"I always believed I could do this"

In the 2015 U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields outside of Chicago, Derek Bard, an All-American from the University of Virginia, led Bryson Dechambeau 2-up, seven holes into the final match.  Just a day earlier, Bard had made a 10-foot par putt on the 18th hole to take down Jon Rahm. Earlier in match play, he had dominated Sepp Straka 6 and 5, took down world number four Hunter Stewart, and made quick work of another future PGA Tour winner, Davis Riley. 

Although Bard eventually lost to DeChambeau handily, his run pushed him to the forefront of the amateur golf world. Earlier that summer, he had won the prestigious Sunnehanna Amateur, which counts Colin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler, and Webb Simpson among its former winners. That, coupled with taking down some of the best amateurs in the world on the way to his runner-up finish at Olympia Fields, left little doubt that his pro career would be a success. 

Fast-forward nine years and in June of this year, Bryson Dechambeau was hitting one of the best bunker shots of all-time from 55 yards in front of the 18th green at Pinehurst No. 2. The up-and-down resulted in his second U.S. Open win, which was worth $3.6 Million. 

On Thursday of U.S. Open week, Bard returned to Jacksonville from Columbia, South Carolina, where he played on the GPro Tour, a mini tour based in the southeast. His two-way tie for 15th was worth $1,658, which left him in the hole after the $920 entry fee and travel expenses. On Saturday, he didn’t watch much golf because he had to work a shift at Jacksonville Country Club, picking the range and working outside services. Bard doesn’t watch much pro golf anymore but tuned in Sunday to watch his old rival from the small apartment he shared with his soon-to-be wife, Lauren. 

They were at two ends of the professional golf world, but Bard’s story wasn’t done. 

The U.S. Am runner-up earned Bard spots in the 2016 Masters and U.S. Open. Although he missed the cut at both, he felt like he belonged. He turned pro early in 2017, signed an endorsement deal with Titleist, and began his career without the financial worry most pros face. 

When you are playing mini-tours and miss advancing through Q-school, the golf world has a short memory. Bard missed cuts at the RSM in 2017 and in his Korn Ferry Tour starts. Quickly, the momentum and notoriety from his amateur career was gone. The money from his Titleist contract was gone. Just a few years after playing the Masters, Bard became just another talented player chasing his dreams on the mini tours. 

“Things had got pretty bad,” Baird said. Fighting swing issues, Bard started going through swing coaches like golf gloves. How many swing coaches did he seek help from? “Maybe nine or ten,” he said. In 2020-21, Bard made one cut in seven events on the GPro Tour, only breaking 70 three times. He was lost. 

“It’s hard, man,” Bard said. Although he doesn’t compare his career to DeChambeau’s, it was impossible not to notice the divergent paths their two careers had taken since their match in Chicago. Rahm, who he beat in the semi-finals, was one of the best players in the world. Straka was on a Ryder Cup team, and Davis Riley has won multiple times on the PGA Tour. Bard missed cuts on the GPro Tour. 

But Derek Bard never gave up. 

In 2022, Bard started to remember the player he used to be. There was a top-5 on the GPro Tour, and he cruised through the first stage of Q-school. At Second Stage at Kinderlou Forest – a long and challenging track – Bard was three-under through 15 holes when the game got hard again. On the par-4 16th, his approach with a mid-iron missed wildly to the right, missing the green by about 50 yards. His drive on 18 resulted in the same right miss. He signed for a two-under 70, and the big misses didn’t stop. 

The next three rounds had some great shots but too many misses, and a triple-bogey on the final day sealed his fate. The result was a five-over total, and Bard missed advancing to the final stage by 11 shots. 

2023 was much like the previous year, with flashes of his old game mixed with moments of pure frustration. That frustration came to a head at the first stage of Q-school in North Carolina. In the second round, Bard shot 42 on the front on his way to a five-over 76, and his chances to advance vanished. He missed by 10 strokes and went home disheartened. 

Lauren was there to console him. Tears were shed, and Bard said for the first time, he seriously considered giving up his dream. Lauren, a kindergarten teacher, refused to hear it and encouraged him to keep going. 

Bard decided to continue playing but also needed to supplement his income (or lack thereof). He took an outside services job at Atlantic Beach Country Club. Bard works outside services, picking the range, washing clubs, helping members, and doing whatever needs to be done. He works three days a week when he isn’t playing an event. 

The 2024 season has been Bard’s best in a long time. After missing the first GPro cut in April, he has finished no worse than T27 since, and had two top-5s. He went into Q-school with the most confidence of his pro career. 

At First Stage in Indiana, Bard opened with a bogey-free 67, and followed that by making eight birdies en route to a 65. He cruised from there, finishing 18-under. He tied for medalist honors, earning guaranteed starts on the Americas Tour for 2025. It was the first time in nearly six years that Derek Bard had any status on a PGA-sanctioned Tour.

At Second Stage again, Bard opened with a 67, and followed it with a dazzling second round 65. A third round 70 left the former All-American well inside the number. The final round produced some stressful moments when Bard doubled the 9th and 11th holes, but he played the last seven holes in one-under. He finished T12. Derek Bard was headed back to the final stage for the first time in five years. 

Nine years after an epic run through the U.S. Amateur, Derek Bard has a chance at a PGA Tour card. 

“I’ve always believed I could do this, that has never left.” 

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