One of golf’s great redemption stories finally got its ending Sunday in Toronto.
Bud Cauley shot a final-round 65 to win the 2026 RBC Canadian Open at TPC Toronto, finishing 17-under to top Matt Fitzpatrick by two shots. It was his first PGA Tour victory, in his 239th start on Tour, 15 seasons after turning pro.
The win is about more than just a long wait.
Cauley was once considered one of the brightest prospects in the game, bursting onto the PGA Tour with five top-15 finishes in his first 11 starts. In 2011, he was among a rare group to go directly to the PGA Tour after college, a list that includes Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.
Then came June 1, 2018.
During the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio, Cauley’s career was turned upside down by a devastating car crash. He suffered a broken leg, collapsed lung, six broken ribs, and a concussion. He later described it as “the scariest night of my life.”
The road back was brutal and non-linear.
Cauley returned to play only four months after the accident, but still felt stabbing pain in his ribs with the slightest movements. Just before the 2021 Masters, he was forced to step away again after suffering complications linked to the plates inserted into his chest. Doctors attempted to remove them, but the operation was unsuccessful because bone had grown over the plates. He contemplated retirement and underwent several surgeries, spending three years away from the PGA Tour.
He returned at the 2024 WM Phoenix Open on a medical extension, recorded four top-10 finishes in 2025, and entered 2026 having made the cut in 13 of his 15 starts.
Sunday in Toronto, it all came together.
Cauley entered the final round just a stroke behind 54-hole leader Jackson Suber. He had to contend with a star-studded chasing pack. Sam Burns, Matt Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland, and Tommy Fleetwood were all in the mix.
Birdies on the 8th, then three in a row from 11 through 13, then another at 15 pushed him four clear with three to play. He took the lead for good with a birdie chip on the par-4 12th. Jim Nantz called it “the shot of a lifetime.” There were shaky moments late, but Cauley had built enough of a cushion to bogey 17 and still tap in for par on 18 to seal it.
For the week, Cauley picked up nearly eight strokes on the field on the greens with his Scotty Cameron putter. After the round he kept it simple: “I hit a lot of good shots. I made a lot of good putts. I got a great break on 16 which was nice.”
His wife and children were quick to join him on the green, and the tears were soon flowing.
“So many people helped me get here and I’m really thankful for the help I got over the years,” Cauley said. “I put my wife Christie through so much during those dark times and I hope this success is a bit of a thank you.”
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Cauley carries a laminated four-leaf clover in his golf bag, a gift from his grandfather who found it in his yard. It had failed to deliver a PGA Tour win for 239 starts. On Sunday in Canada, it finally did.
