Hayden Buckley moved up eight spots on the Charles Schwab Challenge leaderboard on Friday. The PGA Tour Pro stands just two shots from the leader, Davis Riley. The Chattanooga native is on the hunt for his maiden PGA Tour silverware in his 76th start. 

Buckley has gone bogey-free in his last 26 holes, carding five birdies, including a 26-footer, on the cut day alone. As Buckley hopes to continue the trend of longshot winner in the PGA Tour this season, we explore the career and personal life of the 28-year-old PGA Tour Pro.

Tracing the steps that landed Hayden Buckley at Colonial

Buckley joined the tour in 2022, four years after turning pro. The former Tiger earned his card through the Korn Ferry Tour playoffs after falling outside the top 25 in the regular season. However, the 28-year-old earned enough points in the three-match playoff to seal his spot for the next season. 

Before the Korn Ferry Tour, Hayden Buckley played collegiate golf at the University of Missouri, which is also the alma mater of Peter Malnati. Both, in fact, played under the same coach, Mark Leroux. The Kiwi was, of course, his senior, and they didn’t play on the same team. In his sophomore year, Buckley had the lowest scoring average in the Mizzou roster.

Buckley was also a decorated player in high school. The PGA Tour pro won three state titles with his school, Tupelo. They also won four straight District Championship titles. Buckley featured in All-State in Mississippi for four years. Buckley studied health science at the University. Even though he played for the Tigers, it wasn’t until a round of 61 at Hawaii that he settled on becoming a professional golfer.

He later told Golf Digest, “[I]t was that defining moment where I was studying pretty hard, and I studied a little less hard after that because I knew that golf was something that I was going to pursue.” A career in athletics, though, almost seemed inevitable, considering his family background. The Hawaiian experience just kicked him into the right gear. 

Exploring Buckley’s family life

Hayden Buckley started his sports journey with baseball. His father, Bob Buckley, was part of the Ole Miss roster at the University of Mississippi. However, one year at the bench was enough to dash his hopes and move his focus to Biological Engineering. Interestingly, Buckley revealed that he started as a lefty as a toddler, however, his family members made him switch to right hand. 

Outside of golf, Buckley enjoys hunting and fishing. Buckley is engaged to Feleysa Nguyen, his longtime girlfriend. They got engaged in 2021. Per Golf Monthly, the pair met in middle school. But they reconnected after COVID. Although the PGA Tour mentions Feleysa as his wife, the pair have kept their personal life private.