NAPA, Calif. – The first thing Bud Cauley remembers after the accident is seeing the paramedics who had pulled him out of the back seat of the BMW. The car had veered off the road, hit a culvert and gone airborne before striking a tree, then three others. The BMW finally came to rest in a ditch. Cauley, who was one of four people in the car, was having trouble breathing because he had a collapsed lung. He also had a concussion, six broken ribs and a fracture in his left leg. “It was really scary, first waking up,â€� Cauley recalls. “Obviously, first in your mind is your quality life going forward. And then I thought about … golf and was I going to be able to play again and play the same way. All those things I worried about for a while.â€� At 1 p.m. PT on Thursday at Silverado Resort, Cauley will tee it up in the Safeway Open. It will mark his first start on the PGA TOUR since the accident on that Friday night in June in Dublin, Ohio. Cauley, who had just missed the cut at the Memorial Tournament, has spent the last four months regaining his strength as well as his swing. He’s anxious to test his game and grateful for the support he’s received along the way. “Being out at the course these past couple days in Napa and all the guys that have come up – players, caddies, rules officials, people from the TOUR, just saying they’re happy to see me back,â€� he says. “It’s been really great.â€� Cauley says he wouldn’t have come to California if he didn’t think he could be competitive. He thinks his biggest challenge won’t be managing his game around the scenic North Course, though – it will be keeping his emotions in check.  “I’ve put in all the work at home to practice and get my game ready, and I have done everything I can (with) workouts, to get my body in shape,â€� he explains. “But I think a big thing for this week will be to manage my excitement and my nerves to go out there and kind of get back in the flow of it. Obviously having been four months since I teed it up is a long time for playing on TOUR.â€� And Cauley has been through a lot. Doctors inserted a tube to re-inflate the lung and another later to drain fluid from his chest that kept him in the hospital for several extra days. “I was awake for the first tube they put it, so that was not very much fun,â€� Cauley recalls. On the Sunday after the crash, Cauley also had surgery to attach titanium plates to four of the ribs to stabilize them. Those are a permanent addition – but luckily he didn’t set off any alarms as he went through airport security this week. “I was kinda worried about that when I flew out here,â€� Cauley says with a wry laugh. “But luckily, they didn’t stop me and I didn’t have to go through the whole spiel about why there were these things in my chest.â€� Turns out the broken bone in Cauley’s leg was the least of his worries. It was non-weight-bearing so it simply healed with rest. Once the fluid had drained, Cauley was able to leave the hospital. But he couldn’t fly so his parents came and took him to their home in Tennessee where he stayed for several weeks. Once he was well enough, his mother drove him to Florida. “I just sat in the back seat surrounded by pillows for the drive,â€� Cauley recalls. “And then once I got to their house they have a recliner in their living room, so I just put some more pillows in there, got a blanket and sat in the recliner.â€� At first, any kind of moment sent a searing pain into his chest. He had trouble sleeping and even taking a deep breath was problematic. “To watch some movies, if I ever laughed it hurt,â€� Cauley says “It was about as uncomfortable and as much pain as I’ve ever felt.â€� At first, the doctors couldn’t tell Cauley whether it would be a month, two months or three months before he healed enough to get back to playing golf. As it turned out, he hit his first ball, with a wedge, during the second week in August. Cauley took it slow, working his way through the bag, while listening to his body and taking days off when needed to heal. He consulted a doctor in south Florida and came up with a plan of attack. By early September Cauley’s golf game was starting to feel “familiarâ€� again. He put the pain in his rear-view mirror and was able to go about his business like he did before the accident. “Just to be able to go out there and work on my game and not be worried about it was kind of when I took a little bit of a breath was like … we’re going to be okay,â€� Cauley says. Good friends like Justin Thomas and Harold Varner checked in almost daily. And once Cauley started playing 18 holes regularly with buddies like Kevin Tway, Peter Uhlein, Rickie Fowler and Tom Lovelady, he knew he had turned the corner. Cauley still experiences occasional soreness in his chest and ribcage. He can manage the inflammation with ice, though, so he’s ready to go. “From where I was a couple of months ago to now is night day as far as how, how good it feels,â€� Cauley says. And it will feel even better on Thursday when Cauley gets his 2018-19 PGA TOUR season under way.
