“Someone said ‘You’re playing with house money’ and that’s kinda how I looked at it.”
PHOENIX — Who knew how important a tie for 32nd place could be?
Jason Caron can tell you. That finish he posted at the 2023 Senior PGA Professional Championship earned him a spot in the 2024 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.
He then went out and shot 69-70-67 before closing with a 66 to finish tied for fourth. That earned him a payday of $154,000, but more important, gained him access into more PGA Tour Champions events. Caron, 52, has played eight in all, missing just one cut and earning three top fours.
His most recent outing was a tie for third in the penultimate tournament in the Charles Schwab Cup playoffs and that punched his ticket to the season finale at Phoenix Country Club. Even better, by making the final 36, he earned a tour card on the Champions tour for 2025.
What a out-of-nowhere season for a guy who played 168 Korn Ferry Tour events and 65 PGA Tour events – his last full season there was 2003 – before deciding on a different path, moving on from competitive golf to be the head pro at Mill River in Oyster Bay, New York.
“Someone said ‘You’re playing with house money’ and that’s kinda how I looked at it,” Caron said after an even-par first round at the 2024 Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
Schwab Cup: Format, TV, prize money | Winners in 2024 | Money in 2024
Back in his days as a pro golfer, there was always the pressure to succeed because, after all, everyone needs a steady paycheck. But he’s had a great job for a while now and when discussing the sequence of events, Caron makes it clear that he’s found a perspective that lets him swing freely. Reaching the final stop of the year and earning playing status next year is just the cherry on top.
“It sounds, you know, really stupid, but it really didn’t matter to me because I have a job. Mill River is where I’m supposed to be so this was all kind of an added bonus this year. Never in my wildest dreams had I thought about being here [in Phoenix]. It didn’t cross my mind,” he said. “I can honestly tell you I really didn’t think about the consequences, I just played golf and I mean, the checks, like I said, are pretty cool when you play well and to be here is like, ridiculous.”
Caron owns the golf shop at Mill River, which he said will open around May 15. That frees him up to play from January up till the season starts on Long Island. He said he’ll play the majors during the summer then ramp it up again down the stretch in the fall. Without hesitation he said there was never a thought of leaving his club to play full-time.
“No chance, because I know that … listen, when you’re playing great, everything is amazing,” he said. “I’ve had when it’s not so good and it stinks and I know that.”
Steven Alker is familiar with Caron’s play but also his ascension. Alker won the Cup series title two years ago after coming out of nowhere himself. He Monday qualified into an event in 2021 where he finished top 10. Eight more top 10s later and he was a mainstay on the tour.
“I know he’s got good game because I played with him out on Tour,” Alker said. “He’s done the hard yards, he’s been around, he’s done Korn Ferry, he’s been on and off the PGA Tour. I think where he was and what he was doing as a club pro and to come out here, it’s exciting.”
Caron remembers battling to hang on to status with Alker back in the day.
“When we were playing, we weren’t world-beaters,” Caron said. “We were good and we played and kept cards and stuff like that but we weren’t the guys that were at the top and playing the PGA Tour and playing super well.
“It’s been awesome to watch, a guy that hasn’t had huge success in his early golf life but now he’s killing it.”
Will Caron follow the same path? Only time will tell. If not, he’ll be content to go back to his full-time gig on Long Island, where most people are fans of the New York sports teams.
Caron, though, grew up in Massachusetts and is a lifelong fan of the Patriots, Bruins and Red Sox.
“So I was not disappointed when the Yankees lost,” he quipped.
How it works
The Charles Schwab Cup Championship is a four-round, 72-hole, no-cut tournament.
Unlike the PGA Tour’s post-season – where the Tour Championship winner is declared the FedEx Cup champion – it’s possible to have someone win this event while someone else captures the Schwab season title.
The winner of the tournament wins the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. The winner of the season-long race is the Charles Schwab Cup champion.
