Andrew Putnam won for the first time on the PGA Tour, claiming the Barracuda Championship by four points over Chad Campbell under the Modified Stableford Scoring System at Montreaux Country Club in Reno, Nev.
The 29-year-old Putnam, from Tacoma, Wash., and Pepperdine, sank a 22-foot birdie putt from off the front of the green final green when a bogey would have been enough for him to claim the victory.
The Barracuda Championship is an opposite field event on the PGA Tour for players who did not qualify for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.
“I don’t know if you ever expect to win on the PGA Tour coming off the Web.com Tour,” said Putnam, the 2010 Pacific Coast Amateur champion whose only previous pro victories came in the 2014 WNB Classic and the 2017 Panama Claro Championship on the Web.com Tour.
“I just wanted to play well enough this season to keep my card. I felt like I have been playing well the last couple months and thought I was one of the favorites coming into this week. I knew that if I played my best, I had a chance to win.”
Putnam, who earned a two-year tour exemption on the PGA Tour and a spot in the 100th PGA Championship this week at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, shot 4-under-par 68 in the final round.
After earning only five points in the first round, Putnam took the lead by collecting 17 points in round two and 15 more in round three, before putting up nine in the final round.
Campbell, 44, who has won four times on the PGA Tour, moved into contention with 22 points in round two and finished with 11 in the final round for a total of 43.
J.J. Spaun of Los Angeles and San Diego State collected 33 points to tie for third with Monday qualifier John Oda of UNLV, while first-round leader Ollie Schniederjans closed with an eagle for a 10-point finale to finish fifth with 36 points, and William McGirt had 20 points to wind up sixth with a total of 35.
Chris Stroud had eight points to total 34 and tie for seventh with Sam Saunders, who had minus-1 for the day, while Vaughn Taylor collected 15 points for a total of 33 to tie for ninth with Brandon Harkins, who had 11 in the final round.
The Stableford Scoring System awards players eight points for a double eagle, five points for an eagle, two points for a birdie, zero points for a par, minus one point for a bogey and minus three points for a double bogey or worse.
For complete results, visit https://www.pgatour.com/competition/2018/barracuda-championship/leaderboard.html
