Our Clients:

Field Level Media - Professional sports content solutions | FLM

Jul 18, 2024 10:20 pm

Ben Silverman on top at Barracuda Championship

ben silverman

Ben Silverman of Canada racked up seven birdies over his final nine holes to shoot a plus-19 and take the first-round lead at the Barracuda Championship on Thursday at Tahoe Mountain Club in Truckee, Calif.

The Barracuda Championship uses a Modified Stableford scoring format that encourages risk-taking. Birdies are worth two points, eagles are worth five and albatrosses are worth eight. Each par is zero points while bogeys are minus-1 point and double bogey or anything worse is worth minus-3.

Silverman is two points clear of Kelly Kraft at plus-17, while Nate Lashley is in third place at plus-15. Sam Ryder and South Korea’s S.H. Kim are tied for fourth at plus-14.

Silverman piled up 10 birdies in all. After opening with his only bogey of the day at the 10th hole, he birdied Nos. 11, 13 and 15 before making his charge on the front nine. He stuck his approach shot at the par-4 first hole within a foot of the cup, and five of his seven birdies on that side came from inside 6 feet.

Silverman’s final birdie came on a 22-foot putt at the par-3 eighth.

“This place is gorgeous,” Silverman said. “Really like this golf course. You try to put the points out of your head and just focus on making birdies and adding up your score normal. You get rewarded for birdies and the points kind of take care of themselves.”

The 36-year-old is in the hunt for his first win on the PGA Tour at this alternate event opposite the Open Championship.

Kraft, 35, is like Silverman: a journeyman who has yet to break through for that maiden PGA Tour victory. Kraft lost his card and is playing the season on conditional-tour status. A victory would lead to big changes for him.

“This year I guess since the elevated stuff and guys aren’t getting in those, everybody else, Korn Ferry categories and all those guys are pretty much playing whatever they get into, so there is really not much for my category to fill the field,” said Kraft, the 2011 U.S. Amateur champion. “Hadn’t been a whole lot of fun, but I’ve got a couple little ones at home so I’ve had a little more time at home, so that’s been great. You know, basically just playing everything I can get into.”

Some PGA Tour winners this season are in the field because they didn’t qualify for The Open. Canadian Taylor Pendrith, who won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, and Nick Dunlap, who won The American Express, are among six players tied at plus-12.

–Field Level Media

You may also like

lando norris
Jul 6, 2025 1:19 pm

Lando Norris wins, Nico Hulkenberg makes history at British GP

McLaren’s Lando Norris won his first British Grand Prix — his home-country event — in a race that had no shortage of twists and turns. Beginning under dry skies that…

Angel Reese
Jul 6, 2025 1:10 pm

Angel Reese, Alyssa Thomas among dozen All-Star Game reserves

League rebounding leader Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky and assists leader Alyssa Thomas of the Phoenix Mercury are among the 12 reserves announced Sunday for the WNBA All-Star Game….

Lane Thomas
Jul 6, 2025 12:09 pm

Guardians place OF Lane Thomas (foot) on injured list

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas returned to the 10-day injured list on Sunday because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot. The move, retroactive to Saturday, came after Thomas exited…

More News News

lando norris
Jul 6, 2025 1:19 pm

Lando Norris wins, Nico Hulkenberg makes history at British GP

McLaren’s Lando Norris won his first British Grand Prix — his home-country event — in a race that had no shortage of twists and turns. Beginning under dry skies that…

Angel Reese
Jul 6, 2025 1:10 pm

Angel Reese, Alyssa Thomas among dozen All-Star Game reserves

Lane Thomas
Jul 6, 2025 12:09 pm

Guardians place OF Lane Thomas (foot) on injured list

san angelo texas
Jul 6, 2025 11:53 am

Cowboys make $500K donation to assist with Texas flooding

Charles Jagusah
Jul 6, 2025 11:48 am

Notre Dame OL Charles Jagusah breaks arm in UTV accident

Read all
fb-post
advertisment
title-icon

Upcoming events

See all odds
[gs-fb-comments]