Nevada native Scott Piercy carded a 2-under 70 in the final round to win the Reno-Tahoe Open and claim his first
PGA TOUR victory by one shot over Pat Perez.
Piercy’s victory came one day after he carded a Montreux course record 11-under 61 in the third round, which featured eight-consecutive birdies from Nos. 2-9. While Piercy’s third round featured 10 birdies and an eagle, his final-round 70 included just three birdies and a single bogey, but was good enough for the one-shot margin of victory over Piercy. Born in Las Vegas, Piercy became the first Nevada native to win the Reno-Tahoe Open in the event’s 13-year history.
More on Scott Piercy and the Reno-Tahoe Open
Piercy’s 61 in the third round bettered the previous Montreux G&CC course record of 62, posted on five previous occasions: Bill Glasson (R2, 2005), Joe Ogilvie (R4, 2006), Parker McLachlin (R2, 2008), John Rollins (R2, 2009) and Graham DeLaet (R3, 2010).
The 61 was the lowest round in relation to par on the PGA TOUR in 2011 and the second-lowest overall, behind only Patrick Cantlay’s 60 (10-under) in the second round of the Travelers Championship.
Prior to his 61, Piercy’s low round on the PGA TOUR was 64 on six previous occasions, most recently in the third round of the 2010 Wyndham Championship. His low round to date on the PGA TOUR in 2012 came in the final round of the Transitions Championship in March when he posted a closing 8-under 62
en route to a T5.
Piercy’s eight consecutive birdies in the third round of the 2011 Reno-Tahoe Open equaled the longest consecutive birdies streak on the PGA TOUR in 2011. Chris Stroud also made eight-consecutive birdies from Nos. 9-16 in the second round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic.
With Scott Piercy’s victory, seven players have made the Reno-Tahoe Open their first PGA TOUR victory in the 13-year history of the event. They are: Notah Begay III (1999), Chris Riley (2002), Vaughn Taylor (2004), Will MaKenzie (2006), Parker McLachlin (2008) and Matt Bettencourt (2009).
In three previous starts at the Reno-Tahoe Open Piercy had finished T63 (2006), T53 (2009) and missed the cut in 2010.
Piercy wins RBC Canadian Open, qualifies for World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational
Defending Reno-Tahoe Open champion Scott Piercy will be unable to defend his title by virtue of winning the RBC Canadian Open and qualifying for the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. Piercy is the first winner of the Reno-Tahoe open to not return and defend since Steve Flesch won in 2007.
With Piercy in the field at the Bridgestone Invitational, Vaughn Taylor (2004-2005) will remain the only player to win the Reno-Tahoe Open in consecutive years. Piercy’s appearance in Akron will be his first in a World Golf Championships event.
Reno-Tahoe Open changes to Modified Stableford scoring format
The Reno-Tahoe Open has changed its format from stroke play to Modified Stableford, a format not utilized on TOUR since The INTERNATIONAL in 2006. The Modified Stableford scoring system allocates points based on the number of strokes taken at each hole, with the goal of achieving the highest overall score.
The tournament includes a traditional 36-hole cut of low 70 and ties. The following is a breakdown of how points are awarded in a
Modified Stableford scoring system:
Score Points
Double eagle +8 points
Eagle +5 points
Birdie +2 points
Par 0 points
Bogey -1 point
Double bogey or worse -3 points
FedExCup and the Reno-Tahoe Open
With only three weeks and four events remaining before the start of the FedExCup Playoffs, the Reno-Tahoe Open will again play a key role in determining who qualifies for The Barclays, the first event in the Playoffs.
Scott Piercy’s victory in 2011came with 250 FedExCup points and moved him from No. 137 to No. 80 in the FedExCup standings. He would go on to finish T13 at The Barclays and advanced to the BMW Championship for the first time after a T74 at the Deutsche Bank Championship. He finished T65 at the BMW Championship and finished No. 69 in the final FedExCup standings, a career best.
The Reno-Tahoe Open and World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational begin the final four-week stretch of the PGA TOUR Regular season leading up to The Barclays, the first event in the FedExCup Playoffs. The top-125 players on the FedExCup points list following the Wyndham Championship, August 13-19, will qualify for The Barclays.
Together, Anything’s Possible and the Reno-Tahoe Open
The Reno-Tahoe Open Foundation has been able to grow its charitable giving to a total of $2.2 million since its inception in 1999.
Calculations of charitable giving in 2011 totaled more than $218,000 alone. The Foundation intention is to give back even more to local nonprofits and the Washoe County School District through its two donation programs, U.S. Bank’s Chip in For Schools and Birdies for Charity®.
