Tag: 2023 Barracuda Championship

Arnold Palmer Cup announces head coaches, assistants for 2024 competition at Lahinch

The competition heads to Lahinch in 2024.

LAS VEGAS — The head and assistant coaches for the American and International squads at the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup were named Tuesday during the annual coaches convention at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.

LSU’s Garrett Runion and Arizona State’s Matt Thurmond will be Team USA co-head coaches, and Minnesota’s Rhyll Brinsmead and Ireland’s Barry Fennelly will guide the International team. Florida’s Dudley Hart and LSU’s Alexis Rather are the Team USA co-assistant coaches while Scotland’s Stew Burke and Ireland’s Aaron O’Callaghan will assist Team International.

The Ryder Cup-style competition, which features men’s and women’s collegiate golfers from the United States against their International counterparts, will be played July 5-7 at Lahinch in Ireland.

Runion, who has been a part of two national championships and earned multiple conference and regional coach of the year awards thus far during his collegiate coaching career, is in his sixth season as the LSU women’s golf head coach. The Tigers have 12 wins, including their first SEC Championship in 30 years in 2022, and made three straight NCAA Division I National Championship appearances with Runion at the helm.

Thurmond is in his eighth season as head men’s golf coach at Arizona State and has earned Pac-12 Coach of the Year three times, including in 2019. The Sun Devils have won 19 tournaments, including back-to-back NCAA Regionals, and have earned 18 PING All-American and three straight Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year honors during his tenure.

Hart is in his seventh season on Florida and coach J.C. Deacon’s coaching staff, and first as associate head coach. The Gators put together a historic season in 2022-23 that led to six tournament titles, including the program’s fifth NCAA Division I National Championship and 16th SEC Championship. Hart was named the 2023 Jan Strickland Outstanding Assistant Coach Award recipient, becoming the second Gator to receive the award, joining John Handrigan in 2015. During his tenure, the Gators have won 14 tournaments and earned nine PING All-America and 14 PING All-Southeast Region honors.

Rather is in her 14th season with the Tigers and her sixth working with Runion. She spent eight seasons under the tutelage of long-time LSU head coach Karen Bahnsen in addition to playing for Bahnsen in the purple and gold from 2003-08, where she recorded a program-record 125 rounds played and chipped in for the only birdie in a sudden death playoff for the eighth and final qualifying spot at the 2008 NCAA East Regional that advanced LSU to the NCAA Championship.

Brinsmead, who was a Team International assistant coach at the 2023 Palmer Cup, took the helm as the head women’s golf coach at Minnesota in January 2021. In her first two-plus seasons, she has led the Gophers to four top-fives, including in two of their four tournaments this fall, and 17 top-10 finishes. Seven of her players have earned WGCA All-American Scholar honors.

Fennelly is in his 13th season as head coach of both the men’s and women’s programs at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. Under Fennelly’s direction, Maynooth has become the perennial leader in Ireland, having won two National club titles and numerous Irish, British, and European University titles.

Burke was named head coach at Kansas State on June 30 after holding the same position at Tulane the previous four seasons. The Wildcats recorded a 291.33 team stroke average this fall, which is their best fall stroke average since at least 2011. At the White Sands Invitational in October, which included individual winner Haley Vargas, Kansas State captured their first team victory in four years. Carla Bernat, 2023 Palmer Cup alumna, also won the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational, marking the first time in six years that Kansas State had multiple individual winners.

O’Callaghan is in his seventh season as the Demon Deacons’ associate head coach, coming to Wake Forest in July 2018 after four seasons at Louisville. This fall, the Wake Forest men’s golf team won both the team and individual titles at the Highlands Invitational at the Chicago Highlands Club, with 2022 Palmer Cup alumnus Michael Brennan claiming his seventh career individual title, the fourth most in program history.

The Americans lead the all-time series 14-12-1.

