When Bud Cauley was five years old, his father wrote “Be Humble, Bud” on the inside of his baseball caps the moment he started playing golf, and that simple phrase anchored his entire career. Family became the backbone of his life, especially after he met his wife, Kristi, in 2018 following the horrific car accident. Now a father to two sons, Cooper and Miles, Bud carries the weight of their support as he stands on the 18th green after winning his first PGA Tour title in his 239th start. Eight years after the devastating accident that sidelined his career, he hugged his family close and struggled to put the emotional moment into words, but his son knew exactly what to say.

During an interview with Amanda Balionis, Cauley held his youngest son close as he reflected on the victory. A simple comment from the youngster made the moment even more special.

“Good job, Dad,” his youngest son said.

“I hit a lot of good shots. I made a lot of good putts. I got a great break on 16, which was nice. I don’t know, I’m just very proud of the way I kind of kept going and continued to make birdies there on the back nine, and I’m just—I’m so happy,” Cauley said.

In the PGA Tour documentary, Mindful, Bud Cauley opened up about one lesson he learned from his dad. He always taught him, ‘Don’t stop running.’ With that in mind, he persevered through his dark years to make his comeback from a near-fatal accident in 2018. Eight years later, his victory at the RBC Canadian Open is a testament to that persistence.

Although Cauley came to Canada with an uneven season, yet he closed with a five-under 65 in the final round to reach 17-under for the tournament. He had entered the final round just one stroke behind the leader, Jackson Suber. The Sunday clearly turned the leaderboard into a statement.

Cauley differentiated himself in the final round, contending alongside Matt Fitzpatrick, Sam Burns, Viktor Hovland, and Tommy Fleetwood.

His front nine was steady, nothing flashy, but it kept him in contention. But his performance on the back nine changed everything. He made a tee shot to four feet on par-3 11th for birdie, then a par-4 12th from 93 feet in the rough as he holed out. In fact, Jim Nantz called it a shot of a lifetime. He then rolled a 13 and a half feet birdie on the 13th and a 15-footer on the 15th amidst heavy rains and winds. Though he did make a bogey on the 17th, he recovered quickly as he parred the 18th and became a PGA Tour winner.

The win came in Cauley’s 239th PGA Tour start, 15 years after he turned professional in 2011 and eight years after the car accident that sidelined him in 2018.

On June 1, 2018, Cauley had just missed the cut at the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio. He was seated by the passenger side as surgeon David Crawford drove the car. Unfortunately, he lost control of the vehicle on a residential street at 25 miles per hour. The car hit the culvert, slammed into the tree, and traveled 800 feet. Cauley suffered six broken ribs, a collapsed right lung, a fractured leg, and a concussion, and he later described it as the scariest night of his life.

The crash was nearly fatal and effectively took him out of competitive golf for a better part of six years, counting the two stints away. It is a miracle that he even tried those two attempts. He came back on the tour in September, just four months after the incident, and played through the fall of 2018 until he began feeling stabbing pain in his ribs with even minor movement. He held his card for the next two seasons. But in late 2020, the pain on his right side returned, and he was forced off the tour again. That second absence lasted three and a half years, and he finally returned to the PGA Tour competition at the 2024 WM Phoenix Open in February of that year.

“I put my wife Kristi through so much during those dark times,” he told Balionis after. “It’s just nice to have a little success. It’s kind of a thank you. Just so many people helped me get here. “I’m just really thankful for all the help that I’ve gotten.”

Cauley met his wife, Kristi, shortly after the accident. They met through a mutual friend. And he has always been clear about what that means to him.

“The worst thing that’s ever happened to me led to the best thing that’s ever happened. Had it not been for that car accident, I would have been out on the road playing golf.”

The couple got married in 2021 and welcomed their eldest son, Cooper William, in November 2022. Their youngest son, Miles Henry, who was seen congratulating his father on the 18th green on Sunday, was welcomed in January 2025.

Kristi, who has spoken openly about the dark years together, put it simply: what sharing the family together is like for them. “He’s a great father. When he’s here, he’s totally here. He’s doing all the school runs, all the drop-offs. It’s softened him up. It brings out his little playful side. ” Kristi said.

Cauley also said fatherhood recalibrated everything for him. He described how becoming a father changed what the sport meant to him, and it is no longer the whole picture.

“Getting married and starting a family changed my perspective a lot. I spend all day just thinking about them.”

Now, after years of setbacks, Cauley has completed his comeback, earning the $1.7 million winner’s prize. The win also earns him an exemption into next week’s U.S. Open in Shinnecock Hills. Now he goes to one of the most demanding venues in the major championship as a first-time Tour winner.