S.Y. Noh of South Korea made three eagles in taking a six-point lead with 23 points after the first round Thursday of the Barracuda Championship in Truckee, Calif.
The tournament at Tahoe Mountain Club's Old Greenwood course is the only PGA Tour event that uses the Modified Stableford scoring format. The highest score wins, with points awarded for double eagles (eight), eagles (five) and birdies (two). Pars are worth zero points, while bogeys are minus-1 and double bogeys or worse are minus-3 points.
Noh, 32, is going for his second win on the PGA Tour, having captured the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at age 22 in April 2014.
Starting on the back nine, he opened with a bogey at No. 10, then followed with a birdie and eagle. He also birdied the par-3 No. 17 for plus-8 through nine holes.
Noh heated up on the front nine with an eagle at the par-5 No. 2, birdies at Nos. 3, 4 and 7 and another eagle 3 at No. 6. He also bogeyed the par-4 fifth hole.
Beau Hossler aced the par-3, 213-yard third hole for five points and is in second place at 17 points.
Hossler, who also started on the back nine, carded an eagle at the par-5 sixth hole. He birdied Nos. 9. 12, 15 and 18, and made bogey at the par-4 No. 13.
Alexander Levy of France, who was born in Orange, Calif., is tied for third place at 16 points following a bogey-free round. Also starting on the back nine, Levy made eight birdies for his positive point total as well as 10 pars.
Levy is tied with Ryan Gerard, whose round was a bit more adventurous. Starting on the back nine, he carded four birdies before the turn then ran off birdies at Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 6 to build to 16 points. Bogeys at Nos. 7 and 8 cost him two points, but Gerard closed with a birdie at No. 9 for 16 total points.
Defending champion Chez Reavie, who won with 43 points last year, is tied for 50th with seven.
--Field Level Media