Bud Cauley has returned to the scene and near the top of the leaderboards on the PGA Tour in 2025.
The man born William Carl Cauley III played in the Junior Ryder Cup in 2006. This proved to be the first significant step on his way to becoming the best-ranked men’s amateur in the world.
Cauley went to the University of Alabama to play college golf where he rubberstamped his place as one of the world’s best amateurs. He played in the 2009 US Walker Cup side and earned three points against Great Britain and Ireland at Merion in Pennsylvania. Also playing at that Walker Cup were Rickie Fowler, Peter Uihlein, Brian Harman, Cameron Tringale, and Tommy Fleetwood.
After finishing his junior year at Alabama, he qualified for the US Open in 2011 at Congressional – the year Rory McIlroy romped to victory. He hasn’t yet won on the PGA Tour but did win the Hotel Fitness Championship on the Web.com Tour in 2014 – now the Korn Ferry Tour.
In 2014, Cauley required shoulder surgery and missed 14 months of competitive golf, which was a huge setback. In June 2018, he was injured in a car wreck and missed another four months.
Bud Cauley accident
Cauley was in a car being driven by surgeon David Crawford and two other passengers. Crawford lost control of the car, hit a culvert on the right side of the street and flipped in the air. The car landed in the front yard of a house belonging to American hockey player Brandon Dubinsky.
Cauley was struggling to breathe and couldn’t move in the wreckage. Crawford was more than twice over the legal drinking limit to drive in Ohio. One passenger Tommy Nichols broke 23 bones and Cauley broke seven ribs, punctured and collapsed a lung and had a broken bone in his leg.
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In September 2020, Cauley didn’t hit a golf ball for three years due to complications from the crash. In February 2024, he played in the WM Phoenix Open which was his first tour start in over 1,200 days. He is currently able to play on the PGA Tour with a major medical extension.
At the start of the 2025 season, he came tied for sixth at the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass and tied for fourth at the Valspar Championship. His upturn in form at the start of the 2025 season represented a remarkable turnaround in his life.
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Bud Cauley | Player Profile
Personal Information
Name: Bud Cauley
Born: March 16, 1990
Nationality: American
Residence: Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Career
Turned Pro: 2011
Professional Wins: 1
Highest World Ranking: 53
Best Results In Majors
Best Finishes:
– Masters Tournament – DNP
– PGA Championship – T33
– US Open – T63
– Open Championship – T32
Professional Wins – 8
2014 – Hotel Fitness Championship (Web.com Tour)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Bud Cauley
What happened to Bud Cauley?
Bud Cauley was involved in a car crash in Ohio in 2018, shortly after missing the cut at the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village.
He, David Crawford (the driver), former hockey player James Wisniewski, and a pharmacist named Tommy Nichols were in a car that lost control on a residential road, landing into trees and eventually stopping in the front yard of American Hockey player Brandon Dubinsky.
Crawford was over the legal drinking limit. Nichols broke 23 bones and Cauley broke seven ribs, punctured and collapsed a lung and had a broken bone in his leg.
How tall is Bud Cauley?
Bud Cauley is five foot and seven inches tall.
How old is Bud Cauley?
Bud Cauley was born on March 16, 1990. He celebrated his 35th birthday in 2025.
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