Doug Barron won the Legion Tradition at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham last weekend, marking the crowning achievement of a long and sometimes difficult golfing career.
During his long professional career, Barron has battled injuries and the demanding work that comes with being a PGA Tour player, but he has found his place on the Champions Tour and has relished the opportunity to play against the best players in the world during his time on the PGA Tour.
Speaking on 105.5 WNSP in Mobile, Barron spoke about his career on both tours, his return to the Champions Tour and what this win means to him.
“It's been a tough life,” Barron said of the PGA Tour. “Getting beaten by Tiger was tough. [Woods]fill [Mickelson]Ernie [Els]Vijay [Singh]”… It's pretty devastating. Going from a big guy in a small pond to being beaten by the best players in the world, it's a tough place to play.”
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By the time he was 42, Barron had undergone five surgeries on his shoulder and arm, and ultimately, as he himself said, he was never able to regain his playing ability in time to return to the PGA Tour.
After the tour ended, he coached in his hometown of Memphis for seven years, but it wasn't until he was nearly 50 that he started to feel comfortable playing again.
“When I was 49, I started to get really good at golf so I played in the State Open and I just had the urge to play. My wife and I talked about it and we decided to give it another go. Just getting on the Champions Tour was an achievement in itself and God blessed me,” he said.
In 2019, Barron finished in the top five at the Senior British Open and then won his first Champions Tour event the following week at the Dick's Sporting Goods Open.
He considers his five years on the Champions Tour to have been “life-changing,” but earning a place on the Legion Tradition winners list is the crowning achievement of his career.
The list of winners of this historic event includes Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Bernhard Langer, and Doug Barron understands its importance.
“It means a lot. It's been a very emotional week,” Barron said. “I got a ton of support from my guys. It really means a lot. Nobody expected me to win last week. I was just trying to play the best golf Doug Barron could play. I just happened to miss everybody's best day and it worked out for me. So it was a big blessing and it was awesome.”
To listen to Baron's full interview, check it out here:
Michael Browner is a senior sports analyst and contributor to Yellow Hammer News. You can follow him on Twitter. translation:
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