 3 at the Masters, a 79 in Round 3 at the U.S. Open, a 75 in Round 2 at the Rocket Mortgage – he has somewhat played his way out of contention in some of these tournaments where he has played remotely well. With the pressure low this week, he should be letting it fly and could easily find himself in a shootout on the weekend.

Some refer to him as the newest member of the “Peaky Blinders,” but others will say he is a great play this week. Personally, I would say both. Hall has five top-20 finishes this season and has shown that around the green he is one of the better performers in the world. He is top-30 in SG: Around the Green and a very impressive ninth in SG: Putting. He is second behind Bhatia in birdie average of those teeing it up, and that is a something I’ll rest my case on this week.

Some good value, some great views and some even better golf is on tap this week from Tahoe. Enjoy!