Bar and McGuffin find each other, find their way to Championship Sunday

Tyson McGuffin was looking for a new partner and Dekel Bar was looking to get back on the medal stand.

Seems like a pretty decent idea to get these two together, so when McGuffin heard Bar was available, the two decided to give it a try.

And for the long-time players, two of the most-prolific winners on tour, it took them just three tournaments to get back to a Championship Sunday.

They’ll take on Ben and Collin Johns today for the men’s doubles title at the Desert Ridge Open, the second stop of the 2024 season on the PPA Tour. 

“I’ve been competing against Dekel the last several years, and it seemed like our mixture of offense and the ability to fight out there was a good mix,” McGuffin said. “There was a lot of variety and also our ability to play at a high level. Now here we are.”

They’ve arrived, and now a win against the seemingly unbeatable Johns brothers would solidify Bar and McGuffin as the team to beat in 2024, not bad for a team that just came together for the last tournament of 2023.

Bar hasn’t medaled in any discipline since April of 2023 when he and Collin Johns teamed up for second place, losing to McGuffin and Brendon Long at the Red Rock Open. Bar has medaled 16 other times on the PPA Tour, but other than April, it’s been since 2021.

Meanwhile, McGuffin is a regular on the podium, and no one is suggesting his game is slipping, but he hasn’t won gold in men’s doubles since August when he and James Ignatowich won against Riley Newman and A.J. Koller at the Vulcan Championships.

“Obviously, it’s not easy to win, but it’s easier with Tyson,” Bar said. “I’m glad we can play together. It’s hard to win, but we’ve put in a lot of work and I’m happy to be here.”

The two arrived in Arizona early to get ready, both getting here with more than a week to prepare, and after a busy Saturday where the two needed three games and a rally from 7-1 down in the third to get past Matt Wright and Ignatowich in the quarterfinals, then survived three games against Zane Navratil and Erik Lange in the semis for a 11-3, 5-11, 11-3 victory, it appears the prep work has definitely worked.

“We put in a ton of touches,” McGuffin said. “The cherry on top will be if we can beat Ben and Collin. ”If we bring our game and there are no dips in our level, we’re a tough team to beat.”