Bud Cauley
Cauley in 2014
Personal information
Full name William Carl Cauley III
Born (1990-03-16) March 16, 1990 (age 36)
Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[1]
Weight 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st)[1]
Sporting nationality  United States
Residence Jupiter, Florida, U.S.[1]
Career
College University of Alabama
Turned professional 2011
Current tour PGA Tour
Professional wins 2
Highest ranking 40 (June 14, 2026)[2]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour 1
Korn Ferry Tour 1
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament DNP
PGA Championship T26: 2026
U.S. Open T63: 2011
The Open Championship T32: 2013

William Carl "Bud" Cauley III (born March 16, 1990) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.

Early life

Cauley was born on March 16, 1990 in Daytona Beach, Florida,[1] where he was home schooled by his parents. He was ranked top-five nationally in junior golf and among top 15 in the world. As a junior golfer, Cauley was a member of the 2006 Junior Ryder Cup, and the 2008 USA Junior World Golf Championships team. He was also a co-medalist at the 2008 Toyota World Junior Amateur Championships. When Cauley moved up to amateur events he was ranked No. 1 in junior golf.

Amateur career

Cauley played college golf for the University of Alabama golf team, where he became one of the best in the program's history. He was a three-time first-team Golfweek All-American during his three years at Alabama. He was also a finalist for the Hogan Award, given to the best college golfer, all three years at Alabama. Cauley was a member of the 2009 U.S. Walker Cup team, where he posted a 3-0-1 record. In 2009, Cauley was the Southeastern Conference's Freshman of the Year. That year he captured his first collegiate victory at the United States Collegiate Championship. In 2008 he won the Players Amateur, qualifying him for the 2010 Verizon Heritage on the PGA Tour. He played in the 2009 and 2010 U.S. Amateur; in 2009 Cauley beat the world's No. 1 amateur, Rickie Fowler, in the first round of match play. He also won the Terra Cotta Invitational in 2008.

Professional career

After finishing his junior year at Alabama, Cauley qualified for the 2011 U.S. Open and turned professional, foregoing his senior season.[3] He made the cut at the U.S. Open, finishing T63 and guaranteeing a bypass to the second stage of Q School.[4] Cauley made seven cuts in eight PGA Tour starts that year, including a T4 at the Viking Classic and solo third at the Frys.com Open, earning a total of $735,150. He finished the equivalent of 116th on the 2011 money list, joining Gary Hallberg, Scott Verplank, Phil Mickelson, Justin Leonard, Ryan Moore, and Tiger Woods as those who avoided Q school and went directly to the PGA Tour after college.

In 2012, Cauley had four top-10 finishes; he was in the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking by the end of July of that year.

In 2013, Cauley made only 10 cuts in 24 events. He played in the Web.com Tour Finals and finished 18th to retain his PGA Tour card for 2014.

In June 2018, Cauley suffered five broken ribs, a broken left leg and a collapsed lung in car crash in Dublin, Ohio. In October 2018, Cauley returned to golf and he played some events over the next two years. However, he developed medical complications in September 2020. He did not play professionally until a Korn Ferry Tour event in January 2024.

In June 2026, Cauley won the RBC Canadian Open for his first PGA Tour victory in his 239th start.[5]

Professional wins (2)

PGA Tour wins (1)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 Jun 14, 2026 RBC Canadian Open −17 (69-63-66-65=263) 2 strokes England Matt Fitzpatrick

Web.com Tour wins (1)

Legend
Finals event (1)
Other Web.com Tour (0)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 Aug 31, 2014 Hotel Fitness Championship −20 (66-70-67-65=268) 1 stroke United States Colt Knost

Results in major championships

Results not in chronological order in 2020.

Tournament 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open T63 CUT
The Open Championship T32
PGA Championship CUT T33
Tournament 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
Masters Tournament
PGA Championship T37 T72 T26
U.S. Open CUT
The Open Championship NT CUT
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied for place
NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
The Players Championship CUT CUT CUT T47
Tournament 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
The Players Championship C T6 T32
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place C = canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

  • Junior Ryder Cup: 2006
  • Palmer Cup: 2009
  • Walker Cup: 2009 (winners)

See also

  • 2013 Web.com Tour Finals graduates
  • 2014 Web.com Tour Finals graduates

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Bud Cauley". PGA Tour. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  2. ^ "Week 24 2026 Ending 14 Jun 2026" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  3. ^ Ex-Tide star Bud Cauley making his pro debut today at U.S. Open
  4. ^ Former Alabama golfer Bud Cauley could skip 'Q' school
  5. ^ Shedloski, Dave (June 14, 2026). "It took longer than Bud Cauley ever dreamed. But finally, after 239 starts and years of uncertainty, he's a PGA Tour winner". Golf Digest. Retrieved June 15, 2026.