As the PGA Tour heads into the most important part of its schedule, we catch up with Darlington-based Callum Tarren on his start to the year, his thoughts on the changes to the structure of the tour, and what his plans are this summer…
How has the opening part of the 2024 season gone?
Being totally honest, I’d say my results have been very average. I struggled with my game and that’s shown in the fact I’ve only made four cuts so far. I’ve made a slow start to the last two seasons on the PGA Tour, so this isn’t new for me.
Golf is a crazy game. Despite what the results look like on paper, good performances feel close. Until you start showing consistency and putting results on the board though, you question when they’re going to come.
In February and March, I wasn’t in a good place and was letting poor golf affect me. That happened in 2023 too.
I was supposed to fly to Puerto Rico, but I needed to press the reset button. I got some good work in, accepted that what happens will happen, and set out to do my best. Since then, I’m in a better place mentally and I’m enjoying golf more. I had a good result at the Zurich Classic with David Skinns [T11] before a quick trip home, and now is the time to push on and get some points on the board. I’ve been here before and managed to have a strong second half of the season. I know how to get on with it.
What have the changes to the structure of the tour been like for you?
The changes have been huge and while there have been some rumblings, they’ve all gone through very easily. The cut in the number of players making it to the playoffs was kind of crazy, but there are a lot of guys out here and there are a lot of opinions on what has been good and bad. The guys in the signature events have a very different schedule now, and there is definitely a divide. I think the tour is in a bit of a pickle at the moment on all this stuff, and who knows what it will look like in the future?
No matter how you structure things, there’s a point where you have to look at yourself in the mirror and understand that all you need to do is play better – that’s the key to golf at any level.
What’s your plan this summer?
The goal is the same as always – to keep progressing. A solid June would mean a lot for my season for sure. As always, good golf will take care of a lot of things.
Good golf is going to come and I need to capitalise on it when it does. I feel like every week out here suits my game, so it’s about seeing some consistency. From there, it would be great to put a string of performances together.
I know my game is good enough to win, it’s just hard to do. Outsiders have great weeks all the time, and I want to capitalise on that when it’s my week.
I’ve been a professional for 10 years and it doesn’t get any easier as you move up the levels. When I look at each of my seasons as a pro, I’m still on a positive trend.
I’m calm about what lies ahead because I’ve been in this position before and dug it out of the dirt. I’ll rely on that experience in the next few months and have a positive end to the 2024 season. I know it’s in there, I’ve just got to keep plodding on.
