Blayne Barber, despite a strong start, failed to run down the leaders in the final round of the Barbasol Championship in Opelika on Sunday, July 19.
Barber recorded four birdies on the front nine and, at one point, climbed to second on the leaderboard.
“I had been struggling with the front nine and turning it on on the back,” Barber said. “Today it was just the opposite. I played great on the front, then made the turn and left four or five shots out there.”
Barber said the support he received from family, friends and the community was key to his success this week.
“It was great,” Barber said. “Such a great week to be at home and play in front of so many people that I love and friends and family and local support. It normally seems like when you play in front of a bunch of support that you play well. Maybe it’s a comfort level. It can add pressure, for sure, but I think it just allowed me to enjoy the week.”
Barber said he enjoyed the contingent of Auburn fans who came out to the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Grand National this week.
“The amount of people that came out and watched every day was just awesome,” Barber said. “[I’m] very thankful for everyone that came out, a lot of ‘War Eagle’ and saying ‘good shot.'”
The former All-American was impressed by the quality of the inaugural Barbasol Championship.
“A lot of times a first-time event may not know how to run [a tournament],” Barber said. “Whether it’s the little things like locker rooms or dining or whatever, but they did just did an awesome job this week. The staff here and all the volunteers, they really put on a great event.”
Barber, who finished in a tie for 10th place with a score of 12-under par for the tournament, ended a streak of five consecutive missed cuts.
“Last week I was able to be home and practice and kind of sharpen some things up a little bit,” Barber said. “This starts a four-week stretch [of tournaments] for me, so hopefully I can get a little bit of momentum and get moving in the right direction.”
Las Vegas, Nevada, native Scott Piercy won the event with a score of 19-under par.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
