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Bud Cauley’s wife Kristi turned the worst Thing in his life to the best thing.

Bud Cauley faced a life-threatening car accident in June 2018. It was after this incident that he met Kristi, his wife. The worst possible incident in his life led to the best possible outcome for him.

Now years away from the mishap, with a family and two kids, he is very satisfied with life.

“He’s the best dad. He’s super involved and super present,” Kristi said. “When he’s here, he’s totally here. He’s doing all the school runs and all the drop-offs. It softened him up a little bit. It brings out his little playful side, which is great to see.”

The 2018 Memorial Tournament changed everything. Cauley rode as a passenger in Dublin, Ohio. A devastating car crash shattered his body.

“I had a broken leg, collapsed lung, six broken ribs and a concussion,” Cauley said in PGA Tour’s documentary “Mindful”. “So they put me in the ambulance and that’s when I learned that I had fluid getting into my lungs.”

Bud Cauley’s Worst Life Event Led Him to Wife Kristi

Golf took a backseat during his recovery.

“Kristi and I met right after the car accident in 2018,” Cauley said. “You know, we met through a mutual friend. And had it not been for that car accident, I would have been out on the road playing golf.”

Kristi graduated from the University of Florida. She works as a digital marketing coordinator. Her employer is TGR Ventures, which Tiger Woods founded.

“The worst thing that’s ever happened to me led to like the best thing that’s ever happened,” Cauley said. “So it’s just funny how stuff kind of works out.”

“Getting married and starting a family, it changed my perspective on life a lot. I spend all day just thinking about them.”

Kristi Helped Him Survive the Darkest of Times

Cauley returned to golf five months later. He played well during the fall schedule. His body felt strong again. Then, a sudden pain in the side of his chest halted his progress.

Doctors attempted to remove surgical plates. His chest wall bone had grown over them. The procedure failed. His condition worsened rapidly.

Medical setbacks plagued him for three years. He visited countless doctors. Hope faded with each failed treatment.

Kristi provided unwavering support. She kept him focused on the future.

“I couldn’t have gotten through any of it without my wife, Kristi,” Cauley said. “Three years is a long time. It was happening to me, but she was really going through it as much as I was.”

“She kind of helped me get through everything,” he added.

A breakthrough finally happened in Jacksonville.

“The final thing I did up at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, which was the hydro dissection, which finally kind of released some of those muscles in my chest wall and it was able to start swinging and felt a lot better,” Cauley said.

Bud and Kristi married in October 2021. They welcomed their first son shortly after.

Cooper William arrived in November 2022. Miles Henry followed on Jan. 30, 2025. Fatherhood transformed him completely. Cauley returned to the PGA Tour at the 2024 WM Phoenix Open.