After a bit of a rough start, Ollie Osborne settled in and found his game.
Osborne, a 2017 Bishop Manogue graduate, is making his PGA Tour professional golf debut this week in the Barracuda Championship at Tahoe Mountain Club’s Old Greenwood course near Truckee.
Osborne started his round Thursday with three bogeys on his first four holes, four on the front nine, and a double-bogey on No. 7.
But he also mixed in two birdies on the front nine, then two more on the back, including on No. 18, to finish his round with plus-2 points in the Modified Stableford scoring system.
The top 65 and ties make the cut after Friday’s second round.
Golfers earn eight points for a double-eagle; five for an eagle; two for a birdie; zero for a par; but also drop a point for a bogey and three for a double-bogey or worse.
Osborne, 22, who had a large gallery following him around the course, played in the Barracuda as an amateur in 2019, the last time it was held at Montreux Golf & Country Club.
He graduated from SMU this past spring, where he was on the golf team, and turned pro. He is playing on a sponsor’s exemption.
He finished as runner-up in the 2020 U.S. Amateur, which earned him a spot in The Masters and U.S. Open in 2021.
More PGA Tour Barracuda Championship:
- Players to watch as pro golf takes over Truckee in PGA Tour Barracuda this week
- From fan to player: Former Manogue star Ollie Osborne returns to Barracuda Championship
- First Tee Northern Nevada officially takes ownership of Wildcreek Golf Course in Reno
“I didn’t play too well, but I feel a lot more comfortable out there, especially after having a couple Tour starts,” Osborne said. “I was feeling confident going in, so hopefully I can do (Friday) what I did to end (Thursday). I got off to a tough start but I was able to bring it back a little bit.”
Osborne was at minus-5 points on his front nine, but he said battling back like he did helps his mindset for Friday.
He had played Old Greenwood three times before this week.
His older brother, Stephen, who played golf in college at Nevada, is his caddy this week and he is more familiar with the course.
Ollie Osborne said having so much family and friends supporting him on the course also helps his attitude.
“It was a lot of fun, especially when you make a putt and you hear a couple claps,” he said.
He is tied for 83rd place in the 156-player field.
Leaders
Mark Hubbard and Charley Hoffman are tied for the lead with plus-13 points. They each made seven birdies Thursday.
Three players are tied for second with plus-12 points (as of 6 p.m. Friday): Brice Garnett, Sean Crocker and Aaron Cockerill.
Maverick McNealy, Jim Knous and Henrick Norlander are next, each with plus-11 points.
Former champions: There are nine former Barracuda champions in the field this week: Richy Werenski (2020), Andrew Putnam (2018), Chris Stroud (2017), Greg Chalmers (2016), JJ Henry (2012 and 2015), Geoff Ogilvy (2014), Scott Piercy (2011), Parker McLachlin (2008) Vaughn Taylor (2004 and 2005).
Ogilvy finished with minus-4 points Thursday; Henry is at plus-4; Stroud at plus-5; Werenski at plus-6; Putnam at minus-2; McLachlin is at minus-12; Chalmers is at plus-5; Ogilvy at minus-4; Piercy is at plus-8 and Taylor is at plus -4 .
Ogilvy, an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour, is making his first start on the Tour since 2018 this week.
He received a sponsor exemption into the field this week. He made three starts in Australia earlier this year.
Osborne has a late start Friday as he is in the final group. He is scheduled to tee off on No. 10 at 2:12 p.m. Friday. in a group with Matt Ryan and Tom Johnson.
The first groups tee off at 6:45 a.m. Friday.
TV broadcast: The Golf Channel will televise the Barracuda on Friday from 1 to 3 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m.
Tickets: Prices range from $35 to $50 daily. Children 15 and younger are free with an adult.
Crypto: The Barracuda Championship is the first PGA Tour event to accept cryptocurrency payments, joining other pro sports teams from the NBA, NHL and MLB to embrace digital currency.
Spectators can purchase tickets, hospitality and sponsorship packages with over 300 different cryptocurrency options including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Dogecoin.
There was one withdrawal Thursday, Renato Paratore, from Italy.
Paratore made history at the 2015 Open de France by becoming the first player on the European Tour to score a four on each of the 18 holes of a round.
Jim Krajewski covers high school and youth sports for the Reno Gazette Journal. Follow him on Twitter @RGJPreps. Support his work by subscribing to RGJ.com.
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