Bud Cauley returns to PGA TOUR after serious car accident
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2nd Round Match-Up – J. Day v M. Greyserman | |
Type: 2nd Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Jason Day | -190 |
Max Greyserman | +155 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – J. Day / J. Spieth / S. Noh | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jordan Spieth | +110 |
Jason Day | +135 |
SY Noh | +425 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – N. Echavarria / C. Reavie / K. Mitchell | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Keith Mitchell | -105 |
Nico Echavarria | +200 |
Chez Reavie | +300 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – M. Hubbard / M. NeSmith / D. Ghim | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Doug Ghim | +145 |
Mark Hubbard | +165 |
Matt NeSmith | +225 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – N. Lashley / A. Baddeley / M. Schmid | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Nate Lashley | +135 |
Matti Schmid | +160 |
Aaron Baddeley | +250 |
2nd Round Match-Up – N. Lashley vs M. Schmid | |
Type: 2nd Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Nate Lashley | -120 |
Matti Schmid | +100 |
2nd Round Match-Up – M. McNealy vs D. Ghim | |
Type: 2nd Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Maverick McNealy | -120 |
Doug Ghim | +100 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – K. Streelman / B. Wu / R. Shelton | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Brandon Wu | +160 |
Robby Shelton | +160 |
Kevin Streelman | +210 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – J. Hahn / Z. Blair / T. Montgomery | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Taylor Montgomery | +150 |
Zac Blair | +175 |
James Hahn | +200 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – M. McNealy / J. Bramlett / B. Kohles | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Maverick McNealy | +135 |
Joseph Bramlett | +175 |
Ben Kohles | +225 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – B. Martin / C. Hadley / C. Tarren | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Chesson Hadley | +150 |
Ben Martin | +165 |
Callum Tarren | +215 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – R. MacIntyre / T. Crowe / P. Fishburn | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Robert MacIntyre | +130 |
Patrick Fishburn | +190 |
Trace Crowe | +220 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – Z. Dou / C. Gotterup / R. Pereda | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Chris Gotterup | +110 |
Zecheng Dou | +175 |
Raul Pereda | +300 |
2nd Round Match-Up – C. Gotterup v M. Greyserman | |
Type: 2nd Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Max Greyserman | -125 |
Chris Gotterup | +105 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – J. Bridgeman / B. Hale / M. McGreevy | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jacob Bridgeman | +105 |
Max McGreevy | +145 |
Blaine Hale Jr | +400 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – J. Stanger / M. Meissner / R. McCormick | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jimmy Stanger | +150 |
Mac Meissner | +160 |
Ryan McCormick | +225 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – T. Olesen / W. Furr / P. Kuest | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Thorbjorn Olesen | +140 |
Peter Kuest | +160 |
Wilson Furr | +240 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – A. Smotherman / S. Valimaki / B. Hopfinger | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Sami Valimaki | +145 |
Austin Smotherman | +160 |
Brad Hopfinger | +225 |
Volvo China Open | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Sebastian Soderberg | -120 |
Paul Waring | +600 |
Guido Migliozzi | +1000 |
Adrian Otaegui | +1200 |
Joel Girrbach | +1800 |
Zander Lombard | +1800 |
Frederic Lacroix | +3500 |
Jesper Svensson | +5000 |
Kiradech Aphibarnrat | +6000 |
Jordan Smith | +6500 |
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2nd Round 3 Balls – L. Herbert / L. Oosthuizen / E. Lopez-Chacarra | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Louis Oosthuizen | +110 |
Lucas Herbert | +160 |
Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra | +320 |
