Can a PGA club professional win the oldest senior major in men’s professional golf?
Jason Caron, 52, broke par for the third consecutive day on Saturday, shooting 1-under 71 at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, to share the 54-hole lead at the Senior PGA Championship.
Caron earned his card on PGA Tour Champions this season but continues to split time as pro at Mill River Club in Oyster Bay, New York. Last year, Caron was the Cinderella Story of the Senior PGA, finishing T-4. Asked if a year later, he’s become comfortable playing with the likes of Padraig Harrington, who he was paired alongside on Saturday, Caron said, “A year ago, I definitely would have said, ‘Whoa, this can’t happen.’ Now that I’ve played, let’s just say, maybe 20 events, I feel much more comfortable. I look at it and I go, ‘listen, it’s going to be what it’s going to be. If I play my golf and if I play well, it could finish high up there, and it’s happened already.’
“I think deep down, I know it could happen. Will it happen? I have no idea. But yeah, I feel pretty comfortable with it.”
Major champions Retief Goosen, Angel Cabrera tied for Senior PGA lead
It won’t be easy against a leaderboard of players who have been there, done that. Two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen and two-time major winner Angel Cabrera, who won a senior major just a week ago, were among those tied for first going into the final round, with British Open champ Stewart Cink and LIV’s Lee Westwood one stroke back and a group including major winners Harrington, Vijay Singh and Y.E. Yang two back. The 11 golfers on or close to the lead have combined to win 13 major championships.
“All the guys that have really done it on hard golf courses really rise to the top and seem to grind it out more maybe a little bit more than certain players,” Goosen said. “I certainly grinded it out today.”
Caron isn’t the only unheralded pro in contention. Phillip Archer, who was winless during his DP World Tour career, is among the 54-hole leaders too, and relishing his chance on Sunday.
“It’s why you spend all the time on the range hitting ball after ball to be in this sort of situation and this sort of company and all that stuff,” he said. “I played a long time on the European Tour, but you’ve grown up watching these guys win tournaments and majors, and yeah, you’re in their company, and you’ve got to tell yourself you belong there.”
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