'I do belong': Redding golfer Beau Forest makes his PGA Tour debut in Tahoe

It is something every young golfer dreams about, stepping onto the first tee for introductions.

“From Redding, California — Beau Forest.”

The 26-year-old North State native competed in his first PGA Tour event this week, playing two rounds at the Barracuda Championship at Tahoe Mountain Club’s Old Greenwood course in Truckee.

“It wasn’t a surprise, but it was certainly surreal,” Forest said Friday night. “I’ve been working (toward it) for years and this week comes and it happens so quickly.”

In front of a large contingent of family and Redding golf friends, Forest carded a -9 in the modified Stableford event, failing to make the cut to play the weekend.

Undaunted, he said being able to play his first PGA event in front of those who helped, mentored and supported him along the way was a blessing.

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“It was really cool that my first tournament was so close to home,” he said. “Had it been somewhere 1,000 miles away I would’ve flown my mom out and (Enterprise graduate Jason) Deaver would’ve been on the bag (caddying) for me, but I don’t think the others would have been there.

“It made it more special but it also gave me more nerves. I wanted to play well in front of my friends, not so much to impress them but to make them proud.”

The 2016 U-Prep grad is a software engineer for Hewlett-Packard Enterprise out of Roseville who works on his game around his remote-based job.

In high school, he played golf and basketball, averaging 11.5 points per night for the 10-16 Panthers. He attended University of the Pacific in Stockton, walking onto the golf team in his second semester.

“I started playing when I was about six, doing junior golf events at Riverview (Country Club),” he said. “My grandparents got me into it. I played for fun and started taking it more seriously in high school.

“Playing in college takes a different level of dedication.”

That dedication means squeezing in practice rounds and range work around a 40-hour per week job.

It also means wading through the dog-eat-dog world of pre-qualifying and Monday-qualifying events.

“Pre-qualifying events are no joke and if you get through that you’re on to Monday where they might only take four guys, some who played Korn Ferry (Tour) and partial status guys,” he said. “Usually, 6- to 8-under makes it through. It’s doable, but has to be at the right time.”

The right time for Forest was this week, where his Monday qualifier was a bit of a roller coaster.

Standing at 2-over after four holes following a double bogey, he righted the ship and went on a tear. His birdie putt on 18 got him to 6-under and qualified him for the Barracuda Championship.

“I made that putt to get to 6 and if I miss it’s a playoff with five or six guys,” he said. “Getting to the PGA Tour is almost as difficult as staying there.”

And while the missed cut wasn’t the result Forest or his gallery hoped for, he did say there were moments on Thursday and Friday where it came together.

He reeled off three straight birdies on the front nine on Friday.

“I didn’t finish as strong and didn’t play my best, but today (Friday) gave me a feeling that I do belong,” he said. “I got to play in front of my biggest crowd and I handled that.”

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: 'I do belong': Redding golfer Beau Forest makes his PGA Tour debut in Tahoe