Mac Meissner leads the PGA Tour’s Barracuda Championship at Tahoe Mountain Club

TRUCKEE, Calif. – Mac Meissner made eight birdies in a 16-point round Friday to take the lead in the second round of the Barracuda Championship, the only PGA Tour event to use the modified Stableford scoring system.

In his 23rd start on the PGA Tour, Meissner made birdies on five of his first seven holes and capped the round with a 17-foot birdie putt on the par-4 ninth hole of Tahoe Mountain Club’s Old Greenwood course.

“I hit it well,” said Meissner, the 25-year-old former SMU player. “I took advantage of a lot of good iron shots. It was nice to see some putts fall today. It’s been frustrating for the last month or so.”

Meissner had 26 points, one point ahead of JJ Spaun. A double eagle was worth eight points, an eagle five and a birdie two. A bogey was worth one point, and a double bogey three.

“I think it allows you to play a little more aggressively, just because birdies are worth more than a bogey that hurts you,” Meissner said. “I’ve definitely been a little more aggressive on tucked pins than I normally would be on a Friday or weekend.”

Spaun scored 13 points that day. He won the 2022 Texas Open, his only PGA Tour title.

“I kind of kept the ball in front of me, didn’t make too many mistakes,” Spaun said. “I made a lot of good putts when I needed to. I just kind of stayed out of trouble.”

Canadians Taylor Pendrith, Sean O’Hair and Chan Kim had 24 points, one more than Max Greyserman and SH Kim.

Pendrith – the highest-ranked player in his field at 36th in the FedEx Cup rankings – won his first PGA Tour title at Colonial in May.

“I feel fresh. I’ve had two weeks off,” said Pendrith. “I came here and didn’t really prepare well. The mind feels refreshed.”

O’Hair, 42, won the last of his four PGA Tour titles in 2011. He is making his eighth start this season.

“My opportunities are few and far between, so I have to take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way,” O’Hair said.

First-round leader Ben Silverman slipped to tied 34th on 16 points after dropping three points in the round. The Canadian played in the final group of the day from the first tee and had five bogeys and a birdie.

With three weeks to go before the end of the FedEx Cup regular season, Meissner is ranked 103rd, Spaun is ranked 151st, O’Hair is ranked 185th and Kim is ranked 96th. The top 70 will advance to the playoffs.