SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA | Pierceson Coody would always be a golfer. His grandfather, Charles Coody, won three PGA Tour titles, including the 1971 Masters. His father, Kyle Coody, also played professional golf. That includes his twin brother, Parker Coody. It goes without saying that golf is the lifeblood of the Coody family.
“It’s emotional, golf means a lot,” Pierceson said. “It’s given us the opportunity to do this and play on the PGA Tour, which is really special. So without our grandfather getting into the game and our great-grandfather getting him into the game, I could do something else. I don’t know what that would be because all I know is golf.”
Coody, a 26-year-old Texas native, first realized his dream of playing on the PGA Tour in 2024. However, he struggled out of the gate last year, splitting time between the PGA and Korn Ferry tours.
Now Coody is back with full status on the PGA Tour and playing great golf. He has started the year with three top-20 finishes, including a T2 at the Farmers Insurance Open last week. He opened the WM Phoenix Open on Thursday with a 66, within three strokes of leader Chris Gotterup. He is about to take big steps in his career.
Thanks to his early season performance, Coody is essentially a lock to play in the first two signature events of his career through the Aon Swing 5 over the next two weeks: the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational.
“Confidence is really important here,” Coody said. “Seeing the courses, knowing what the balls are going to do on and around the greens when the wind blows. Things like that. Knowing more about the golf courses is such a difference from my rookie year.”
Coody has long shown promise. After joining the University of Texas golf team in 2018, he won the Western Amateur in 2020, reached No. 1 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking in 2021 and was part of the victorious U.S. Walker Cup team that same year.
After helping the Longhorns win the NCAA Division I championship and top the PGA Tour University rankings in 2022, Coody joined the Korn Ferry Tour. He won three times at that circuit before earning his 2024 PGA Tour card by finishing in the top 30 of the 2023 points list.
As a rookie, Coody missed the cut in four of his first five starts. Despite a T5 finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge, he finished the season in 131st place and only earned conditional status for 2025. He regained full status by finishing 12th on the Korn Ferry Tour points list last year.
Although he entered 2026 with confidence boosted by having played many of the tour courses before, this week marks his debut at TPC Scottsdale. So far, he has immersed himself in the unique atmosphere of the tournament.
Coody had a rollercoaster start on Thursday. Starting on the back nine, he birdied No. 10 before making bogeys on 11 and 12.
“I was sloppy with a few things and missed a few fairways that I shouldn’t have,” Coody said. “I made some very costly mistakes that were mental mistakes.”
But then the putts started falling. Coody birdied Nos. 13 and 15 to make the turn at 1 under par. Then he got hot and shot 4-under 31 on his second nine. Coody made a three-putt bogey on the sixth hole, but followed it with back-to-back birdies, capped by a 25-foot putt on the eighth hole.
Thanks to his early season performance, Coody is essentially a lock to play in the first two signature events of his career through the Aon Swing 5 over the next two weeks: the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational.
“It’s going to be very special,” Coody said. “I’ve played Pebble Beach, but playing Riviera in a tournament setting will be really cool.”
However, Coody still has a job to do this week. He is still looking for his first PGA Tour victory.
“I’m not trying to get ahead of myself because I know this week is another good week to play well and get more points,” he said.
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