The Reno-Tahoe Open salutes the troops and creates a variety of special military-themed events surrounding the Reno-Tahoe Open to benefit the men and women in our armed forces.The Military Initiative of the 2012 Reno-Tahoe Open will include:
Free entry to the tournament grounds for members of the military, including active duty, veteran, Guard and Reserve forces, with proper identification
A Patriots’ Outpost, providing a hosted hospitality suite environment on the 9th Green for members of the military, with proper identification. The Patriots’ Outpost is possible due to the support of Marigold Corp, GE - Energy, The Lodge at Galena, Green Beans Coffee, Morrey Distributing and Pepsi.
An Appreciation Station, allowing the spectators of the 2012 Reno-Tahoe Open to pay tribute to the men and women currently serving abroad in our armed forces, by writing a note to them. Generously hosted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
An on-site Static Display of military vehicles used every day in our armed forces.
A Patriots’ Luncheon presented by Grand Sierra Resort occurring Tuesday, July 31, 2012.
Doctors Supporting Troops, generously sponsored by area physicians Dr. Daniel Rowan, Dr. Jason Champagne, Dr. Renny Uppal, and Dr. Robert Quigley.
A glance at the field
There are 10 major championship winners in the field with a combined 14 victories.
Seven past champions of the Reno-Tahoe Open: Matt Bettencourt (2010), John Rollins (2009), Parker McLachlin (2008), Will MacKenzie (2006), Vaughn Taylor (2004, 2005), Chris Riley (2002) and Notah Begay III.
The field for the Reno-Tahoe Open features eight players who have posted runner-up finishes on the PGA TOUR in 2012. They are: Harrison Frazar (Sony Open in Hawaii), John Mallinger (Humana Challenge), Dicky Pride (HP Byron Nelson Championship), Andres Romero (the Memorial Tournament), John Merrick (FedEx St. Jude Classic), Troy Kelly (The Greenbrier Classic), Troy Matteson (John Deere Classic) and Jason Bohn (True South Classic).
Americans have won each of the first 13 installments of the Reno-Tahoe Open.
Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, a three-time major champion, will make his first appearance at the Reno-Tahoe Open. Other than Notah Begay in the event’s first year, Vaughn Taylor (2004) is the only player to win in his first appearance. Taylor actually won the Reno-Tahoe Open in each of his first two appearances in 2004 and 2005 and remains the only multiple winner of the event.
Stewart Cink, a six-time winner on the PGA TOUR and winner of the 2009 British Open Championship, will compete in the Reno-Tahoe Open for the first time since the event’s inaugural year in 1999. He finished T9 in his lone appearance at Montreux G&CC.
Colombia’s Camilo Villegas, a three-time PGA TOUR winner, makes his first career start at the Reno-Tahoe Open.
Patrick Reed, who has successfully qualified for five PGA TOUR events in 2012 through Monday Qualifiers, is in the field at the Reno-Tahoe Open for the first time after receiving a Sponsor Exemption. Reed, a former All-American at Augusta State University, Monday qualified for the Zurich Classic of New
Orleans (T24), Wells Fargo Championship (T32), HP Byron Nelson Championship (MC), Travelers Championship (T47) and True South Classic (T21). He’s also competed in the Valero Texas Open (T35), FedEx St.Jude Classic (MC) and John Deere Classic (MC) on Sponsor’s Exemptions. Reed is No. 10 on the PGA TOUR Non-Member Money List with $157,490 in earnings this year.
Miscellaneous Reno-Tahoe Open Notes
Through the first 33 events of the PGA TOUR Regular season (through the RBC Canadian Open), 11 players in their 20s have accounted for 12 wins on the PGA TOUR. A player in their 20s has not won the Reno-Tahoe Open since 2008 when Parker McLachlin won at the age of 29 years, 2 months 24 days.
Other winners of the Reno-Tahoe Open in their 20s include Vaughn Taylor (2004 – 28, 2005 – 29), Chris Riley (2002 – 28) and Notah Begay III (1999 – 26).
The 2012 Reno-Tahoe Open is the first event to use the Modified Stableford scoring format on the PGA TOUR since the 2006 INTERNATIONAL. The International (1986-2006) is the only other event in modern PGA TOUR history to employ the Modified Stableford scoring format. Players in the field at the 2012 Reno-Tahoe Open that also won The International are: Rod Pampling (2004), Rich Beem (2002), Tom Pernice, Jr. (2001) and Lee Janzen (1995).
The 54-hole leader/co-leader has gone on to victory seven times in the 13-year history of the Reno-Tahoe
Open, most recently Scott Piercy in 2011.
Courtesy PGA TOUR
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