Ricky Barnes Tries to Build on 2nd Place Finish at Bethpage Black

Ricky Barnes finished in the top 25 on the Nationwide Tour money list last season, and for the first time in his then-five-year professional golf career, he had earned his PGA Tour card.

Success has been fleeting for the 2002 U.S. Amateur champion, who was also the low amateur at the 2003 Masters. From 2005-2008, Barnes competed in just five PGA Tour events as a professional, making two cuts. This year, he's played 13 tournaments, played on the weekend seven times, including a second-place finish at Bethpage Black last week (although prior to the U.S. Open, his best finish was a T47 at the St. Jude).

It's all about perspective, though, and if you had told Barnes he'd fire a 2-under par over five grueling rounds in soggy conditions, he would have gladly taken it. Of course, Early Saturday, he was sitting at 11-under, six shots clear of the field, setting the 36-hole Open scoring record. So what now?

For starters, Barnes' performance at Bethpage earned him almost $560,000, and a place in the '09 British Open, as well as the '10 Masters and U.S. Open. And more than that, he jumped from 519th to 153rd in the world rankings.

``I don't know if I made that many mental club errors or if I would have played it differently,'' said Barnes, only the fourth player in U.S. Open history to reach double digits under par and the third to fail to hold it. ``I just needed to hit better shots.'' ...

``I think if you don't take something out of even really good rounds and really bad rounds, then you're probably not suited for the game,'' he said. ``You probably learn more when you play bad than when you actually play good, because when you play good, nothing bothers you.''

If true, then Barnes may be ready for a breakthrough because he's struggled in limited appearances on the big tour. He'll be in Hartford, CT this week for the Travelers. He looked exhausted when he arrived at the course yesterday afternoon, but that's to be expected -- he just wrapped up the most intense week in his professional career.

And while a second-place finish in the biggest tournament in the United States doesn't necessarily portend success, golf is just as much about confidence as it is about execution. See David Duval, for example.