Bud Cauley’s Unforgettable Misstep at the Players Championship
Bud Cauley found himself in the final grouping at the Players Championship alongside Lucas Glover and J.J. Spaun, but Sunday was far from his best performance. Struggling through his round, he arrived at the par-5 16th hole sitting at three-over for the day and eight-under for the tournament—too far back to contend seriously. Any hope of an eagle at 16 quickly faded when his second shot landed in thick rough left of the green.
Then came an unexpected blunder.
As Cauley walked toward the 16th green to play his third shot, he glanced to his right, watching Rory McIlroy—who was leading by one at the time—prepare for his tee shot at the iconic par-3 17th. McIlroy’s wedge landed just left of the flag, spinning back to 11 feet from the hole. However, in his moment of distraction, Cauley failed to notice another ball—Glover’s—right in his path. Before he knew it, he had stepped on his playing partner’s ball, an awkward moment captured live by NBC’s cameras.
A rules violation? Not quite.
The Rules of Golf are clear in such situations: when a ball is accidentally moved by an outside influence—including a fellow competitor—there is no penalty. The ball is simply replaced as close as possible to its original position, and play resumes. (If a ball is moved by natural forces like wind or water, it is typically played from its new location.)
Despite the misstep, Cauley kept his composure. He made par at 16, then rebounded with a brilliant tee shot at 17, landing just six feet from the pin and sinking the birdie putt. A final par at the 18th closed out his round at two-over 74—a disappointing finish, but still a solid achievement for the world No. 251, who had previously made just one cut at the Players in four attempts.
“I just couldn’t get it going,” Cauley admitted after his round. “I’d follow up a good hole with a bad hole, and like I said before, just unfortunately too many mistakes.”And one literal misstep.