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via Imago

via Imago

Being a professional golfer is a tough job. It is especially so when the athlete suffers an accident that, later on, forces one out of the sport for three long years. This was the case with Bud Cauley. Nevertheless, it appears the golfer has made his comeback to the Tour with the drive to win on the same. However, he wouldn’t have been able to do so without some form of support off the greens.

Yes, we are talking about his family, or more specifically, his soulmate. Although the American has a professional win to his name on the Web.com Tour which, undoubtedly, stands for his talent, his current comeback would not have been possible without the special person to whom he has pledged his life. 

Meet Bud Cauley’s soulmate

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Hailing from Miami, Florida in the U.S., Kristi McDonald Cauley was born on September 23, 1994. The two got engaged on the 25th of December, 2019, just a year after his accident, as the professional shared a picture of the duo on his Instagram account along with the caption, “She said yes!”  The lovebirds then tied the knot later on in 2021.

 

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A post shared by budcauley (@budcauley)

The 29-year-old has dedicated herself to her soulmate, providing unwavering support to the athlete’s professional career, even when he had to take a break from the game owing to the accident in 2018. Unfortunately, Cauley was forced to step away from the sport a year after he got engaged, i.e., in 2020 due to some complications that arose as a result of the same. But even so, the pro’s partner kept by his side, through thick and thin.

Cauley’s accident and his wife’s support

Back in 2018, at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, the golfer suffered a car accident that left him with six broken ribs, a collapsed right lung, and a fractured left leg. After surgery and recovery, he came back in the fall of 2018 and played two more seasons after which he proposed to Kirsti, his girlfriend. But, come the fall of 2020, his right side began to hurt forcing him to step away. Interestingly, it was his wife who noticed something was wrong as she found a hole in his side when he took his shirt off.

Although the time since then has been filled with doctor’s visits and physiotherapy clinics, the following year was, no doubt, a memorable one for the athlete. The two soulmates got married on October 23, 2021, following which he shared a post of the same on his social media handle with the caption thanking everyone who attended; “Thank you to everyone who came and shared the weekend with @kristimcdonaldd and I. Kristi, I love you so much. You make me feel like the luckiest guy in the world. We’re MARRIED!”

 

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Such a declaration a year after being forced away from the game surely hints at the amount of backing and support that she, as his loving partner and soulmate, was able to give him. That’s not all. Two years after he announced his break, his wife gave birth to his first son, another indication of the love that the two shared.

Bud Cauley and Kristi McDonald’s son

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The golfer and his wife welcomed Cooper William Cauley, on the 14th of November, 2022. They shared an adorable picture of the small baby who was born at 9:54 P.M. right before his due date. What’s more, they did so with a caption, “We will never be the same!” indicating the tremendous change the little boy would bring into their life.

 

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A post shared by Kristi (@kristinacauley)

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Now, more than a year later, Cauley is back on the PGA Tour aiming for his first win on the Jey Monahan-led circuit. Moreover, he would be hoping to increase his tally of professional wins to two, the last of which came on the Web.com Tour at the Hotel Fitness Championship in 2014. His family would have undoubtedly been providing him with immense support on and off the course to push him toward the comeback he always deserved at the WM Phoenix Open. A truly inspirational story of hard work and determination.

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