Barnes doesn't wilt in return after Open
CROMWELL, Conn. -- The U.S. Open and the Travelers Championship couldn't be more different. Even par at the former gives you a shot at golf immortality. Even par at the latter gives you the weekend off.
So how does a player like Ricky Barnes -- who sat at No. 519 in the world rankings prior to last week at Bethpage Black -- rebound from a heartbreaking second-place finish?
An opening-round 65 in the first round at the TPC River Highlands is a good start.
"I was really proud of myself to come out here and settle down so quickly into the round," Barnes said. "I just hit a lot of really good shots early on ... and just really settled in. And not only that, but how about a bogey-free round. If you would have told me I'd have a bogey-free round today whether I had five birdies or not, I would have been pretty stoked."
The California kid's 65 on Thursday equaled his best round of the year, which came a week ago in the second round of the U.S. Open. At the end of the day, he was tied for 8th, 4 shots behind Round 1 leader Kenny Perry, who tied the course record with a 61.
Barnes admitted the early wake-up calls and difficult conditions at the year's second major took their toll on him. But it was more mentally challenging than anything physical. And getting back inside the ropes was just what he needed.
Barnes was able to keep it in the short grass off the tee at the par-70, 6,844-yard layout. The 29-year-old, who ranks 167th in driving accuracy at 54.97 percent, found the fairway 86 percent of the time in the first round.
"I took a lot of stress off myself from being in the middle of the fairway and hitting quality shots," Barnes said.
Barnes was just one of a number of players who took advantage of pristine scoring conditions on a course that saw last year's champion, Stewart Cink, capture the 2008 title at 18-under par.
Among those jumping out to fast starts in the morning wave were Paul Goydos and Charles Warren with matching 63s. Goydos' round tied his best of 2009. For Warren, the 7-under day was his lowest number since a 62 at the 2005 Chrysler Classic of Greensboro.
While Goydos birdied one of the two par-5s, Warren took advantage of both as did Barnes.
Barnes also made up some shots with the flatstick. His 27 putts were more than 3 strokes less than his season average, where he stands 189th on the PGA Tour.
After Barnes' second-place finish last week earned him $559,830, he all but locked up conditional status on the PGA Tour for 2010. He currently stands at 78th on the money list. Another top-10 finish would likely clinch a spot inside the top 125 and keep the PGA Tour rookie from having to go to Q-school in the fall.
Will Barnes be able to shake off that final-round 76 at Bethpage Black and keep himself in contention this week for his first PGA Tour victory? That remains to be seen, but who would have expected the 519th-ranked player in the world to finish second at the U.S. Open?
Kevin Maguire is the golf editor of ESPN.com. He can be reached at Kevin.Maguire@espn3.com.
