To say the older you get, the better you become is certainly true when it comes to the golf career of journeyman Doug Barron.
Following Barron’s graduation from Mississippi State in 1992, a lengthy but mediocre career in professional golf began. It wasn’t until Sunday that Barron found his first PGA Tour Champions major title with a win at the Regions Tradition in Birmingham, Ala.
Barron shot a 4-under 68 to hold off Steven Alker by two strokes and secure his third victory and first since the 2021 Shaw Charity Classic. On the weekend, Barron finished at 17-under 271 at Greystone to not only beat Alker but Hall of Famers Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington.
“They’re not only world-class golfers; they’re world-class people,” Barron told ESPN. “They’re true gentlemen to play golf with. They know if they’re playing their best, it’s going to be hard to beat them. Maybe they didn’t play their best and I got lucky and snuck in there.”
Despite Barron’s lack of success in the professional world before reaching the PGA Tour Champions – a branch of professional golf for senior golfers – in 2019, the former Bulldog has successfully ventured toward business where he is still running a golf academy in Memphis, Tenn.
After playing on both the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour for nearly two decades, Barron’s career on the course hit a low when he became the first player suspended for a full year by the PGA under its anti-doping policy when he failed a drug test at the St. Jude Classic in 2009. He then sued the PGA, and his suspension was lifted in the fall of 2010 when the suit was settled and Barron was granted an exemption for the use of testosterone.
Since joining the PGA Tour Champions, Barron, 54, has successfully rejuvenated his swing and earned over $4.2 million – easily trumping the $2.8 million he made during his time on the PGA Tour.
