Ryan Gerard (+47), with two spectacular streaks of seven points in birdies and eagles, was able to overcome five bogeys in his final round to win the Barracuda Championship, a tournament played in the modified stableford format, marking the first victory of his career on the PGA Tour, thus earning an exemption on the circuit for the next two seasons.
With the wind blowing strongly over the Tahoe Mountain Club, Gerard made birdie and eagle on holes 2 and 3 and on 10 and 11, enough to surpass South African Erik van Rooyen (+44) by three points, who was looking to repeat the victory he achieved in this same tournament in 2021. The winner of this edition fell three points short of breaking the tournament record, which Van Rooyen himself set with 50 points.
“I played very good golf,” said Gerard. “I felt like I wasn’t getting the most out of my shots. It’s been a long and hard road, and it’s great to finish on top,” he added. Gerard was fifth two years ago and secures his first title on the tour in his 47th tournament. He also becomes the 999th different winner in the history of the PGA Tour. “It’s like the culmination of a lifetime of work, I can’t say how many hours I’ve spent hitting golf balls dreaming of this. It’s special,” he concluded.
Gerard also secures a spot in the PGA Championship next season with his victory, an additional prize for lifting the trophy. The only Spaniard who made the cut on Friday, Iván Cantero (+20), managed to climb eight positions in a final round where he added seven points to finish in the 54th final position. A pity his scoreless round on Saturday prevented him from achieving a better result in the second consecutive event co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour coinciding with the Scottish Open and The Open.
