What Accident Caused 33-Year-Old Bud Cauley to Miss Three Years of PGA Tour Career?

The PGA Tour veteran, Bud Causey, thought that he might never play golf again, but now he is leading the Cognizant Classic with eleven under after two rounds. Although the Friday round had been suspended at the Classic, Cauley finished his 18 holes with an impressive birdie on the last hole.

After finishing 65 at the WM Phoenix Open, the match at PGA National is Cauley’s second start after three years of hiatus from professional golf. The 33-year-old had endured a near-fatal accident in 2016, which significantly impacted his life on and off the course and made him hang his boots until he could regain his health.

The debilitating accident and the recovery of Bud Cauley

After missing the cut at the Memorial Tournament in 2018, Bud Cauley was returning home when his vehicle ran off and met with a near-fatal accident. The after-effects had caused Cauley to sustain six broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and a fractured left leg. The pro was immediately under inspection at the Memorial Hospital. The next morning, he posted on Instagram, saying, “Lucky to be alive.” Cauley soon made a recovery and was back on the PGA Tour in the fall.

He played two full seasons after his accident. However, in 2020, the PGA Tour Pro suffered from major health challenges. Cauley started to experience pain around his once-broken ribs. After consulting a doctor, the 33-year-old was informed that bone had grown on the inserted plate and had to be removed from the body. Cauley immediately opted for surgery but after 12 days, things turned for the worse as the incisions popped and the one-time PGA Tour winner rushed to the emergency room. After such painful setbacks, Cauley had no choice but to take a step back from golf.

The 33-year-old started visiting physiotherapists and doctors on a regular basis. Cauley explained to PGATour.com that he went through a couple of more surgeries but they “didn’t heal very well,” and “everything that could go wrong seemed to go wrong,” He suffered a buildup of fluid (seroma) and a C. difficile infection. However, through perseverance, Cauley returned on the Tour, even when things were bleak. He explained that there were times when he believed his career was over. But now, “It just makes me that much more happy that I kept after it and didn’t stop trying,” said Cauley.

Recovering off the course made it hard for Cauley, making it difficult for him to envision his return to the Tour. However, with the support of his family and friends, particularly a 6-time PGA Tour winner, never left Cauley’s side.

Two-time major champions help Cauley

Justin Thomas and Bud Cauley have a common thread connecting them. When the latter was starting his professional career, Thomas was a junior at Alabama University. As an alum, Thomas looked up to Cauley and their friendship quickly blossomed. The testament of their friendship came after the accident. Thomas spent most of his time with Cauley at the hospital after the accident.

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And through the recovery, he had encouraged Cauley to play more through fun money games at South Florida, where, according to Thomas, Cauley gave the 30-year-old a run for his money. As the Florida resident returned on the Tour, Thomas was extremely happy and proud of Cauley. He wanted to play with his friend on the Tour again and his wishes were answered.

As Cauley has now made his bubbling return, Thomas shared his feelings on the same and stated, “The TOUR is a better place with BC out here.” Although the two are not playing at the Cognizant Classic, Cauley’s rise on the leaderboard must have made his friend proud.

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