Akshay Bhatia wins 2023 Barracuda Championship for first PGA Tour victory

Bhatia won his first Korn Ferry Tour event as a pro. This one took a little longer but not much.

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In his first start on the Korn Ferry Tour, Akshay Bhatia walked home with the hardware.

Winning on the PGA Tour took more time, but not much as Bhatia won the 2023 Barracuda Championship, the final opposite-field event of the PGA Tour season, in a playoff Sunday evening in his 36th start. He’s also the second left-handed player to win Sunday, following Brian Harman’s victory at the 2023 Open Championship.

“I was definitely watching the Open Championship,” Bhatia said. “Brian Harman, I know him pretty well.

“It’s kind of cool that two lefties won on the same day. That’s pretty cool to have that happen. I was so excited for him, obviously, and for his whole team.”

The Barracuda tournament is the only one on Tour to use the Modified Stableford scoring system, so the more points the better in this event, and Bhatia had 40 points at the end of regulation, tied with Patrick Rodgers. After one playoff hole, it was over, with the big-hitting left-hander hoisting the trophy at Tahoe Mountain Club’s Old Greenwood course in Truckee, California.

Bhatia’s 17-point Saturday got him into contention. It tied for the third best scoring day of the week based on the points system.

In addition to the first-place prize of $684,000, Bhatia is fully exempt on the PGA Tour through the 2025 season. He also vaults to No. 90 in the FedEx Cup standings; the top 70 advance to the Playoffs this season.

Bhatia is the 10th first-time winner on Tour this season.

2023 Barracuda Championship prize money payouts at Old Greenwood

The opposite-field PGA Tour event paid $684,000 to the winner.

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It seemed like Akshay Bhatia was primed to break through on the PGA Tour and Sunday evening, he finally did.

Bhatia claimed the 2023 Barracuda Championship, the final opposite-field event of the PGA Tour season, in a playoff. The tournament is the only one on Tour to use the Modified Stableford scoring system, so the more points the better in this event.

The first-place check at Tahoe Mountain Club’s Old Greenwood course in Truckee, California, was $684,000.

Take a closer look at the full prize money payouts from the 2023 Barracuda Championship.

Pos Name Points Earnings
1 Akshay Bhatia 40 $684,000
2 Patrick Rodgers 40 $414,200
T3 Julien Guerrier 37 $224,200
T3 Jens Dantorp 37 $224,200
5 Ryan Gerard 36 $155,800
T6 Chesson Hadley 35 $123,975
T6 Erik van Rooyen 35 $123,975
T6 James Hahn 35 $123,975
T6 Beau Hossler 35 $123,975
T10 Sean Crocker 34 $82,379
T10 Sebastian Söderberg 34 $82,379
T10 JC Ritchie 34 $82,379
T10 J.J. Spaun 34 $82,379
T10 Ryo Hisatsune 34 $82,379
T10 Mark Hubbard 34 $82,379
T10 Joel Dahmen 34 $82,379
T17 Marcus Armitage 33 $57,950
T17 Chad Ramey 33 $57,950
T17 Cameron Champ 33 $57,950
T20 Martin Laird 32 $43,206
T20 Marcus Kinhult 32 $43,206
T20 Kevin Roy 32 $43,206
T20 Johannes Veerman 32 $43,206
T20 Rico Hoey 32 $43,206
T25 Vincent Norrman 31 $31,223
T25 Nathan Kimsey 31 $31,223
T25 James Morrison 31 $31,223
T28 Matt NeSmith 30 $27,170
T28 Jason Scrivener 30 $27,170
T28 Seung-Yul Noh 30 $27,170
T31 Wesley Bryan 29 $23,750
T31 Charley Hoffman 29 $23,750
T31 Martin Trainer 29 $23,750
T34 MJ Daffue 28 $19,798
T34 Justin Suh 28 $19,798
T34 Stephan Jaeger 28 $19,798
T34 David Lipsky 28 $19,798
T34 Carl Yuan 28 $19,798
T39 Robert Streb 27 $16,150
T39 Zecheng Dou 27 $16,150
T39 Sam Stevens 27 $16,150
T39 Edoardo Molinari 27 $16,150
43 Carson Young 26 $14,250
T44 Kevin Chappell 25 $12,730
T44 Brent Grant 25 $12,730
T44 William McGirt 25 $12,730
T47 Andy Sullivan 22 $10,627
T47 Russell Knox 22 $10,627
T47 Kyle Westmoreland 22 $10,627
T50 Augusto Núñez 21 $9,356
T50 Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez 21 $9,356
T50 Troy Merritt 21 $9,356
T50 Michael Gligic 21 $9,356
T50 Alexander Levy 21 $9,356
T55 Tano Goya 20 $8,816
T55 Chase Hanna 20 $8,816
T55 Trevor Werbylo 20 $8,816
T55 Chez Reavie 20 $8,816
59 Peter Kuest 19 $8,626
T60 Maximilian Kieffer 17 $8,474
T60 Austin Cook 17 $8,474
T60 Joakim Lagergren 17 $8,474
$63 Nick Hardy 16 $8,322
T64 Aaron Cockerill 12 $8,246
T64 Bastien Amat (a) 12 $0
66 Trevor Cone 11 $8,170

