Before he even hit his first tee shot Sunday, a Regions Tradition volunteer announced his name as simply Doug Barron from Memphis, Tennessee, in a group sandwiched with two World Golf Hall of Famers.

On resume and name recognition alone, this isn’t where Barron would seem to belong. He was playing with four-time major champion Ernie Els and three-time major champion Padraig Harrington. Barron spent his career bouncing back and forth between the PGA and Korn Ferry Tours. He never won an event before playing on the PGA Tour Champions. He doesn’t have a Wikipedia page.

But it ended on the 18th green with Els denying Barron’s outstretched arm for a handshake and instead bringing him in for a hug. Barron had not only held his own against the legends around him, but beat them nonetheless. With a score of -17, Barron won the Tradition on Sunday at Greystone Golf and Country Club by two shots over runner-up Steven Alker.

Appearing cool on the outside, Barron contained what he described as throwing up on the inside to seal a win at the Tradition, the first major of the year on the PGA Tour Champions.

It’s only the third win of his career on any tour. It’s his first major championship. It, by far, is the most significant achievement of his golf career.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t judge myself on my golf,” Barron said. “If I did, I’d have a nervous breakdown cause my career has been like a roller coaster. I judge myself on just trying to enjoy life. This is just an honest-to-God bonus, it really is.”

“If I judged myself on golf, I’d have quit 20 years ago.”

Barron turned pro in 1992 playing on both the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry tour through 2012. But he never found much success. Barron played in 238 PGA Tour events and made only 12 top 10 finishes. He made the top five only five times. He never won. He missed the cut in more than half the events he played.

He played 137 events on the Korn Ferry Tour. He never won. Again, he missed the cuts in more Korn Ferry events than he made it.

He was suspended in 2009 for violating the PGA Tour’s performance-enhancing drug policy. He was the first player to ever receive that penalty. He sued the PGA Tour and was later granted a therapeutic use exemption for low testosterone.

But since a return to the PGA Tour Champions, Barron has found a renaissance. He joined the senior tour in 2019 and has played in now 82 events. He’s made the cut in all of them. He’s won twice before this weekend.

None were bigger than this week at the Regions Tradition. He’s played in this event now three times. He finished tied for 19th in 2021 and tied for ninth in 2022.

Now, Doug Barron is a senior major champion. His name will be carved on the same trophy with Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Tom Watson. To him, this is a dream come true. It’s far later than he ever imagined it would be. But the day came. He took pictures with the trophy and rode the Regions Bank-branded bicycle up the 18th fairway.

This is the biggest payday of his career. The winner of the Tradition collects a $390,000 check. It’s more in one week than he’s made in several of his previous professional seasons combined.

He did this by playing through pain. Barron wears a sleeve on his right elbow. He said he can’t play back-to-back events because of it. He still wakes up in pain. He said he hired a new trainer for this week and has a therapy wrap on his elbow that he sleeps that sends a current through his arm. It helps, some, but Barron still longs for the day he can wake up pain-free.

But a win here will numb some of it.

“I slept decent last night, but I woke up at four in the morning,” Barron said after his win. “I sleep to a lot of mediation stuff. But I’m gonna tell you, it was an emotional day.”

It’s hard to blame Barron for being nervous. His final group pairing was one thing. Steve Stricker, winner of three of the last four Traditions, was another.

But Barron held them all off. He never relinquished the lead Sunday. He never waved with a bogey-free 4-under-par round to win.

Before Barron hit his final putt. He took his hat off and swung his arms around his caddie. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with his towel. And when he pulled his final tap-in out of the cup, Barron looked to the crowd in grandstands around him and waved.

He looked back at his caddie and shrugged.

In victory, Barron is humble and understands the moment and how he fit in it. He appeared so genuinely happy to greet each person in a slew of photo ops holding the trophy after his win.

Yet that shrug seems to remind of how Barron said maybe this took a bit of luck. Tournament Director Gene Hallman said Barron reached out earlier this year asking for one of four sponsor exemptions into the field. Hallman hadn’t made a decision before Barron played well enough to qualify on his own. Maybe that’s why Barron still seems like he surprised himself that he got here.

But he’s here. He knows it now. And with that new check coming, Barron said it’s time for a nice dinner.

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at [email protected]