After 21 years, Montrêux pulls plug on Barracuda Championship

RENO, Nev. — Montrêux Golf & Country Club announced Saturday, Aug. 16, it will no longer host the Barracuda Championship.

According to a press release issued by the private golf club, Montrêux's Board of Directors made the decision "after many weeks of study and discussion."

“Our decision to discontinue hosting the Barracuda Championship was not an easy one, nor one that we took lightly,” Tim Slapnicka, president of the board of directors, said in a provided statement. “We evaluated the financial impact on our Club, as well as the impact on our facilities, our members and Montrêux homeowners, and came to the conclusion that it was in our best interests not to enter into a new agreement to host the tournament.”

According to the press release, the Montrêux community has grown considerably in recent years, and there has been "an increasing need to maximize the availability of the facilities and minimize the impacts on the growing membership and homeowners."

"It is rare for private clubs to host PGA events annually for more than a few years for these reasons," per the press release.

The Barracuda Championship, an official PGA Tour alternate event previously known as the Reno-Tahoe Open, has been held in late July and early August since 1999; Notah Begay III won the inaugural tournament.

The tournament has had a significant economic impact for the Reno/Tahoe region, with thousands of spectators flooding the region each year to spend money at hotels, restaurants and local businesses.

The 2020 event is scheduled for June 29 to July 5 at a TBD location, according to the tournament's website.

While hosting the Barracuda Championship, an official PGA Tour event formerly known as the Reno-Tahoe Open, won't occur this summer or beyond, Slapnicka said Montrêux remains open to hosting future charity golf events "that will continue to benefit the community, regardless of whether or not another course is found in northern Nevada to host the tournament," Slapnicka said.