With the spotlight on the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, the Barracuda Championship has once again flown under the radar as an alternate tournament for the PGA Tour this week. First staged in 1999 when it was known as the Reno-Tahoe Open, the Barracuda Championship has always been played in the same week as the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and that will continue in 2017. With so many big names competing at the Firestone Country Club in Akron, the Barracuda Championship will once again feature a relatively weak field. However, that could mean an excellent opportunity to make some serious money with some smart wagers in one of the final stops before the US PGA Championship next week.
Details
Event: Barracuda Championship
Category: PGA
Date: August 3-6
Location: Montreux Golf & Country Club, Reno, Nevada
One of the unique aspects of this week’s event is the modified Stableford scoring system that is in place. The same system was used at the new defunct International in Colorado, which is another event that is played at altitude. The player with the highest score after 72 holes will be the winner. Points are awarded based on a player’s score on each hole as follows:
Albatross: 8 Points
Eagle: 5 Points
Birdie: 2 Points
Par: 0 Points
Bogey: -1 Point
Double-Bogey or worse: -3 Points
Past Five Winners
2016: Greg Chalmers
2015: J.J. Henry
2014: Geoff Ogilvy
2013: Gary Woodland
2012: J.J. Henry
What To Know About The Course
The Jack Nicklaus-designed Montreux Golf and Country Club course is located between Lake Tahoe and Reno. It has an elevation of 5,500 feet above sea level so the ball travels much further than it would at sea level. That means the course doesn’t play anywhere near as long as its yardage suggests so Driving Distance shouldn’t be a substantial factor. The generous fairways mean that Driving Accuracy won’t be a major factor either. This tournament has the potential to be an absolute birdie-fest. The golfer that makes the most of his opportunities and consistently sinks his putts will have the best chance to win the Barracuda Championship outright this week.
The Field
Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy are all competing in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational this week along with the majority of the top-ranked golfers in the world. That leaves a very limited field for the alternate Barracuda Championship. Ben Martin is listed as the sports betting favorite to win this week at +2500 odds. Robert Garrigus is listed at +3000, followed by Graham Delaet, Scott Stallings and Brandon Hagy at +3300 odds. Without a clear-cut favorite expected to dominate this week, there are plenty of value betting options on the board.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Padraig Harrington over J.J. Henry
Harrington fits the profile of the previous winners at the Barracuda Championship and his recent form isn’t terrible. He did miss the cut at The Open, but before that he placed 31st at Muirfield and then 17th in the Travelers Championship. Harrington is a familiar name that should be a safe pick for this week. There is decent value betting him to win the head-to-head sports betting matchup with Henry, who is coming off a missed cut at the RBC Canadian Open and failed to impress at this tournament in 2016.
Top-Five Pick: Aaron Baddeley
The fact that the sportsbooks have the “FIELD” at +2500 odds this week speaks volumes about the top contenders at the Barracuda Championship. Baddeley is listed at +5000 odds to win this tournament outright and he should make for a good pick to finish in the top-five. Baddeley is coming off a 27th-place finish at The Open and he already has two top-10 finishes this season. Baddeley should be in the mix of contenders on the final day and a good pick to place in the top-five at the Barracuda Championship.
Odds To Win The 2017 Barracuda Championship
Bne Martin +2050
Robert Garrigus +2250
Scott Stallings +2250
Graham Delaet +2250
Smylie Kaufman +2550
Chesson Hadley +2550
Daniel Summerhays +2550
Luke List +2850
Ollie Schniederjans +3050
Chez Reavie +3050
Kevin Tway +3050
Brandon Hagy +3250
Sam Saunders +3250
Harris English +3250
Padraig Harrington +3250
Seamus Power +3550
Nick Watney +3250
Jonathan Byrd +3550
Cameron Tringale +4050
Rory Sabbatini +4050
Ryan Palmer +4550
Aaron Baddeley +4550
Retief Goosen +4550
David Hearn +4550
Martin Flores +5050
Cameron Percy +5500
Geoff Ogilvy +5500
Trey Mullinax +5500
Tag Ridings +5500
Brian Gay +5500
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