The Memorial Tournament in 2018 will forever be a turning point in Bud Cauley’s career. That was when his accident happened. Cauley, who was in the passenger seat during the car accident in Dublin, Ohio, suffered from six broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and a broken left leg. But Cauley never gave up though. Four months later, he was back on the Tour. However, complications from the accident did persist and three years later, in 2021, Cauley had to take a long-term withdrawal to recover. He finally made his first appearance at the 2024 WM Phoenix Open, and now more than a year later, Cauley is being talked about admirably, and for all the right reasons.

His efforts in the 2025 PLAYERS Championship were admirable wherein showed that he could compete with the best if need be. While Rory McIlroy earned the plaudits deservedly, Cauley’s journey in itself is undoubtedly inspiring. But hey, losing hurts, no matter how many times you lose. This was the case with Cauley too. Speaking to Gary Williams on the 5 Clubs show on the Golf Channel, Cauley expressed his true feelings.

He still believes that the first prize is the best prize there is and that is what he constantly aims for. You see, he was in contention for victory by the third day, second on the leaderboard, and one stroke off JJ Spaun in first. He did not capitalize much on the advantage on day 4, which happened to be on his birthday, but nevertheless, he did not slip as well. But what would sting, is that the eventual winner, Rory McIlroy. That too because McIlroy was placed 2 spots below him at the end of day 3. “It’s tough. Unless you win, you are never completely happy,” he shared.

“When I woke up Monday morning last week, I didn’t even know if I was going to be able to play,” he also revealed. Cauley was playing on the PGA Tour with a Major Medical Exemption. It meant that he had 27 starts to earn a PGA Tour Card. He was an alternate at the PLAYERS Championship and only got a chance to compete after Lee Hodges withdrew from the competition. The uncertainty regarding his appearance made his performance even more special.

He finished sixth at the TPC Sawgrass and with that finish, he regained his PGA Tour card. That means he does not need to rely on his Medical Exemption anymore to play on the Tour; “To play the way that I did and have a good finish and not to worry about my medical anymore. There are a lot of positives I can take away from that.”

While Bud Cauley’s journey is inspiring, and the world waits for his maiden win, there will be at least one face on the PGA Tour, that will be happy with Cauley’s continued appearances. Its none other than Justin Thomas, who was best man at Cauley’s wedding, and had been rooting for his college senior.

Justin Thomas awaits Bud Cauley’s win

The day of the accident was a pretty hard one for the two-time Major winner. Competing in the Memorial Tournament, Thomas “couldn’t hit a shot, couldn’t play a hole, without thinking about him.” Thomas made sure that Cauley would have all the support he needed to get back to where he was. “When he was going through everything, just trying to be a friend, just like I would to anybody, let alone just a peer out here. We just tried to keep his spirits up as much as possible because it’s pretty hard to do that.”

If and when Bud Cauley lifts his first trophy on the Tour, you can be sure that Justin Thomas will be celebrating with him. “Bud’s one of my favorite people in the world. I’m rooting for him so hard. He’s crazy talented. It would be a crime if he doesn’t win at some point on Tour. He’s got one of those games where he could play out here for a long time.”

Bud Cauley’s journey is a testament to what sports mean to people. It is a clear indicator of what happens when you refuse to give up and keep fighting for that one goal in your mind. Do you think Cauley can make further waves on the PGA Tour this year itself?