Ryan Gerard admits frustration despite Barracuda win, saying he couldn’t finish it his special way

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While the PGA Tour made its stop in California last week for the Barracuda Championship, much of the pre-tournament attention drifted away from the usual favourites.

The headlines were grabbed by Grant Horvat, whose choice to turn down an invitation to tee it up at Tahoe Mountain Club sparked plenty of discussion before the first ball was struck in Truckee.

While most eyes were on Royal Portrush for The Open, the Barracuda still held significance for players looking to move up the PGA Tour rankings. It provided a valuable opportunity for those further down the list to stand out and climb closer towards full-time status.

Amid it all, one player made his presence felt with a quietly impressive performance. Although he didn’t finish with a flourish, he certainly made an impression.

Ryan Gerard’s unusual idea for the last hole of the Barracuda Championship

Ryan Gerard picked up his first win on the PGA Tour at this year’s Barracuda Championship, taking down Erik van Rooyen by three points in the modified Stableford event.

But according to Gerard, he had something special lined up for the final hole if his lead had been a bit more comfortable.

Speaking with SIRIUSXM PGA TOUR Radio, he explained what he had hoped to have done.

“The modified Stableford format is a bit of a rollercoaster because birdies are worth way more than bogeys, because you want to stay aggressive. But when you’re playing with the lead, you’re trying to hit quality shots to the right spots. It’s a fine line between picking up dumb mistakes by going after flags and playing off to the side and trying to make other people come and get you.

“My caddie and I were trying to hit quality shots to our targets and see what the best would happen. As we go down towards the end, we had a big cushion until EVR (Erik van Rooyen) decided to roll one in for eagle on 15, but at that point we were just trying to hit quality shots to our conservative targets.

“Made it a little bit more interesting than I would have liked in the end. I was a little bit disappointed that I didn’t have a big enough lead going into 18 because I would have just scooped it, walked off and taken the minus three, and walked into the clubhouse. That would have been the way to cap it because I know this event is probably in its last year.

“I was trying to go out in style but Erik made birdie on the last so I had to actually get it in the hole.”

It would have been a memorable way to close out not only his first Tour win but possibly one of the final editions of this event.

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PGA Tour results for Ryan Gerard

Ryan Gerard is still relatively new to the PGA Tour, having joined just a few seasons ago.

He had played 47 events before last week’s win in Truckee, California, where he finally broke through with his first victory.

Here’s a look at his career results so far:

Now that he has that first win under his belt, Gerard will feel more confident about competing at this level.

The next challenge will be to win a stroke play event. There are clear differences between the formats, and proving himself in both would mark another step forward in his career.