Nothing is promised. In life and golf. Bud Cauley would sure know it. The University of Alabama alum came out swinging harder than most others from the amateur circuit to the professional circuit. Just like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, a great group to be part of, Cauley never had to endure the travails of the Q School to mark an entry to the PGA Tour.

After turning professional in 2011, Cauley was a dependable performer on the course. But he never quite reached the heights he was expected to, failing to register a win on the Tour for 7 years. That was when the unfortunate thing happened – the car accident. Cauley suffered six broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and a broken leg on the Friday of the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio. “Thankful to be alive” was what the American golfer had to say at that time.

Surprisingly, he fought back to continue playing the same year, but the repercussions of the accident would be present, ready to give him a challenge yet again. Two years down the line, he was forced to take time off the Tour to deal with complications arising from the accident. It was nearly three years later that the then 33-year-old came back to the PGA Tour, and now he is shedding details on his journey.

Bud Cauley’s determination helped him bounce back

He made his comeback at the 2024 WM Phoenix Open. “It’s hard to put into words how much you kind of miss something when you grow up doing it every day and you play golf every day, and when it gets taken away, it does change your perspective on just how fortunate we are to be able to play golf and even to get to do the thing that you enjoy doing,”  Cauley had explained his state of mind then. He finished 65 then with a score of 2 under par.

Reflecting on his experience after Round 3 at the TPC Sawgrass, he took a nostalgic tone. He played in 17 PGA Tour events that year, making the cut in 10. Not bad for someone who hadn’t played on the circuit for nearly three years. “Obviously I was out for a long time, and it’s funny, when I first came back and started playing again, I really felt ready. Then I kind of reflected- my first tournament was Phoenix last year, and I kind of reflected on that this year playing Phoenix again.” 

“I’ve tried to just really practice with a purpose and just make little changes and just get a little bit better. I feel like some things are starting to come together that I’ve been working on for a while now,” Cauley stated. Well, whatever he is doing seems to be working. At the Phoenix Open this season, he finished at 21st, carding 10 under par. Now, he is currently one stroke off the lead at the ongoing PLAYERS Championship and stands a chance to claim his first ever PGA Tour title on the day of his 35 birthday. Considering the tough journey he has been through, that would be the poetic path that he would be taking.

The Stadium Course has posed strong challenges to all the golfers that have come against it, with even the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele struggling. But not Bud Cauley. He has given a wake-up call to the top pros that they should indeed get too comfortable as he and other rising pros like him are ready to take the leaderboard by storm. Scheffler had expected to achieve a remarkable three-peat at the PLAYERS this year, which he still could since R4 play remains, but overcoming a 7-stroke difference at TPC Sawgrass isn’t a cakewalk.

Cauley has been through tougher times and tougher situations. That has given him a change of perspective that has allowed him to stay focused. “Yeah, it does. It makes you appreciate things a lot more, and yeah, as far as even my golf goes, it does put that in perspective. When I do have bad days, it’s not the end of the world. Just come out and try again tomorrow,” he said.

Throughout all this, his source of support was his life partner, Kristi Cauley. He married Kristi in 2021 and also has two kids. Their presence in his life has been one of the biggest motivating factors for the golfer; “Well, I thought the car accident was life-altering, and then we had a couple kids, and that was really life-altering.”

While his family is one of his biggest support systems, Cauley is also close friends with Justin Thomas as the duo went to the same college, where Cauley was the latter’s senior.

Bud Cauley‘s friendship with Justin Thomas

Thomas had stood by Cauley during his difficult times. The two-time major winner was by Cauley’s side during the night after his accident, and both their families have a close connection.

“I’m really happy and proud of him because I know he’s had a lot of time and thinking of is this going to ever get fixed, is it going to be cured, am I going to play golf again. I know how good Bud is, and I know his raw talent. I just wanted to keep him positive and keep telling him because my thing I always said is it’s going to work out … just time will heal,” Thomas explained about Cauley to PGA Tour.com last January.

While they are still competing on the same turf, fighting for the same title, Thomas would probably be very happy to see his friend finally hitting his true potential, and that too in a stage meant for the best of the best.

“It’s been great. He’s obviously had an amazing career, and I try to pick his brain sometimes when I can if we’re out playing. But even more than that, it’s not even really golf-specific. It’s just we talk more about life and stuff like that than we do about golf,” Cauley stated after Day 3 proceedings at the TPC Sawgrass.

For Cauley, the friendship needs to take a backseat for now. Thomas will be another competitor he needs to beat to achieve his goal. Weather is also expected to play spoilsport on the last day of the PLAYERS Championship. Do you think Bud Cauley can trump the strong field against him and lay his hands on the coveted PLAYERS championship trophy?