AUBURN | If you walk down the aisle of an airplane sometime soon, don’t be shocked to see Bruce Pearl sitting in coach. It’s his style and a way to save the Auburn athletic department money when he travels, even if it means getting the shorthand of the stick like all of us before.

“I try not to get a middle seat, but every now and then, it happens,” the Auburn coach said.

Speaking with the media before the annual Bruce, Barkley and Basketball Golf Outing at Grand National, Pearl proudly stated that his program has been under budget each year he’s been at Auburn. This event allows the Tigers to do extra things that aren’t budgeted, such as Tip-Off at Toomer’s, foreign trips with players, and taking wives to tournaments during the holidays.

“We’ve been able to enjoy that ability to do that stuff over the years because of an event like this that raises the money for us to do the extra things that ultimately help our program be successful,” Pearl said.

Helping the cause is the appearance of Auburn legend Charles Barkley. As Pearl said about the event, “it would be incomplete without Barkley.” The NBA Hall of Famer was confident he would play a good round of golf while giving credit to those who have donated to the cause.

“I just want to thank, number one, all of the sponsors, but mainly these folks out here,” Barkley said. “For them to take time and pay money to play with us and raise money for the program is just awesome. I look forward to this tournament every year.”