 

See Akshay Bhatia’s winning equipment from the 2023 Barracuda Championship

A look at the golf equipment Akshay Bhatia used at the 2023 Barracuda Championship.

A complete list of the golf equipment Akshay Bhatia used to win the PGA Tour’s 2023 Barracuda Championship:

DRIVER: Callaway Rogue ST MAX (9 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft

FAIRWAY WOOD: Callaway Paradym (15 degrees, with Fujikura Ventus Black 8TX shaft

HYBRID: Callaway Apex UW (19 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 10X shaft

IRONS: Callaway X Forged UT (22 degrees), with KBS S-Taper 125 S+ shaft, Apex TCB (5-PW), with KBS S-Taper 125 S+ shafts

WEDGES: Callaway JAWS Raw (50, 54, 60 degrees), with KBS S-Taper 125 S+ shafts

PUTTER: Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K #7 Double Wide

BALL: Chrome Soft X LS

GRIPS: Iomic (full swing) / SuperStroke Zenergy 21″ 1.0 (putter)

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A first-time PGA Tour winner likely at 2023 Barracuda Championship

Sunday is bound to be life changing for one PGA Tour player.

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Sunday is bound to be life changing for one PGA Tour player.

None of the top four players on the leaderboard at the 2023 Barracuda Championship at Tahoe Mountain Club in Truckee, California, have won on Tour before. Two of them, Ryan Gerard and Akshay Bhatia, weren’t even PGA Tour members when the season began.

After Sunday’s final round, it’s likely someone hoists a trophy for the first time.

Patrick Rodgers birdied the 18th hole and earned two points in the Modified Stableford format to take a one-point lead over Gerard going into the final round. Rodgers tallied eight points in the third round and sits at 34 for the tournament. Gerard, who led after the 36 holes, struggled to garner any momentum on moving day, earning only three points and has 33 points.

“I was really super proud of the way that I was resilient and turned the round around and knew there was still a lot of points to be had,” Rodgers said. “The eagle on 12 was huge, and birdieing two of the last three was great to be in a good position going into tomorrow.”

Bhatia made a major move up the leaderboard, sitting in solo third with 31 points, courtesy of his 17-point outing. He shot 8-under 63 with six birdies and an eagle.

“I know I’m close to winning,” Bhatia said. “It’s a good feeling. Obviously finishing top 10 and gaining points and everything is important out here. But it’s just amazing the perspective you have when you just kind of wish you did certain things a little different, and I would have been pretty close to hosting that trophy last week.”

Beau Hossler, who is also searching for his first Tour victory, is in solo fourth with 30 points. Joel Dahmen is in fifth with 29.

