Bud Cauley

William Carl "Bud" Cauley III was born on March 16, 1990, in Daytona Beach, Florida, and grew up to become one of the more compelling figures on the PGA Tour. His story is defined less by trophies than by one of the most improbable returns to professional golf in recent memory.

Cauley excelled as an amateur at the University of Alabama, earning three first-team All-American honors during his three years there. He was a member of the 2009 Walker Cup team, going 3-0-1 in his matches. He qualified for the 2011 U.S. Open after his junior year at Alabama and turned professional immediately, foregoing his senior season. His early PGA Tour results were strong -- he made cuts in his first four events and climbed to a career-high world ranking of 53 by September 2012. His lone professional victory came at the 2014 Hotel Fitness Championship on the Web.com Tour. In June 2018, a car crash in Dublin, Ohio left him with five broken ribs, a broken left leg, and a collapsed lung. Medical complications then kept him off tour until a Korn Ferry Tour event in January 2024, a gap of more than five years.

The turning point came at the 2025 Players Championship, where he shot rounds of 68-71-66-74 to finish tied for sixth, earning full PGA Tour status.

In 2026 Cauley posted a T26 at the PGA Championship at Aronimink, which represented a return to major championship competition for the first time in years.

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