PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Bud Cauley was in The Players Championship field.
And then he was out.
Then on Monday, he got the call. Lee Hodges had withdrawn. He was back in.
Now, Cauley, a Palm Beach Gardens resident for the last decade, enters the final round of The Players in second place after shooting a 6-under 66. He is one shot out of the lead held by J.J. Spaun, who held onto the solo 54-hole lead with a 25-foot putt that rolled around the cup before dropping.
Spaun sits at 12-under. Cauley has a two-shot lead over Jupiter’s Lucas Glover and Alex Smalley.
The final round has been pushed up and golfers will play in groups of three because of an incoming cold front. Leaders will tee off at 10:01 a.m.
Cauley, who turns 35 Sunday, was in the original Players field released March 7 before Karl Vilips’ victory at the Puerto Rico Open last Sunday knocked him out.
As first alternate, he learned Monday he was back in.
Bud Cauley practicing at Jack Nicklaus’ Bear’s Club when call came
Cauley was practicing at Jack Nicklaus’ Bear’s Club in Jupiter when he got the call.
‘I was kind of hopeful that being one out I might get a chance, but you never know,’ Cauley said. ‘But it was nice that it was on Monday, also where I didn’t have to sweat it until Wednesday afternoon or something. I was able to come out here Tuesday and Wednesday and have a normal couple days.’
Cauley equaled the low round of the day Saturday, but the others — Danny Walker and Jupiter’s Corey Connors — played before the winds started whipping to about 20 mph sustained and gusts of 30.
Cauley grew up in the Jacksonville area and played TPC Sawgrass several times as a young golfer. He was asked if he’s ever seen the wind this gusty.
‘If it was blowing this hard, I probably would have just went home,’ Cauley said. ‘Probably not.
‘Seemed like every hole was a challenge with the wind and just trying to somehow get it on the fairway and get it on the green and roll in a putt. But it was tough.’
Cauley has played three previous Players Championships, missing the cut three times. He has never finished higher than third in 206 PGA Tour events.
Cauley, ranked 251st in the world, was tied for 16th entering the weekend after shooting 68-71. On Saturday, he carded seven birdies, three bogeys and an eagle on No. 9, where he chipped in from 35.6 feet.
‘I’ve been driving the ball pretty well all week and I’ve also been putting well,’ Cauley said. ‘I feel like when I’ve had those 10-, 12-, 15-footers for birdie, I’ve been able to make most of them, and that’s helped a lot.’
Bud Cauley playing last 13 months on major medical extension
Cauley has been playing the last 13 months on a major medical extension. He was in a serious car accident in 2018 in which he broke five ribs, his lower left leg and suffered a collapsed lung.
Although he returned later in 2018, Cauley was missed more than three years starting in 2021 due to complications from the accident.
Cauley had 27 events to retain his PGA Tour card once he returned early in 2024. He played 17 tournaments in 2024 and The Players is his fifth this year. He has two top 30s at the Phoenix Open and Sony Open.
Now, he needs a top 18 to earn enough FedEx Cup points for his card.
‘I’ve tried to just really practice with a purpose and just make little changes and just get a little bit better,’ he said. ‘I feel like some things are starting to come together that I’ve been working on for a while now.’
Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.