Padraig Harrington has again chosen not to tee-up in a PGA Tour event by withdrawing from Thursday’s starting Barracuda Championship in California.
The local Reno Gazette Journal ran a story on Saturday highlighting Harrington would be joining fellow PGA Championship winners Martin Kaymer and Shaun Micheel in the modified Stableford event being played this year for a first time on the Tahoe Mt. Club ‘Old Greenwood’ course at Truckee within the state of California though just 30 south-west of Reno in Nevada.
However, a check of the 132-players on teeing-up confirmed Harrington is not in the field for the $3.5m event running opposite the $10.5m WGC – FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis.
Padraig Harrington again choosing to remain home in Ireland rather than travel to the U.S.
It’s not the first time since a return to competition on June 11th that Harrington has been entered into an event but not been in the field, and it remains to be seen when he will next travel Stateside.
The only Irishman competing in the Barracuda is Seamus Power with this week being a far cry from four years ago when Harrington and Power were members of the Ireland Olympic Games team as they proudly marched into a jam-packed Rio de Janeiro Games main stadium in golf’s first return to competition since 1904.
The 2020 Olympic Games men’s golf competition had been scheduled for this week before the Olympics were postponed to 2021.
This year marks the 22nd staging of the modified Stableford Barracuda Championship event that began in 1999 as the Reno-Tahoe Open.
Power is coming in off having sat out the closing two rounds of last week’s 3M Open in Minnesota and while still seeking a maiden Tour title, the West Waterford golfer will be keen also to grab a spot in the U.S. Open.
The top two players, not otherwise exempt, in the top 10 and ties, will earn a place at Winged Foot later this year.
This marks the ninth year for the Modified Stableford format. Eagles are worth five points, birdies are worth two points and pars are worth zero. Bogeys deduct one point while double bogeys cost three.
Eleven winners, including Morikawa, have made the championship their first Tour victory.
No questioning, Power would dearly love to be the 12th.
He’s played in the event the past three years with a best finish of T25th a year ago.
