Three years ago, Aaron Wise walked away from professional golf. On Saturday at the John Deere Classic, he sat down and explained what that time away actually looked like and the mental health journey it took to come back.

On Saturday, he spoke with CBS's Amanda Balionis on July 5 after completing a 4-under 67 in the third round at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.

"Yeah, it's been long and difficult, and like you said, I've done a lot of great things in the game, but I was in a place where it was harmful for me to be out here and playing," Wise told Balionis a video shared by Golf on CBS on X.

"Like I wasn't myself. I wasn't enjoying it anymore, and took a step back and met some great people along the way who helped me with my journey. And you know, feel a lot calmer, feel a lot like I can enjoy it a little bit more being out here."

Wise said the long break made him appreciate the work required to compete at the highest level, adding that he spent long days practicing at home to regain tournament form after nearly two years away.

The 29-year-old was once considered one of golf's brightest young talents. He won the 2016 NCAA individual title while at the University of Oregon and broke through on the PGA Tour with a victory at the 2018 AT&T Byron Nelson Championship in just his 26th start. The win helped him climb to a career-high world ranking of No. 33.

The 2023 Masters withdrawal marked the start of a long absence. He played just four more events that year, followed by one PGA Tour start in 2024 and 12 combined PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour events in 2025. This week is his seventh PGA Tour start of 2026 and his first made cut of the season.

He enters Sunday's final round five shots behind the leaders. The golfer is tied for 12th. It is his best position on the PGA Tour since finishing sixth at the 2022 CJ Cup.

Aaron Wise looked like a future star. Then golf got hard

Wise shattered the AT&T Byron Nelson scoring record with a final-round 65. He finished at 23 under par, beating Marc Leishman by three strokes at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas.

He broke a nine-year-old tournament record previously held by Rory Sabbatini. His win moved him from 99th to 66th in the world rankings. He then finished solo 17th at the 2019 Masters, his first trip to Augusta National.

By the end of the 2021-22 season, Wise had climbed to a career-high world ranking of 33rd, posting four top-10 finishes, including a runner-up finish at the Memorial Tournament. He later qualified for the 2023 Masters by ending 2022 inside the world's top 50 according to the PGA Tour website.

Should he finish tied for 12th or better on Sunday, it would be his highest PGA Tour finish since sixth at the 2022 CJ Cup.

What do you think about Aaron Wise's mental health journey and his return to the PGA Tour? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav