TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) — S.Y. Noh eagled all three par-5 holes and scored a tournament-record 23 points Thursday to take the first-round lead in the Barracuda Championship at Tahoe Mountain Club.
Co-sanctioned by the European tour, the tournament uses the Modified Stableford scoring system, with Noh breaking the event round mark of 18 points. Five points are awarded for eagle and two for birdie, while a point is deducted for bogey and three for double bogey.
“It’s first time ever make three eagles,” Noh said. “It’s just so much fun to play today.”
The 32-year-old South Korean player also had five birdies and two bogeys on the par-71 Old Greenwood layout. He won the 2014 Zurich Classic of New Orleans for his lone PGA Tour title.
“It’s just the first day, but still a lot of confidence,” Noh said.
Beau Hossler was second with 17 points. He had a hole-in-one on the par-3 third and an eagle on the par-5 sixth on his final nine.
“I was kind of in between clubs,” Hossler said about the ace. “I think it was like 211 (yards), 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.”
Ryan Gerard and Frenchman Alexander Levy were tied for third with 16 points. Levy had eight birdies in a bogey-free round.
“It’s a different format, but it’s nice to play like this sometimes,” Levy said. “You just focus to hitting good shots and just see what happens.”
Carson Young, Patrick Rodgers and Maximilian Kieffer had 15 points.
Vincent Norrman, the tour rookie from Sweden who beat Nathan Kimsey in a playoff last week in Kentucky in the Barbasol Championship, scored 11 points.
Defending champion: Chez Reavie had seven points. Geoff Ogilvy opened with a six-point round. He won the 2014 title for his last professional victory.
Brandt Snedeker had two points. He’s playing on a sponsor exemption.
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