The opposite-field event gives plenty of opportunities for someone to have a career-changing victory. The leaderboard is set up for exactly that come Sunday.

“I feel like any time that you’re in contention coming down the last round, last however many holes, you’ve got to play well to get into that situation,” Gerard said. “So just going to take that in stride and really just trust that we’re going to have some good stuff happen tomorrow and just really do my best and everything else is just an added bonus. So we’re excited to just go out there and see what happens.”

Ryan Gerard takes big lead at PGA Tour’s Barracuda Championship

The name of the game in a Modified Stableford scoring event is big numbers.

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The name of the game in a Modified Stableford scoring event is big numbers and Ryan Gerard is putting up a lot of them so far this week.

Through two rounds at Tahoe Mountain Club’s Old Greenwood in Truckee, California, Gerard has 16 birdies, each worth two points in the unique scoring format. Two late bogeys in Thursday’s first round cost him one point each but through 36 holes, Gerard has 30 points to lead the 2023 Barracuda Championship.

Gerard’s best finish this season is a solo fourth at the Honda Classic in February. He has made nine cuts in 14 events.

The old man and the rookie: How a highly regarded 85-year-old swing instructor returned to the PGA Tour 40 years later with his latest pupil, 23-year-old Ryan Gerard

Patrick Rodgers made a late move with birdies on three of his last four holes to get to 26 points, good for second.

Vincent Norrman, a first-time Tour winner a week ago at the Barbasol Championship, like the Barracuda an opposite-field event, is playing well again this week. He has 23 points.

S.Y. Noh led after the first round with 23 points thanks to three eagles (each worth five points) to become the fourth player this season to have three eagles in one round. Friday, though, was a disastrous day at Old Greenwood for Noh, as he posted a minus-5 score after two double bogeys, a bogey and just one birdie. His Friday 75 dropped him into a tie for 10th.

The cut came in at 10 points and among those to miss out on a weekend tee time: S.H. Kim, Keith Mitchell, Harry Higgs, Greyson Sigg and Taylor Pendrith.

An ace and an eagle help Beau Hossler to early Barracuda Championship lead

The race for the FedEx Cup Playoffs is on.

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Coming into the week at Tahoe Mountain Club’s Old Greenwood course, Beau Hossler sat 73rd in the FedEx Cup standings.

With the new rules, only the top 70 are guaranteed spots in the Playoffs. Counting this week, there’s only three events left for players like Hossler to lock up their spots in the field at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.

After the first round of the 2023 Barracuda Championship, Hossler is doing his best to make sure he’s well inside the cut line.

Hossler, in a Modified Stableford scoring format, is +17 after the first round in Truckee, California, and sits on top of the leaderboard. The highlight of his day came on the par-3 third, when he recorded an ace for the first time in his Tour career.

“I was kind of in between clubs,” Hossler said. “I think it was like 211, but at altitude it’s playing like 190. I hit 7-iron and it landed in a good spot and it went in. It looked like it was the only hole on Tour this year that had no camera.”

In addition to his ace, Hossler also made eagle on the par-5 sixth. Two holes, +10 (as eagles are worth five points) on the scorecard and a first-round lead.

He shot 7-under 64 in stroke play with four birdies (worth two points each), the two eagles and a lone bogey (golfers lose a point for bogeys). Hossler hasn’t won in his Tour career but does have two runner-up finishes.

“My game feels probably the best it’s felt in years right now, which is good,” Hossler said. “Maybe the results haven’t quite been there the last few weeks, but I feel like I’m working on some good stuff with my golf swing. Starting to see some a lot better iron play the last probably two weeks. So, hopefully, I can keep doing that and get the putter hot.”

Alexander Levy sits second after the morning wave at +16. Carson Young and Patrick Rodgers are at +15. The Barracuda is the lone event on the Tour schedule to use the Modified Stableford scoring system.