Derek Bard’s Long Road to Houston: From College Star to Monday Qualifier
Derek Bard has qualified for this week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open, earning his first PGA Tour start since 2017 with a blistering 10-under 62 at Westwood Golf Club.
It’s been nearly a decade since Bard’s name was on everyone’s radar. Back in 2015, he finished runner-up to Bryson DeChambeau at the U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields, knocking off Sepp Straka, Davis Riley and Jon Rahm during his impressive run to the final. That performance earned him spots in the 2016 Masters and U.S. Open.
The former University of Virginia standout turned pro in 2017 with plenty of optimism after collecting 18 top-10s and three wins for the Cavaliers. But while his college teammate Denny McCarthy has established himself as the 36th-ranked player in the world, Bard’s professional journey has taken a different path.
Now 29, Bard sits at No. 2,162 in the world rankings.
“I’ve always believed I could do this, that has never left,” Bard told GolfChannel.com last winter after advancing to the final stage of PGA Tour Q-School after a five-year absence.
What makes Bard’s story compelling is his persistence. While chasing his dream, he’s worked outside services at Atlantic Beach Country Club near Jacksonville, Florida, to help fund his golf career. He’s been grinding on the GPro Tour the last couple years, far from the spotlight his amateur career once promised.
Though he didn’t secure guaranteed Korn Ferry Tour starts at Q-School, he did make the cut at the Argentina Open earlier this year—his first weekend on the KFT since 2018.
Bard, who got married last November, will tee it up alongside three other Monday qualifiers in Houston:
- Wilson Furr (62), a former Alabama standout who lost his PGA Tour card after his rookie season last year
- Pierceson Coody (64), part of Texas’ 2022 NCAA championship team who also couldn’t keep his Tour card as a rookie
- Charlie Reiter (65), the big-hitting San Diego product who survived a 4-for-1 playoff
Interestingly, Bard’s home club also hosts 16-year-old phenom Miles Russell, who just won the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, and 39-year-old Jimmy Ellis, last year’s U.S. Amateur medalist who works as a landman. Bard’s career sits somewhere between those two extremes.
“He’s a gritty competitor,” McCarthy said about his former teammate last fall at the RSM Classic. “Things really haven’t gone his way in pro golf… I know he thought about possibly giving it up a time or two, so for him to stick through it this long and get to this point is really impressive; it’s not easy to do.”
The Houston Open represents a rare opportunity for Bard to showcase the talent that once had him competing against the game’s best amateurs. After years in golf’s wilderness, he’s finally back on the big stage.
