Derek Barron wins 100th Players Cup

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This article was published 18/08/2019 (2559 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

He’s not a hot-shot star out of college, nor is he some prodigy who quickly got to the promised land. If anything, Derek Barron is the exception to the typical rule when it comes to the type of golfers you often see on the professional ranks.

He’s 34, making him much older than many of his peers. And he’s only been playing the sport since he was 17, when he decided to put down his baseball bat and pick up a golf club for the first time, mixing playing and practice time over much of his adult years with working a variety of other jobs including construction.

Conventional? Perhaps not. But that doesn’t make the road he travelled any less successful, especially after Sunday’s performance in which he captured the Players Cup, giving him his first-ever Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada championship.

“Man, what a special day and a special feeling. I wish there were words. There’s not. It’s really special,” an emotional Barron said in the clubhouse shortly after sinking his final putt at Southwood Golf & Country Club.

Barron fired a final round even-par 72 to finish the tournament at 14-under, good for a one-shot victory over 23-year-old tour rookie Kyler Dunkle of Utah and 25-year-old Ryan Snouffer of New Jersey. A trio of golfers finished two shots back.

Seven Canadians made the cut, in which the field of 156 was reduced to 66. Myles Creighton of Digby, Nova Scotia collected a $2,500 bonus by being the top homegrown player in the tournament, finishing at nine-under, five shots back of Barron.

There was nothing flashy about Barron’s round — three bogeys, three birdies and a dozen pars — but it was just what was needed on a day when many other contenders succumbed to the elements and saw their game, and scorecard, explode.

That would include playing partner Brad Miller, who began the day with a two-stroke lead over Barron only to shoot an 82.

“I was really proud of the way I hung in there. I was really calm. It was weird. I tried to have fun. I was like, ‘Dude, I’m so tired of beating myself up, and trying to be perfect,'” said Barron, who has been playing on the Mackenzie Tour for the past three years, competing in 25 previous tournaments with four top ten finishes but never in the the top three,

“Look, I’m 34 years old. And it’s not like I’m the guy that’s been doing this since he’s 21, trying to play as a pro. I was remodelling apartments when I was 21, and playing amateur golf. And so, yeah, my path has been a lot different to this point. But I’m physically more capable now than when I was 21, and that’s allowed me to feel and maybe do things the younger guys can do, maybe even more so. What’s cool about it is I’m not burnt out. I’m hungry.”

Barron, a married father of a nine-month-old boy, said there have been times, especially recently, where he questioned just how much longer he would stay out here.

“For me to have to leave regularly, and be away from them, it’s really difficult. I love them so much. And having a child changes your life. This make it worth it a little bit. I keep telling myself it’s worth it, it’s worth it. And you’ll get there if you just keep doing what you’re doing. And it’s really hard to believe, to be honest. But you just try to be positive. It’s better than being negative,” said Barron.

“I’m proud because, especially since I’ve had my child… it’s not if I want to do this for a living. It’s am I making the right thing to provide for my family. And my wife is amazing. She wants me to do this as much as I can, and she supports me and takes care of our child. And my family at home, they all chip in. It’s a real team effort.”

Life will get a little easier for Barron and his family, thanks to his $36,000 payday which moves him from 54th to 7th on the Mackenzie Tour money list. That’s a big deal, especially because the Top 60 retain their tour cards for next season and the Top 5 following two more tournaments in Montreal and London will get their Korn Ferry Tour cards for next season, bringing them one step away from the PGA Tour.

Barron got a major taste of that two years ago when he qualified for the U.S. Open, shooting an opening round 70 followed by a second-round 83 to miss the cut. He desperately wants to get back one day, this time as a regular touring pro.

“Until you get to the top, you’re saving and scrimping, and you need help usually from people. I’m fortunate enough to have a lot of people that believe in me and are helping me. One of my biggest things I want to do at the end of it is repay everybody. Every dime. If I ever get the opportunity to. And then some. Because I’m getting to live a dream because of them. Because other people want to see me succeed. If there were more people like that in this world it would be a better place,” said Barron.

“I appreciate the opportunity that others have given me. Hopefully this is a launching pad for something bigger in the next year or two.”

Barron’s first real sporting passion as a teenager was baseball. His stepfather, Tony Barron, briefly played in the Major Leagues with the Montreal Expos and Philadelphia Phillies, and he thought he might follow suit.

“Kind of thought that was going to be my calling. And it’s not like I didn’t want to play baseball anymore. I just got hooked on golf,” said Barron.

“I kinda liked the fact golf was just you and your thoughts. I would consider myself a pretty deep thinker sometimes, when I’m by myself. Although that is good and bad. I can get in my head sometimes. But at the same time, golf’s like a puzzle. Try to figure it out, man. Try to figure it out every day.”

Barron certainly put the right pieces together this weekend in Winnipeg.

“This just affirms everything I’m doing is right. Whether it fits in the timeline that I have in my head, the ideal timeline, I know now that I probably just to let it happen.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg