Dubai-based Rafa Cabrera-Bello shoots first round of four points
Barracuda Championship in the US sees steep rivalry in modified Stableford format
Dubai: Rafa Cabrera Bello (Spain), a Dubai Golden Visa awardee, shot a first round of four points in the $3.7 million Barracuda Championship at Tahoe Mt Club (Old Greenwood), Truckee, California, US.
The tournament, running parallel with The Open Championship, is co-sanctioned by both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour as part of their Strategic Alliance.
Leading after round one are US players Mark Hubbard and Charley Hoffman with 13 Modified Stableford Points. They are placed 92 and 182 in the current FedEx Cup Rankings.
Rafa had four birdies and four bogeys in his round which encourages attacking golf. An 18-par round would have resulted in 0 points, so birdies and eagles are richly rewarded.
In tied third are DP World Tour players: Sean Crocker (US) and Aaron Cockerill (Can), the former coached by Peter Cowen and the latter representing The Els Club, Dubai.
The Modified Stableford scoring format is as follows: Albatross: 8 points; Eagle: 5 points; Birdie: 2 points; Par: 0 points; Bogey: -1 point; Double bogey or worse: -3 points
Leading First Round Scores (Par-71)
M. Hubbard (US) +13 Points.
C. Hoffman (US) +13 Points.
B. Garnett (US) +12 Points.
S. Crocker (US) +12 Points.
A. Cockerill (Can) +12 Points.
