Paul wrote:
....
So.. what to do? I either have to find a doorknob assembly with a
longer latch that will rest deeper in the strike or i have to find a
way to make the strike sit out further from the doorjamb? Or take the
door off the hinges and rework it so it's closer to the strike/
doorjamb? (don't like/think i need to do this last option)
....

The piece the door is pressing against is the "stop".

Adjust the catch away from the stop slightly so it doesn't require the
force to make it close. If you're lucky (and don't care about the
visual), that may be sufficient. May require filling the existing screw
holes (wooden kitchen matches are great for this purpose) in order to
drill a new pilot hole small-enough distance away from existing and also
might require a bit of carving on the latch recess hole to let the
strike/catch move.

Adjusting the hinges is probably all that would be needed to get an
additional eighth-inch or so that will be all that is enough, again if
the variable reveal around the door isn't that critical (and from the
tone of the post, I'm gathering it's the least of your concerns... ).

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