Richy Werenski claims maiden PGA Tour title at Barracuda Championship

Richy Werenski secured a last-minute invite to the PGA Championship by claiming his maiden PGA Tour victory at the Barracuda Championship.

Werenski birdied the last to finish a point ahead of overnight leader Troy Merritt at Tahoe Mountain Club, played under the modified Stableford format, where points are awarded based on scores made on each hole.

Eight points are awarded for an albatross, five for eagle, two for birdie and zero for par, while a point is subtracted for bogey and three are lost for double-bogeys or worse, with Werenski ending the week on 39 points.

"I feel like I've been playing well for the last couple months. But to get a win, that's huge," Werenski said. "I've got a couple seconds and everything, so this just helps my confidence a lot. Now I know I'm good enough."

Making his 100th PGA Tour appearance, Werenski reached the turn level-par for the day after bouncing back from bogeys at the first and sixth to birdie both par-threes on the front nine.

Werenski birdied the 12th and 14th and then holed out from the middle of the fairway for eagle at the par-four 16th, before rolling in a 15-foot birdie at the last to set the clubhouse target.

Merritt had led overnight and extended his advantage by opening with back-to-back birdies on the final day, before cancelling out a bogey at the sixth with a birdie at the eighth.

The world No 153 had a 30-foot chance at the last start to snatch victory after parring his way through the back nine, only to leave his putt short to finish runner-up for the second year running.

Austria's Matthias Schwab made 13 points on the final day to finish in tied-third alongside Fabian Gomez, with Scott Stallings in a share of fifth and four points back with Robert Streb.

Ten birdies on Sunday saw Aaron Wise post the best round of the day and jump into eighth spot, while Ireland's Seamus Power finished a further point back in tied-ninth with Alex Noren and Emiliano Grillo.