Pierceson Coody rebounds from arm fracture, set for pro debut

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Pierceson Coody enjoys calling his dad – for the most part.

Kyle Coody, who competed on the Korn Ferry Tour in the 1990s, has been a consistent source of advice and wisdom as Pierceson rose through the amateur ranks and now prepares to embark on his professional career.

Related: Pierceson Coody's scorecard

The advice has shown to be effective, and will continue to be important as Pierceson starts his professional career this week in a position that is the envy of any new pro. By finishing atop this year's PGA TOUR University Ranking presented by Velocity Global, Coody is exempt into all open, full-field events for the remainder of the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season. He's making his pro debut at this week's BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX.

It wasn't long ago, however, that a freak accident put his position atop the PGA TOUR U Rankings in peril.

He was hesitant to call home after he fractured his right arm last October. The accident was the result of some horseplay that some would say was unwise so close to his graduation to the pro game. What would his father say?

Coody and his twin brother Parker, both seniors on the University of Texas men’s golf team, were participating in a relay race at the school’s training facility. The brothers were the anchors on opposing teams.

“We had been extending off the wall to touch the next person’s hand to go, and then we hadn’t really designated a finish line other than touching each other’s hand to run,” explained Pierceson, “so it became like the wall was the finish line. We both got about 10 yards out, and it was like, ‘Crap, we can’t stop,’ and both tried to brace somehow, and we did the same thing, trying to throw our right shoulder into the wall.

“Our hand got stuck underneath, and we fractured our right radial heads, part of the elbow. I was in a sling for about three weeks.”

After a few days, the Coody twins knew it was time to make the phone call to Dad.

“I think there were a good five or 10 seconds of silence, of him being like, ‘Is this the worst prank call ever?’” Pierceson said. “But he took it as about as well as he could have hoped.”

Pierceson's rehabilitation process has turned out about as well as he could have hoped.

He won the first tournament of his return from injury, the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational in early April, maintaining the momentum from a strong collegiate and amateur career beforehand. Pierceson, whose resume includes a win at the prestigious Western Amateur, is a former No. 1 in the world amateur ranking. In his final act as an amateur, he helped the Longhorns to their first NCAA title since a Jordan Spieth-led squad won the national championship in 2012.

On Wednesday, Pierceson was up bright and early in preparation for his first professional start, beginning his practice round at 7:15 a.m. at Thornblade Club. He absorbed information both course-related, like the nuances of the green complexes, and ancillary, like clever places to store his cell phone in his newly acquired staff bag.

It has been a busy week for Pierceson, the grandson of 1971 Masters champion Charles Coody.

Last Wednesday, Pierceson defeated Preston Summerhays of Arizona State, 2 and 1, in the final match of the NCAA Championships, as part of Texas’ 3-2 victory. It marked the Longhorns’ fourth national title in men’s golf.

The team flew back to Austin on Wednesday night – “had our fun, celebrated” – and Pierceson flew home to Dallas on Friday, before flying to Greenville on Sunday.

“Been a day in and out of three different cities,” he said. “Now we’re here.”

This summer, Pierceson will embrace the learning curve of zigzagging between various Korn Ferry Tour stops as he joins his fellow PGA TOUR University graduates in chasing Korn Ferry Tour status or a spot in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, which are open to the top 75 finishers on the Regular Season Points List.

The top 25 on the points list at the end of the Regular Season earn PGA TOUR cards for next season, as do the top 25 players in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.

Clemson's Jacob Bridgeman, Oklahoma's Logan McAllister, Washington's RJ Manke and Coody's Texas teammate, Cole Hammer, also have eligibility into the remainder of open, full-field events this season after finishing in the top five of PGA TOUR University. 

Nos. 6-15 on the PGA TOUR University Ranking each receive exempt status on a PGA TOUR-sanctioned international tour of their choosing for the remainder of the season. Parker Coody finished 13th, moving up 12 spots after a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championship, and will compete on PGA TOUR Canada.

Pierceson is grateful to be healthy and in this position. After three weeks in a sling – “your arm becomes weak really fast” – he went until the holiday season before gripping a putter, and he didn’t start swinging a club until February.

“I remember the first few times I started to try to play, I couldn’t get some irons up that high,” Pierceson said. “Really, really short. … I was hitting a 6-iron 150 (yards); it was just a different game. I was doing it to build what I could back into my arm. It’s just been slowly coming back, and it’s still coming back, so I’m happy that it’s at least healing properly.

“I putted claw for a while because I couldn’t clutch the putter, couldn’t close my palm. That was the first stage of getting back, was literally putting with my left hand and pencil grip, just a few fingers on the club … just modifying things to where it was comfortable, and eventually getting to a point where everything feels normal.”

He admits that he is still working to attain full flexibility in his right elbow; when trying to apply sunscreen, he notes, he can’t touch the back of his neck.

“Little things like that, no one would notice,” Pierceson said. “But I still notice, and I’m still rehabbing it. Just trying to get that last bit of mobility back and strength.”

In his first event back, Pierceson was still a full club – “if not closer to a club-and-a-half” – shorter than his stock distances. But he was healthy enough to play without pain, he said, with full confidence that he could help the team. With an individual victory at Forest Hills GC in Augusta, and the Longhorns finishing 26 strokes clear of runner-up Oklahoma State, his perspective proved accurate.

Most of his pre-injury speed has returned in the last month, Coody said, and he’s primed to join his fellow PGA TOUR University graduates in commencing their professional careers at this week’s BMW Charity Pro-Am.

Here’s a quick look at the five PGA TOUR University presented by Velocity Global graduates to earn 2022 Korn Ferry Tour membership …

1. Pierceson Coody, Texas
• 2021 Big 12 Player of the Year
• Three-time All-American
• Two collegiate victories and won the 2020 Western Amateur
• Competed for Team USA at the Walker Cup (2021) and the Palmer Cup (2020, 2021)

2. Jacob Bridgeman, Clemson
• Individual medalist at the 2022 ACC Championship and was named ACC Player of the Year
• Has five collegiate wins, tied for the most in Clemson history with D.J. Trahan and Chris Patton
• Medalist at a PGA TOUR Canada Qualifying Tournament in March 2022

3. Logan McAllister, Oklahoma
• Three collegiate victories
• Entered the week with a school-record 70.93 (-0.51) career scoring average
• Has a 14-3 record in match play all-time, including 3-0 at the 2021 NCAA Championship

4. RJ Manke, Washington
• Transferred to Washington after winning a national championship with Pepperdine in 2021
• Posted top-three finishes in eight of his first nine starts for the Huskies, including two wins
• 2022 Pac-12 Player of the Year

5. Cole Hammer, Texas
• Two-time All-American
• Individual medalist at the 2021 Big 12 Championship
• Recipient of the 2019 McCormack Medal as the No. 1 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking
• Competed for Team USA at the Walker Cup (2019, 2021) and the Palmer Cup (2019)