It was the night of June 1, 2018, when Bud Cauley's life as he knew it was taken from him, forever altered. Eight long years later, he finally got a piece of it back.
Cauley, whose burgeoning golf career was sidetracked that night when he was seriously injured in an auto accident, never gave up on the game he loved.
And on Sunday, finally, it loved him back.
Cauley birdied four holes in a five-hole stretch on the back nine at TPC Toronto to capture the RBC Canadian Open for his first career PGA Tour victory, fending off world No. 4 Matt Fitzpatrick in the 239th start of his long-interrupted career.
"Well, there were times when I was hurt that we really weren't sure if I was going to be able to play again," said Cauley, now 36 years old. "So there were moments and conversations that [wife] Kristi and I had where we didn't know if it was going to work out. Once I was able to start playing again and I felt more comfortable with my body and it holding up -- I've always believed in my ability to play golf and play the game and be competitive. I knew I could win, but I also knew that I needed to prove it to myself and go out and do it."
On a Friday night in Dublin, Ohio, after missing the cut at the 2018 Memorial, Cauley was a passenger in a car when an accident left him with six broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a broken leg.
He actually returned 18 weeks later and played into 2020. But complications developed, and Cauley did not play for three years, finally returning in 2024 on the Korn Ferry Tour. He had some good results after his return, notably a tie for sixth at the 2025 PLAYERS Championship and for seventh at this year's RBC Heritage. He has missed only two cuts this season, now with six top-25s.
"I'm playing really solid golf, but it's like I'll make a couple birdies and then make a bogey and it kind of kills my momentum. Where, this week it seemed like when I made a birdie, I was able to back it up with a couple and really kind of keep that momentum going."
Playing in rainy conditions, Cauley emerged from a crowded leaderboard with a miracle chip-in on No. 12 to grab the solo lead. Jim Nantz on CBS proclaimed, "That's the biggest shot of his career!"
Cauley went on to birdie 13 and 15, allowing him to withstand a bogey on 17.
The victory, besides the standard two-year Tour exemption and entry into the 2027 Masters, also got Cauley into the top 60 of the Official World Golf Ranking at No. 40, which means he will also be in this week's U.S. Open.
Cauley is a very popular player on Tour, a lot of guys like him, and Cauley said that means a lot to him.
"It does, it means a lot," he said. "I've played the game my whole life and all of -- I mean, basically everyone I know is through the game of golf. So not just guys out here, but even my friends at home that don't play professional golf. But to have your peers, you know, like you, I guess, and think you're a pretty good guy is, you know, means a lot. Like I said, I'm lucky to play this game and to get to be around all these guys every week too."
MONDAY BACKSPIN
Matt Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick had definitely cooled off from his winning ways of March and April. So this runner-up on the eve of the U.S. Open was quite welcome. He ranked fifth in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach and 13th in SG: Putting, showing that his game is sharp.
Viktor Hovland
The news couldn't be better for Hovland. He didn't play the Memorial because of a back injury, and didn't enter the Canadian Open till the last minute. So, to finish third -- while leading the field in Strokes Gained: Approach -- makes Hovland a lot more interesting at the U.S. Open.
Jackson Suber
What's gotten into Suber? He just registered his second fourth-place finish in his past three tournaments. Granted, he hasn't played many PGA Tour events (42), but to match your best finish so soon after setting it speaks to a golfer turning a corner. And in between, Suber qualified for this week's U.S. Open. And the week after, he'll be in the Travelers Signature Event thanks to being in the Aon Swing 5.
Jimmy Stanger
What a stretch of golf for the 31-year-old journeyman ranked in the 700s of the OWGR. In late May, he qualified for the U.S. Open. And this week he notched his best finish on Tour, a tie for fourth.
Jesper Svensson
Svenssson made only 2 of his first 9 cuts on the season. Now he's made two in a row, and what a two they are. He tied for ninth at the Byron Nelson and now for fourth in Canada. He is ranked second on Tour in driving distance.
Ryan Fox
The defending champion acquitted himself nicely with a tie for eighth, and that'll be a confidence booster heading into the U.S. Open.
Wyndham Clark
Clark faded a bit on Sunday, but only into a tie for 11th. He played well for three days, on top of winning the Nelson a few weeks back and then tying for third at the Memorial. He is on a heater heading into the U.S. Open.
Tommy Fleetwood
Fleetwood entered Sunday with a chance to win. But he managed to shoot only an even-par 70 and wound up tied for 11th.
Jacob Bridgeman
Bridgeman had been struggling. He has nine top-25s on the season but none of them had come in his prior six starts. So his tie for 11th came at just the right time.
Alex Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick couldn't register another top-10. Then again, this wasn't a Signature Event and that's where he has shined. Tying for 20th is still pretty shiny, even in a weak field.
Sam Burns
Burns wasn't gonna win, but a double bogey on 16 and a bogey on the 18th dropped him all the way to 20th place. He's certainly been having trouble on Sundays recently.
Collin Morikawa
All is right with Morikawa, at least physically. He missed the Memorial not because of injury but because he and his wife were having their first child. He wasn't great this week in Canada, but he got in all four rounds and tied for 29th.
Adam Hadwin
Hadwin has all but fallen off the face of the PGA Tour map. Once ranked as high as 35th, he's now outside the top-250 and has been relegated to the Korn Ferry Tour. But, being Canadian, he got a sponsor invite into his national championship. He wasn't great, but he did get to play all four rounds while tying for 40th.
Ben James
It was a fairytale for two rounds but no fairytale ending. James, the University of Virginia standout playing in his pro debut, grabbed the 36-hole lead with a 67-63 start. But it all came crashing down with a Saturday 78, and James wound up in a tie for 54th.
Brooks Koepka
Koepka had to withdraw before the final round with a mysterious hand injury. He was off to a great 64-68 start. He suddenly struggled on Saturday, unable to grip the club, but still shot 72. He called it quits before Sunday's round. There is no word whether Koepka will be able to play in the U.S. Open, which is being held at Shinnecock, where he won his career major in 2018.
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