Monday qualifiers: Barracuda Championship

Charles Porter hasn’t had the easiest road into professional golf.

Growing up in government housing with six older siblings, Porter fell in love with the game – to which he was first introduced by his father – via the First Tee-San Francisco and the Youth on Course program. He didn’t play many tournaments but maximized his opportunities, including victories at the 2020 San Francisco City Championship and Contra Costa Amateur, and he earned conditional Korn Ferry Tour status this season via Q-School.

“I strongly believe I am the living embodiment of the Youth on Course mission statement — to provide youth access to life-changing opportunities through golf,” Porter told Northern California magazine Aces Golf earlier this year.

Porter earned another opportunity this week, carding 9-under 63 to Monday qualify into the Barracuda Championship. The San Francisco native, 24, earned one of four available spots in this week’s field at Tahoe Mountain Club (Old Greenwood).

Also earning Barracuda tee times via Monday’s qualifier were Kyle Reifers (64), Grant Booth (65) and Eddy Lai (65).

It’s the continuation of a remarkable Monday qualifying run for Reifers, who has made the cut twice as a Monday qualifier in the past month, finishing T38 at the Travelers Championship and T52 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Reifers finished runner-up at the 2015 Barracuda Championship, falling to J.J. Henry in a playoff, and will relish the chance to return to the TOUR’s lone Modified Stableford event.

In all, 56 players competed for four spots in this week’s field. The Barracuda Championship, a co-sanctioned event between the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour, occurs in the third-to-last week of the FedExCup Regular Season.

Click here for all scores from the Barracuda Championship's Monday qualifier.

Here’s a capsule look at the four qualifiers for this week’s Barracuda Championship:

Charles Porter (9-under 63)

Age: 24

Hometown: San Francisco, California

College: Napa Valley College

PGA TOUR starts: 1

Cuts made: 0

Notes: Recorded seven birdies and an eagle Monday to earn a spot in his second TOUR event of the season. Competed in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this season on a sponsor exemption, missing the cut with rounds of 75-72-78 … Holds conditional Korn Ferry Tour status after advancing to Final Stage of Q-School last fall (T95). Has made one start on the circuit this season, missing the cut at the Astara Chile Classic … Longtime participant of First Tee – San Francisco and Youth on Course; was raised in government housing with six older siblings and couldn’t afford to play many junior tournaments, per Northern California magazine Aces Golf, but won 2020 San Francisco City Championship and Contra Costa Amateur. “I strongly believe I am the living embodiment of the Youth on Course mission statement — to provide youth access to life-changing opportunities through golf,” Porter told the magazine earlier this year … Stands 6-foot-7, and his game stands tall as well.

Kyle Reifers (8-under 64)

Age: 39

Hometown: Columbus, Ohio

College: Wake Forest:

PGA TOUR starts: 165

Cuts made: 89

Best PGA TOUR finish: Second, 2015 Barracuda Championship

Notes: Carded eight birdies against zero bogeys to successfully Monday qualify on TOUR for the third time in the past month, and the fourth time overall this season. Also four-spotted into Travelers Championship (T38) and Rocket Mortgage Classic (T52). Missed cut at Mexico Open at Vidanta earlier this year … Returns to the site of his career-best PGA TOUR finish, a runner-up to J.J. Henry at the 2015 Barracuda Championship. Reifers lost to Henry’s eagle on the second extra hole … Won Korn Ferry Tour’s 2006 Chattanooga Classic as a Monday qualifier, shortly after turning professional, defeating Brandt Snedeker in a playoff … Represented United States at 2005 Walker Cup and finished runner-up at 2006 NCAA Championship as an individual.

Grant Booth (7-under 65)

Age: 27

Hometown: Penrith, Australia

College: University of Nevada-Reno

PGA TOUR starts: 1

Cuts made: 1

Best PGA TOUR finish: T64, 2018 Barracuda Championship

Notes: Made six birdies and an eagle Monday against one bogey … Will return to the event where he debuted on the PGA TOUR and made the cut to boot, finishing T64 at the 2018 Barracuda … Debuted on the Korn Ferry Tour at this year’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open, making the cut and finishing T72 … Set the Nevada single-season program scoring record (71.64) as a junior in 2016-17, then broke his own record as a senior the following year (70.61) … Has spent time caddying at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas and Silverleaf in Scottsdale Arizona … Enjoys fishing, hunting, country music and the beach.

Eddy Lai (7-under 65)

Age: 24

Hometown: San Jose, California

College: UCLA

PGA TOUR starts: 0

Notes: Made six birdies and an eagle Monday against one bogey … Competed on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica in 2023, making four cuts in 11 starts and finishing No. 88 on the Totalplay Cup. Finished with a flourish, T9 in his final start at the Jalisco Open GDL … Earned master’s degree from UCLA in transformative coaching and leadership … Posted a team-best 72.1 scoring average in his fifth UCLA season (2021-22) … Two-time All-Pac-12 honorable mention (2019 and 2022) … Golden State Warriors fan.