News: Reno-Tahoe Open
October 24 2011
12:42 pm
New scoring system for Reno-Tahoe
The Reno-Tahoe Open will use the Modified Stableford scoring system at next year’s event, scheduled the week of July 30th.
The Modified Stableford system hasn’t been used on the PGA TOUR since 2006 at The International. The system awards points per hole based on the number of strokes taken – an eagle, for instance, is worth five points; a birdie is worth two points. Points are deducted for bogeys (minus 1) and double bogeys (minus 2).
Now it’s your turn. What do you think of the switch to the Modified Stableford system?
Round 4: Reno-Tahoe Open
August 7 2011
10:40 pm
Congratulate Piercy on his victory
Scott Piercy got into the winner’s circle for the first time on the PGA TOUR at the Reno-Tahoe Open. Post your note of congratulations below for Piercy and we’ll deliver it to him.
9:30 pm
Win alters Piercy’s plans
By Zak Kozuchowski, PGATOUR.COM
Scott Piercy had vacation plans for next week, but he’ll be cancelling them.
Piercy won for the first time on the PGA TOUR at the Reno-Tahoe Open, which qualifies him for the PGA Championship next week at Atlanta Athletic Club.
The win also earns him 250 FedExCup points, moving the 32-year-old from 137th to 80th in the standings and virtually guaranteeing him a spot in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup which start Aug. 25.
Piercy took a one-shot lead into the 72nd hole at Montreux. He needed only par to win after Pat Perez, who was playing in the group in front of Piercy, failed to get up and down for birdie from a greenside bunker.
Piercy hit his drive on a cart path right of the fairway on the 616-yard par 5, but chose not to take relief. Doing so would have forced him to drop in the thick rough right of the path. So Piercy hit his second shot off the asphalt, punching his ball in the fairway 148 yards from the pin.
The two-time Nationwide Tour winner then hit a wedge to just inside 30 feet, but rolled his birdie putt well outside his comfort zone, seven feet past the hole. He avoided a playoff by made the comeback putt, however, earning his spot in next week’s event and a two-year PGA TOUR exemption.
8:44 pm
Piercy takes one-shot lead into 18
By Zak Kozuchowski, PGATOUR.COM
Scott Piercy, 15 under, will take a one-shot lead into the 72nd hole of the Reno-Tahoe Open.
Pat Perez, who was tied with Piercy at 15 under after 16 holes, hit his approach shot just left of the green on No. 17. He was unable to convert a critical par putt to stay even with Piercy.
Perez drove it long and down the middle of the 616-yard par-5 closing hole, but pulled his approach shot left into a greenside bunker, creating a difficult up-and-down.
Blake Adams birdied No. 18 to get to 13 under, and is currently tied for 3rd with Steve Flesch.
7:55 pm
Perez pulls even with Piercy
Leader Scott Piercy tried to drive the reachable par-4 14th at Monteux, potentially setting up an eagle in the final round of the Reno-Tahoe Open.
Instead, he pulled hooked his three wood on the 332-yard hole and made a bogey, dropping him into a tie with Pat Perez, who is on the course at 15 under.
Steve Flesch, 13 under, is currently in a tie for third place. If he were to remain in that position, he would move inside the top 125 in the FedExCup to No. 119.
Josh Teater, 13 under, and Billy Mayfair, 9 under, are also projected to jump into the top 125 in the FedExCup standings.
6:51 pm
Piercy leads by two shots at turn
Scott Piercy shot a front-nine 33 to get to 16 under and take a two shot lead to the back nine at the Reno-Tahoe Open. Piercy is now 14 under through his last 27 holes.
Piercy is trailed by his playing partner Josh Teater, 14 under, and Pat Perez, 13 under. Steve Flesch, Blake Adams and Chris Riley are also on the course at 12 under.
So far, the low round of the day belongs to Matt McQuillan, who shot a 6-under 66 in the final round to move to 11 under. He is currently tied for seventh with Steve Elkington and Nick O’Hern.
4:22 pm
Matteson, McQuillan moving on Sunday
The leaders have yet to tee off at the Reno-Tahoe Open, but they are already facing pressure to go low in the final round.
Troy Matteson had made five birdies in his first 11 holes to get to 10 under, three off the lead held by Scott Piercy.
Canadian Matt McQuillan has also made a much needed final-round move. He’s 4 under through nine holes, and sits at 9 under. McQuillan entered the week 148th in the FedExCup standings, putting him on the Playoffs bubble.
The winner of the Reno-Tahoe Open will earn a spot at next week’s PGA Championship if already not qualified for the event. The only player near the top of the leaderboard that is in the field next week is Steve Elkington, who won the PGA Championship in 1995.
Elkington is tied for third at 10 under, and leads the five major champions that made the cut in Reno this week (Todd Hamilton – 7 under, Justin Leonard – 6 under, Shaun Micheel – 4 under, Jose Maria Olazabal – 1 over).
2:59 pm
Another lost week for Weekley
Boo Weekley is currently in last place at the Reno-Tahoe Open – another bad week in what has been a poor 2011 season for the two-time PGA TOUR winner.
Weekley is at 6 over through 15 holes in his final round, well off the 13-under lead of Scott Piercy, who will tee off at 4:40 p.m. ET.
Weekley’s best finish this year came in January, when he finished tied for 13th at the Bob Hope Classic — his only top-25 finish of the year. He has missed seven cuts in 17 events in 2011, and withdrew from his last event, the AT&T National, citing a rib injury.
He’s currently 153rd in the FedExCup standings, and is not in the field at next week’s PGA Championship.
Weekley has made the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup every year since he finished 23rd in his rookie year on TOUR in 2007. He has fallen in the standings each year since, however. In 2008 he finished 25th, but dropped to 85th in 2009 and 111th in 2010.
Round 3: Reno-Tahoe Open
August 6 2011
9:54 pm
Sunday is important for Teater
By Zak Kozuchowski, PGATOUR.COM
Josh Teater’s third-round 66 put him within two shots of the lead at the Reno-Tahoe Open, but more importantly it got him one step closer to getting back to the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.
Teater, 32, is currently No. 124 in the FedExCup standings. With only two weeks remaining before the start of the Playoffs, tomorrow is especially important for the 2009 Nationwide Tour graduate.
“I’ve been pretty close to playing well the last few months,” Teater said. “You know, Thursday wasn’t great, but I held it together. The last two days have been good.”
Teater made it to the second event of the Playoffs last season. The Kentucky native shot an opening 72 at Montreux, but fought back with a 67 on Friday and eight birdies on Saturday.
He contended earlier this season at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he finished tied for 16th. He also had a chance to win at the RBC Canadian Open two weeks ago, where he finished tied for 13th.
If Teater were to win tomorrow, he would earn a spot in next week’s PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club. He could also potentially move as high as 70th in the FedExCup standings.
7:53 pm
Afternoon conditions tougher in Reno
By Zak Kozuchowski, PGATOUR.COM
Players in the afternoon wave at the Reno-Tahoe Open are struggling to catch the current leaders, who took advantage of the benign morning conditions in Round 3 at Montreux.
Overnight leader Vaughn Taylor started the day 9 under, and has battled windy afternoon conditions to get to 1 under through 12 holes. He is three shots behind current leader Scott Piercy, and one back of Josh Teater, who shot a 65 to move to 11 under.
Pat Perez, John Merrick and Blake Adams are all tied with Taylor at 10 under after rounds of 65, 66 and 67, respectively.
Taylor’s playing partner Will MacKenzie began the round in second place at 8 under, but has lost three shots and is now in a tie for 27th place.
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