2nd Round 3 Balls – D. Johnson / M. Leishman / A. Meronk | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Dustin Johnson | +160 |
Adrian Meronk | +175 |
Marc Leishman | +190 |
2nd Round 3 Balls – G. McDowell / B. Steele / T. Gooch | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Talor Gooch | +100 |
Brendan Steele | +180 |
Graeme McDowell | +320 |
2nd Round 3 Balls – S. Munoz / T. Pieters / B. Koepka | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Brooks Koepka | +110 |
Sebastian Munoz | +210 |
Thomas Pieters | +230 |
2nd Round 3 Balls – K. Na / D. Burmester / J. Niemann | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Joaquin Niemann | +110 |
Dean Burmester | +160 |
Kevin Na | +325 |
2nd Round 3 Balls – C. Tringale / A. Ancer / M. Kaymer | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Abraham Ancer | +110 |
Cameron Tringale | +170 |
Martin Kaymer | +300 |
3rd Round 2 Balls – K. Aphibarnrat v F. Schott | |
Type: 3rd Round 2 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Kiradech Aphibarnrat | -165 |
Freddy Schott | +125 |
3rd Round 2 Balls – N. Norgaard v M. Schwab | |
Type: 3rd Round 2 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Niklas Norgaard | -135 |
Matthias Schwab | +105 |
3rd Round 2 Balls – Z. Lombard v L. Jefferson Go | |
Type: 3rd Round 2 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Zander Lombard | -210 |
Lloyd Jefferson Go | +160 |
3rd Round 2 Balls – A. Otaegui v G. Brixi | |
Type: 3rd Round 2 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Adrian Otaegui | -340 |
Gordon Brixi | +240 |
3rd Round 2 Balls – G. Migliozzi v J. Girrbach | |
Type: 3rd Round 2 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Joel Girrbach | -120 |
Guido Migliozzi | -110 |
3rd Round 2 Balls – S. Soderberg v P. Waring | |
Type: 3rd Round 2 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Sebastian Soderberg | -165 |
Paul Waring | +125 |
Scottie Scheffler Specials | |
Type: Scottie Scheffler Specials – Status: OPEN | |
Win Any Remaining Signature Event | -200 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & US Open (Top 10 Finish) | +115 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +125 |
US Open (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +135 |
All Remaining Signature Events – Top 10 Finish | +200 |
PGA Championship (Top 5 Finish) & The Open (Top 5 Finish) | +200 |
US Open (Top 5 Finish) & The Open (Top 5 Finish) | +210 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & US Open (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +240 |
PGA Championship (Top 5 Finish) & US Open (Top 5 Finish) | +280 |
Win 2 Remaining Signature Events | +450 |
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PGA Championship 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +350 |
Jon Rahm | +1200 |
Rory McIlroy | +1200 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1600 |
Brooks Koepka | +2000 |
Xander Schauffele | +2000 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +2500 |
Collin Morikawa | +2500 |
Max Homa | +2500 |
Patrick Cantlay | +2500 |
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Requests | |
Type: Requests – Status: OPEN | |
Rory McIlroy – RBC Canadian Open Winner | +1000 |
Miles Russell – Win a Major before 30th birthday | +3500 |
Scottie Scheffler & Nelly Korda – Win All Remaining 2024 Majors | +50000 |
US Open 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +350 |
Jon Rahm | +1200 |
Rory McIlroy | +1200 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1600 |
Collin Morikawa | +2000 |
Viktor Hovland | +2000 |
Brooks Koepka | +2500 |
Cameron Smith | +2500 |
Patrick Cantlay | +2500 |
Xander Schauffele | +2500 |
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The Open Championship 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +500 |
Jon Rahm | +1000 |
Rory McIlroy | +1000 |
Viktor Hovland | +1100 |
Brooks Koepka | +2000 |
Cameron Smith | +2000 |
Cameron Young | +2000 |
Collin Morikawa | +2000 |
Ludvig Aberg | +2000 |
Jordan Spieth | +2500 |
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Requests | |
Type: Requests – Status: OPEN | |
The Open Championship – Alex Noren – Top 20 Finish | +200 |
Solheim Cup 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
USA | -140 |
Europe | +135 |
Tie | +1200 |
Ryder Cup 2025 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
USA | -135 |
Europe | +135 |
Tie | +1000 |