Why PGA Tour rookie and TCU ex Paul Barjon believes TPC Craig Ranch suits his game
Being a rookie on the PGA Tour has been about what Paul Barjon expected. There isn’t much margin for error. One bad swing or bounce could be the difference between earning a nice paycheck or missing the cut all together and going home empty-handed.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Barjon was in position to make the cut at the Mexico Open at Vindata. But, on his last hole in the second round, he drove it out of bounds and then had a three-putt to miss the cut by one stroke.
Barjon, though, rebounded last week by making the cut and finishing tied for 51st at the Wells Fargo Championship in Maryland. He hopes that’s a sign of progress going into this week’s AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney.
“The game overall is trending in the right direction,” said Barjon, a Fort Worth resident who played at TCU from 2012-16.
“I’ve been working really hard on my putting. That’s kind of the last piece of the puzzle for me to get four very good rounds together. I played decently last week, but the putting wasn’t great. Hopefully it’s better this week. I’ve played TPC Craig Ranch quite a bit, played pretty solid during Monday’s practice round, so I’m excited for it. The course fits my game pretty well.”
TPC Craig Ranch is known as a “bomber’s paradise” and Barjon’s biggest strenghth is off the tee. He ranks 32nd on the PGA Tour in driving distance and 38th in strokes gained off the tee.
But, as Barjon said, he has to improve on the greens. He ranks 174th in strokes gained putting. If he’s able to make improvements in that department, he’ll become a bigger threat on the weekends.
At the end of the day, that’s where Barjon wants to get to. He’s teeing it up this week with dreams of winning his first PGA Tour event. And, hey, it’s the only avenue left for him to secure a spot in next week’s PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa.
“The only way to get in is to win this week, so there’s still a chance. I can just drive up there,” Barjon said, chuckling. “Every time we tee off, the biggest goal is to have a shot at winning on Sunday and being in one of the last groups. That’s my goal every week. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to make a few putts on the back nine Sunday and lift the trophy.”
Barjon, 29, has played in 16 PGA Tour events this season, making six cuts with a career-best finish of 10th at The American Express in January.
That showing at The American Express proved to Barjon that he has the talent and game to compete at golf’s highest level. It’s just a matter of becoming more consistent and gaining experience.
Barjon had a valuable experience at The American Express, playing in the final group on Sunday alongside fellow TCU product Tom Hoge. Barjon struggled by posting an over-par score while Hoge went on to a runner-up finish. Barjon still walked away with $207,100, but it was more than $600,000 less than Hoge ($828,400).
“Obviously you have to do it for four days,” Barjon said. “It wasn’t where I wanted to finish on Sunday, but I was right there. Everybody is really good out here. You just have to play smart for four days and get a little luck here and there. There’s a lot of factors that come into play but you just have to limit damage and take advantage when you hit it well.”
Barjon will be trying to do that once again this week at the Nelson. He’s one of three former TCU players in the field along with Hoge and J.J. Killeen. Barjon gets his tournament started Thursday with an 8:51 a.m. tee time.
Koepka withdraws
Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka withdrew from the AT&T Byron Nelson on Wednesday. No reason was given for Koepka’s withdrawal.
Satoshi Kodaira replaced Koepka.
