Rich

Barcelo

The Reno resident and University of Nevada product is in the field on a sponsor exemption. He missed only two (of 14) fairways and two GIR at Montreux today to become the third to post the field-leading score. He won the Cox Classic in Omaha two weeks ago and is well on his way to a return to the PGA Tour, where he was a member in 2004 and 2007. His lone top-10 on the PGA Tour is a T-4 at the, you guessed, Reno-Tahoe Open. That was at his last start at the event two years ago.

So far this season, Barcelo has made the cut in four of his six starts. He currently is in 140th place on the PGA Tour’s FedExCup Points List.

The former University of Nevada grad gained entry into this week’s field via a sponsor’s exemption. This will be his first start in a PGA TOUR event this season.

Barcelo has had virtually zero fantasy value this year, with no top 30s of nine paydays in 21 starts. As a result, he arrived in Sea Island ranked 191st on the money list. Therefore, it stands to reason that today’s round will be a mere blip. Even so, he had a quartet of highlights on which he can hang his visor today. Starting on the back side of the Seaside Course, he converted a birdie putt of 24'6" at the 12th hole. At the 15th, his attempt from 25 yards off the green found the cup for another birdie. He then got his birdie try from 25'1" to disappear at the 2nd. Finally, a chip-in from 13 yards at the 6th allowed him to finish two back of John Rollins’ overnight lead.

Barcelo used more of his smoke-and-mirrors routine at Seaside today. He opened his round at the 1st hole, and promptly buried a birdie putt from 37'0". Then at the 3rd, he got another birdie putt to disappear, this time from 24'4". After rinsing his tee ball at the par-5 7th, he eventually chipped in for bogey from 24 yards. Finally, at the 16th, his birdie attempt disappeared from a mere 13'11". He’s hit just 25 greens thus far, but he’s needed just 51 putts, and sits two back of the clubhouse lead.

Through 36 holes, Barcelo ranks last in fairways hit (12 of 26) and tied for last in GIR (19), but he’s T2 in birdies. His 74 was the highest second round of the 79 golfers the survived the 36-hole cut. And with more than 78 golfers advancing, another cut of top 70 and ties will fall after 54 holes. Tomorrow’s weather forecast includes a risk of showers and thunderstorms in the late afternoon and evening hours. Yet, golfers will go out in twosomes off the 1st tee. Barcelo will start the day as a single at 8:00 a.m. local time.

So much for the value of needing experience on a track to score well. If Barcelo was going to thrive anywhere, it would have been last week in Reno, where he lives and went to college. (He placed T39 at the RTO.) But conditions were perfect this morning at St. George’s, and the Barcelo proved it. He hit only 11 greens but still converted nine birdies, including five straight beginning at the 4th hole. He birdied three of the five par 3s, and finished one stroke off the clubhouse lead. The 65 matches his career low on the PGA TOUR.