Bud Corey’s journey from a near-fatal car accident to a full return to the PGA Tour became one of the sport’s most inspiring redemption stories.
Golf has also experienced a resurgence, but few come close to the scale of Bud Corey. The former college star spent more than three years battling life-threatening injuries, setbacks and anxiety before regaining the spot in the game he once feared he had lost forever.
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Years after his 2018 crash, Corey’s perseverance, family support and changed perspective have propelled him back into the PGA Tour spotlight and into a new chapter in his career shaped by gratitude rather than pressure.
Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images
A near-fatal accident changed everything for Bud Corey.
In June 2018, after the second round of the Memorial Tournament, Bud Corey was nearly killed in a car accident.
He suffered broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a broken leg, requiring several surgeries and a lengthy hospital stay. He later described it as “the scariest night of my life,” according to ESPN.
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Friends like Justin Thomas visited him at the hospital and offered support as he recovered. For several months, Corey was unable to lift a club. After a series of infections and failed surgeries, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to return to the game.
“I never thought about golf when I was having these conversations with the doctors,” he later recalled.
By 2020, multiple surgeries had largely repaired the damage, but it wasn’t until 2025 that he finally returned to PGA Tour competition.
His comeback began at the WM Phoenix Open and culminated with several top-10 finishes by the end of the 2025 season.
Family, Faith, and Bud Corey’s Second Chances
Bud Corey’s comeback was as much a mental one as it was physical. In interviews with the Florida Times-Union and Golfers Journal, he credited his wife, Kristi, and family for keeping him grounded through years of pain and doubt.
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“I wouldn’t be here without them,” he said. “They helped me keep my head straight when things were at their worst.”
Corey, now 35, has regained full tour status and has thrived under the PGA Tour’s medical extension program.
His 2025 season included a top-10 finish at The Players Championship and a U.S. Open berth, milestones that once seemed impossible.
He says becoming a father has given him new motivation and perspective. “At the end of the day, just being out here feels like a victory,” Corey told Golf Digest.
His story was later featured in a PGA Tour Studio documentary series. mindfulhighlighting his mental and physical recovery.
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Bud Corey’s comeback is a story of perseverance, not just a return to golf, but a return to life itself. From near-tragedy to triumph, his journey is a reminder that some victories are measured not by trophies, but by survival and perseverance.
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