Merritt grabs third-round Barracuda lead with 50-foot eagle on 18th hole

RENO, Nev. - Troy Merritt scored five points with a 53-foot eagle putt on the par-5 18th on Saturday to take a two-point lead in the Barracuda Championship, the PGA Tour's only modified Stableford scoring event.

Merritt had an 18-point round for a 37-point total at Montreaux Golf and Country Club. The scoring system awards eight points for albatross, five for eagle, two for birdie and zero for par, and subtracts a point for bogey and three for double bogey or worse.

A two-time winner on the PGA Tour, Merritt also eagled the par-5 second hole with a 20-footer.

''We were kind of not so pleased with the par-5 scoring the first two rounds,'' Merritt said. ''I think we sat at, I think, two points…