Bud Cauley wins the Canadian Open
to cap long comeback from 2018 car accident
[June 15, 2026]
CALEDON, Ontario (AP) — Bud Cauley took the lead with a birdie chip
on the par-4 12th and won the RBC Canadian Open in rain and wind
Sunday for his first PGA Tour title, eight years after his career
nearly ended in a car accident at the Memorial Tournament.
The 36-year-old Cauley won in his 239th tour start — just over two
years after he finally returned to the PGA Tour following the
accident.
“There were times when I was hurt that we really weren’t sure if I
was going to be able to play again,” said Cauley, who was a
passenger in a car when he sustained six broken ribs, a collapsed
right lung and fractured left leg.
On Sunday at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley, Cauley closed with a
5-under 65 to get to 17-under 263. He began the round a stroke
behind Jackson Suber, and ended up beating Matt Fitzpatrick by two
shots.
“That’s a moment I’ve thought a lot about. Even last year a couple
times when I was in contention my family wasn’t with me and it would
always crossed my mind that hopefully for my first win everyone
would be here,” Cauley said. “I had to try to not think about it a
lot today. Obviously, with them being here and I was playing well, I
really had to think almost on every hole about staying focused and
not thinking about that celebration if I were to win.”
Cauley started his back-nine birdie run with a shot to 4 feet on the
206-yard 11th. He added the hole-out from 93 feet on 12, then made a
13 1/2-footer on 13 and a 15-footer on 15 — both par 4s. After a
bogey on the par-4 17th, he parred the par-5 18th.
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Bud Cauley, of the United States, holds the trophy after winning the
Canadian Open golf tournament in Caledon, Ontario, Sunday June 14,
2026. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
“It was obviously playing difficult with the rain
and the wind,” Cauley said. “The conditions were so much different
today than they were the first three days. I feel like my game was
in a pretty good spot, I was hitting some pretty good shots.”
Fitzpatrick was second to take the FedEx Cup lead into the U.S.
Open. He eagled the 18th in a 64.
“I would have taken it at the start of the week,” Fitzpatrick said.
“I felt like there was a lot of good stuff in there, just needed to
have it come out. My putting was a little bit of a struggle last
week and I feel like I got a bit of a better process for what I’m
working on this week, and that showed today, I putted really solid.”
Viktor Hovland was third at 14 under after a 65. Suber (70), Jesper
Svensson (68), Jimmy Stanger (67) and Brice Garnett (68) were
another stroke back.
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