The RBC Canadian Open wrapped up on Sunday, and it was American Bud Cauley winning his first-ever PGA Tour event.
Cauley had a long road to his first win, which included a near-death car crash, which forced him to take years away from the sport and contemplate retirement. Following his win, the golf world was pleased to see him win the Canadian Open.
“such a great story about Bud Cauley..surviving a car accident in 2018 that left him with a collapsed lung, concussion, broken leg and broken ribs. He wins his first PGA tournament after coming up short in his previous 238 events. He claims the Canadian Open. Love sports,” a fan wrote.
“Congrats Bud. A well-deserved win and he’s a class act,” a fan added.
“In June of 2018 Bud Cauley was in a car crash that nearly ended his life. For years he dealt with the injuries that took him out of the game. 8 years later Bud Cauley, in his 240th pga tour start he gets his first win. What an unbelievable story. Well done,” a fan wrote.
Some fans, however, are annoyed that Cauley won and the big-name guys aren’t attending these events now with the new format.
“I’m sick of these nobody’s winning golf tournaments these days. I miss when it was Koepka (beauty) and Speith firing at pins on a crisp Sunday,” a fan wrote.
“Horrible field of winners this year on the PGA Tour. BOORRRRING,” a fan added.
“PGA Tour is an odd thing. Four times a year the golf matters more than anything on earth. Every other week we pick one luckbox and change their life,” a fan wrote.
Cauley shot -17, two shots ahead of second-place finisher Matt Fitzpatrick.
Bud Cauley Had Nearly Died in Car Crash
Cauley was a highly touted junior golfer but after years on the PGA Tour, he couldn’t win.
Then, in 2018, Cauley was involved in a car crash that nearly ended his life, and he admitted he was ‘lucky’ to be alive.
“I had a broken leg, collapsed lung, six broken ribs and a concussion,” Cauley said in PGA Tour’s documentary “Mindful”. “So they put me in the ambulance and that’s when I learned that I had fluid getting into my lungs.”
After the car accident and the long recovery ahead, Cauley ended up meeting his wife Kristi, and the pro golfer credits his wife for helping him return to the Tour.
“I couldn’t have gotten through any of it without my wife, Kristi,” Cauley said. “Three years is a long time. It was happening to me, but she was really going through it as much as I was.”
Cauley ended up having to step away again in 2020 due to complications from the car crash before returning to the Korn Ferry in 2024.
How Much Did Bud Cauley Win?
Bud Cauley won the RBC Canadian Open which earned him $1.76 million.
The payout for the top-10 of the RBC Canadian Open is as follows:
- WIN: $1,764,000
- 2: $1,068,200
- 3: $676,200
- 4: $480,200
- 5: $401,800
- 6: $355,250
- 7: $330,750
- 8: $306,250
- 9: $286,650
- 10: $267,050
The next event will be the U.S. Open at Shinnecock next weekend.
‘Such a Great Story’: Golf World Reacts to Bud Cauley Winning Canadian Open