In 2018, Bud Cauley was badly hurt in a car crash. He broke six ribs, broke his right leg, and suffered a collapsed lung. After years of recovery, he has made a strong comeback and will play in the final group at the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday. 

Cauley will begin the final round at TPC Toronto in Caledon, Ontario, just one shot behind leader Jackson Suber, according to the PGA Tour's X post on June 14.

He has shot rounds of 69, 63, and 66 so far. Cauley is now hoping to earn his first PGA Tour victory.

"I will say, just since I was injured and playing golf now and having gotten married and starting a family, I think my perspective has changed and my priorities, I think, are in order," Cauley said.

"So it's not the most important thing in the world to me. But it is very important. I work really hard at it, so that's why I come out here and play is to try to win tournaments."

Cauley’s return to golf was not easy. He was a passenger in a car crash in Dublin, Ohio, during the 2018 Memorial Tournament. He came back later that year and played well enough over the next two seasons to stay inside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings. 

But problems from the surgery he had after the crash forced him to undergo more operations. In total, he spent three years away from the PGA Tour before making his comeback. 

He returned to the PGA Tour at the 2024 WM Phoenix Open. He regained his tour card through a medical extension and had a strong 2025 season, recording four top-10 finishes and ending the year 47th in the FedEx Cup standings. In 2026, he has made the cut in 13 of his 15 tournaments. 

Justin Thomas has been in Cauley's corner throughout, and the two were teammates and roommates at the University of Alabama.

Justin Thomas Said He Would Do "Really, Really Weird Things" to See Bud Cauley Win

The bond between Cauley and Thomas goes back to their college days at Alabama. It hasn't faded.

At the 2025 Players Championship, where Cauley finished T6, Thomas made his feelings clear. He said he would "do some really, really weird things" to see Cauley get his first win.

Cauley acknowledged what that kind of support means on the road back. "I've obviously played golf my whole life and been able to meet a lot of great people and develop a lot of great friendships, him definitely being one of them," Cauley said. 

"So, you know, it's great to be doing this with really good friends and guys that support you and pull for you; that just makes it even more fun."

Cauley turned professional at the 2011 U.S. Open and earned tour membership through sponsor exemptions, with four top-15 finishes in seven starts.

Do you think Bud Cauley can close out his first PGA Tour win at the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday?

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Ankita Yadav