Pierceson Coody could’ve taken the money.
Had he, he’d be worth tens of millions of dollars right now. His twin brother Parker, a package deal as part of Pierceson’s “crazy” offer from LIV Golf last summer, would be richer, too.
But for the Coody twins, it’s not about the money. Never has been. Their desires have forever been to follow in the footsteps of their grandfather, 1971 Masters champion Charles Coody, and play on the PGA Tour.
“However things fall now or in 10 years, I can accept it because I love playing golf,” Pierceson told GolfChannel.com last year, “and trying to get to the PGA Tour, that’s what I’ve always dreamed about. … I didn’t want the handout.”
As of Sunday, Pierceson is now on the verge of realizing that dream. His victory at the Price Cutter Charity Championship, his third on the Korn Ferry Tour in 26 starts since turning pro last June and second this season, moved him to fourth in points, essentially locking up his PGA Tour card for next season. Even better? Parker is on his way to joining his brother, finishing T-2 at Highland Springs Country Club in Springfield, Missouri, to jump to No. 24 in points. (The top 30 at season’s end will graduate to the PGA Tour.)
“To tell my grandad that I’m going to be on the PGA Tour, it’s been the goal my whole life,” Pierceson said. “Yeah, it’s just crazy.”
He’s not lying. Pierceson’s road to the PGA Tour wasn’t as easy as his three KFT wins would indicate. The wild journey included two major injuries – first, a broken right arm suffered in a fluke gym accident before his final semester at Texas (Parker, who was racing his brother that day, experienced an identical injury), and later a broken hamate bone in his left hand that forced him to withdraw from last year’s KFT Tour Championship. Pierceson, who won in his third start last summer but also missed six of 11 cuts, finished No. 32 in points, narrowly missing out on a PGA Tour card.
This year, Pierceson has continued to battle inconsistency – extreme highs and lows. He won the Panama Championship in February, though that title was sandwiched by consecutive missed cuts. He’s missed eight of 15 cuts so far this season – and four of seven on the big Tour – but also boasts two wins and three other top-15s, plus a T-14 showing at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.
Coody’s win on Sunday also followed back-to-back MCs.
“I was kind of in a little bit of a funk,” he said, “and it’s crazy that one week in golf can change everything.”
As for Parker, he began the year with conditional status on the KFT, having finished poorly at final stage of Q-School last November. He then missed four of his first five cuts on KFT before tying for fifth at the AdventHealth Championship in May. That bumped him up the priority list, and he’s now added three more top-5 finishes since.
Pierceson should be locking up his PGA Tour card any week now. Parker is another strong week or two away from doing the same. If they both accomplish the feat of making it the PGA Tour less than two years removed from college, they’ll have this past Sunday to point to.
And they’ll also be able to say they didn’t take the handout.
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