SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA | Pierceson Coody was always going to be a golfer. His grandfather, Charles Coody, won three PGA Tour titles including the 1971 Masters. His father, Kyle Coody, also played professional golf. So too does his twin brother, Parker Coody. Needless to say, golf is the Coody family’s lifeblood.
“It’s emotional, golf means a lot,” Pierceson said. “It’s afforded us the ability to come out and do this and to play on the PGA Tour which is really special. So without our granddad getting into the game and our great granddad getting him into the game, I could be doing something else. I don’t know what that would be because all I’ve known is golf.”
Coody, a 26-year-old Texas native, first realized his dream to play on the PGA Tour in 2024. However, he struggled out of the gate and split time between the PGA and Korn Ferry tours last year.
Now, Coody is back with full status on the PGA Tour and playing great golf. He has begun the year with three top-20 finishes, including a T2 at the Farmers Insurance Open last week. He opened the WM Phoenix Open with a 66 on Thursday, within three strokes of leader Chris Gotterup. He’s set to take big steps in his career.
By virtue of his early-season performance, Coody is essentially a lock to play in the first two signature events of his career over the next two weeks via the Aon Swing 5: The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational.
“Self belief is a really big deal out here,” Coody said. “Seeing the courses, knowing what balls are going to do on and around the greens when it gets gusty. Things like that. Having more knowledge of 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 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking in 2021 and was a part of the victorious U.S. Walker Cup team the same year.
After helping the Longhorns win the NCAA Division I Championship and topping the PGA Tour University rankings in 2022, Coody joined the Korn Ferry Tour. He won three times on that circuit before earning his PGA Tour card for 2024 by finishing in the top 30 on 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 ranked 131st and earned only conditional status for 2025. He regained full status by finishing 12th on the Korn Ferry Tour points list last year.
Though he began 2026 with confidence bolstered by having played many of the tour’s courses before, this week marks his debut at TPC Scottsdale. He’s been soaking in the tournament’s singular atmosphere so far.
Coody got off to a roller coaster start 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 I shouldn’t have,” Coody said. “I made some really costly mistakes that were mental errors.”
But then the putts started to drop. Coody birdied Nos. 13 and 15 and made the turn in 1-under par. Then he got hot, shooting 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.
By virtue of his early-season performance, Coody is essentially a lock to play in the first two signature events of his career over the next two weeks via the Aon Swing 5: The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational.
“It’s going to be really special,” Coody said. “I’ve played Pebble Beach but playing Riviera in a tournament setting is going to be really cool.”
However, Coody still has a job to do this week. He’s still looking for his first PGA Tour victory.
“I’m trying not to get ahead of myself because I know this week is another good week to play well and get more points,” he said.