Bud Cauley is skipping a lot of school these days. In June, he left Alabama a year early to turn pro. Four months later he is in position to avoid PGA Tour Q-School. In seven tournaments, Cauley has earned $671,150. His third-place finish last week at the Frys.com Open catapulted him to No. 114 on the money list. Players who finish in the top 125 are exempt from qualifying for the following season.
Earning a tour card without ever going to Q-School is so rare that only five players — Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Justin Leonard, Ryan Moore and Gary Hallberg — have done it. And Woods and Mickelson are the only ones who accomplished it in fewer events.
With two tournaments left, Cauley has an excellent chance to advance. He will try to clinch his spot on tour this week at the McGladrey Classic at Sea Island, Ga.
In a season in which college standouts Patrick Cantlay, Russell Henley and Harris English have made the biggest splashes in professional events, Cauley has gotten little notice despite breaking 70 in 17 of his last 22 rounds.
At the Travelers Championship, where Cantlay, a UCLA sophomore, contended for three rounds, Cauley barely was noticed despite finishing 24th — tied with Cantlay — in his second event as a pro.
In the third round of the Frys.com Open, Cauley was paired with Ernie Els, who wasn’t up to speed on his playing partner, asking him when he was planning to turn pro.
“I just had to tell him I already had,” Cauley told reporters. “I think by the back nine he knew I was a professional.”
– Kevin Dunleavy
