Pro has earned 2 checks since April. But on Thursday, historically he couldn't miss
Hayden Springer Thursday on the 18th hole at TPC Deere Run.
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On the first Sunday of April, four days before the Masters, a few weeks into spring, Hayden Springer tied for 58th at the Texas Open. He got a little over 20 bucks.
Then nothing.
After two weeks in Texas, he missed the cut. A week later, he missed the cut. A week later, he missed the cut. A week later, he missed the cut. Two weeks after that, he missed the cut. A week later, he missed the cut. Six tournaments. There are no weekends. Now it was June. It was almost summer.
“It's been a little difficult,” Springer said, “to get anything.”
Then he did so. Because golf, right? The strangest of games. One swing, you're lost. Next, you are available. Springer said he has also been in touch with Rosey Bartlett, who he has worked with since he was a child. A professional at the Trophy Club in Texas adjusted his setup. And last Sunday, at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Springer took off. He tied for 10th. He earned just over 200K, the second-biggest payday of his PGA Tour rookie season, in his second cut since April.
Things were getting worse. Which made Thursday surreal for him.
At TPC Deere Run, during the first round of the John Deere Classic, the 27-year-old from Nashville:
– Shot 8-under 27 on the front nine, back six birdies and an eagle
– Birded the 15th hole, after five-straight pars, and birdied the 17th hole at 55 yards
– Birdied the 18th with a fairway drive, iron to 12 feet and a putt
– Created travel history
He shot 12-under on TPC Deere Run's par-71 course. He shot a 59. He became the 14th Tour player to shoot sub-60.
“I don't know, at a loss for words about being able to do that,” he said.
Let's try to help.
Have you ever been down like that? No. Springer said he only shot a few 61's. [Only.]
When did you think he had something special going on? On the 4th 6th, he just missed the green with his second shot, but dropped a 16-footer for birdie. “I was like, okay, I feel like I don't miss today,” Springer said. “I look at any putt I look at. So maybe that entry was the beginning of saying, OK, like we can't get any lower. “
Was he frustrated by the string of pars after the opening 27? Definitely. “My boy, he's 15, I mean, that's a straight hole,” Springer said. “I found a bad lie in a difficult place and measured it there. He was like, okay. He is alive. Just be patient. I think at that time it would be difficult to continue acting. But just, yeah, I'm just trying to be patient.”
How were things at 18? What was it like knowing that 59 was playing? “It's like any golf shot,” Springer said, “you've got to block things unless there's trouble on the hole. You get practice. It's – there's always some sort of result, so I feel like we have a lot of practice to be able to block different things. You know, other than that, it's there. You can't go away It just won't go away. You have to take it out as often as you can and focus on shooting.”
What is the program for Friday? “Tomorrow is a new day,” he said. “I don't know what will happen. Just try and do the exact same thing that I do every day and go through the same routine, the same process, and go from there.”
Remarkably, he and his wife Emma have been doing it for a long time. Last November, his youngest daughter, Sage, died from complications of Trisomy 18, or Edwards Syndrome, a rare genetic disease caused by three copies of the 18th chromosome. However, days later, Hayden Springer tied for fourth at Tour Q-School and earned a PGA Tour card.
On Thursday, he said death gave him strength. He said you have to fix things. You are moving forward.
“I mean, there were some challenging things that happened,” Springer said. “You know, I guess—but at the end of the day, I want to compete and I love to do that.
“I think that makes me want to make that putt or want to shoot a low score more than anything.”
Editor's note: In January, GOLF's James Colgan wrote an article describing Springer and her daughter, and you can read that story here. by clicking here, or by scrolling below. The headline reads: “He lost his daughter a few days before Q-School. Now he's making his PGA Tour debut.”
***
If you're looking for someone to look for at this weekend's American Express, may we suggest a name?
Hayden Springer.
If you're new to the bandwagon, that's okay. Springer, a 27-year-old PGA Tour rookie from Nashville, is an unknown figure to all but the most seasoned golf fans. He won only two professional events in his professional career, both on the Canadian tour, including one at a tournament sponsored by a rail park in Manitoba. His PGA Tour career is actually only a few hours old: This week's event in Palm Springs will be his first start as a full-time member.
In many ways, Springer is a garden-variety golf miracle: He earned his Tour card the hard way, at Q-School in December, fighting his way through a crowded field to capture one of five full-time spots on the PGA Tour. in 2024.
The moment was the culmination of a lifelong dream, the high point of Springer's professional life. And it would arrive in a few days.
You see, the story of Hayden Springer's journey to the PGA Tour begins with the story of his daughter, Sage. Sage Springer was born in 2020 with Trisomy 18, or Edward Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder caused by three copies of chromosome 18. Trisomy 18 is a serious disorder, which causes severe developmental delays in a child. Only 13 percent of all babies born with it survive after one year.
The Springers were one of Trisomy's lucky families, as Sage blessed the family with three years of love and happiness. On November 13, 2023 – a few days before the start of Q-School – Sage Springer died from complications of Trisomy 18. He was 3 years old.
He lost his daughter days before Q-School. He is now competing in his PGA Tour debut
James Colgan
It seemed impossible to return to golf in the days following Sage's passing, but Hayden didn't have much of a choice. A win at the Canadian Tour's Fortinet Cup Championship secured him a spot in the final qualifying round, which could be Hayden's best chance to earn a spot on the PGA Tour. His heart was damaged beyond recognition, but he owed it to his family to keep competing. He hit the road in early December to sing for Q-School, dedicating the effort to his late daughter.
“It's interesting to think about him when you're trying to play and there's pressure and all that because it's emotional. But it's a fun thought,” Springer told PGATour.com. “I can just close my eyes and think about his smile, and it's meditation, which brings you back to neutrality. I don't think about golf, I don't think about the last shot, the next shot, I think about him and his smile.”
When the final game came, Springer played the tournament of his life. He shot four consecutive rounds in the 60s at Dye's Valley, including a final-round 69, to beat out more than 150 other competitors for a spot on the main Tour. He intervened on the 18th and, in an instant, his future was sealed.
He rang his card. His wife cried. He cried. Hayden Springer was a PGA Tour golfer.
“It's hard to say for sure,” he said. “Unbelievable.”
After a month off for the holidays (and a strong bid in Monday's Sony Open qualifier) Springer arrived in Palm Springs to find American Express with a different kind of energy. The heartache was not over, but there were new challenges to worry about. On the other side of the crisis, Springer had found an opportunity. The opportunity required careful planning of things like travel schedules and rehearsal schedules, but for the first time in Springer's life, there were big money events to look forward to, any that could change the course of his family's life. Another Korn Ferry Tour graduate in his class, Grayson Murray, achieved success last week at the Sony Open, proving that it was possible to step up to the PGA Tour and find success quickly.
But no one, not even Murray, could have predicted that Springer's success would come so quickly. He hung up at PGA West on Thursday morning and, by the time he reached the 10th hole, Springer was seven shots under par. His opening 29 was followed by two more birdies before a closing bogey, the first of his PGA Tour career, sent him back down to earth. When the dust settled, he was shot twice from the front. In Hayden Springer's first round as a PGA Tour player, he shot a 64.
“I hit it right,” he said later with a laugh. “Definitely close a few wedges, then close a few iron shots. If I can guide the driver a little bit, maybe even better.”
We'll have time for Springer to hit it a lot better – though he won't complain if he hits it a little bit. He enters Friday's second round at the Amex tied for 5th place, which puts him in a position to make his first PGA Tour cut, and more importantly, his first PGA Tour payday.
But despite the excitement surrounding his first round of the PGA Tour, money may not be the first or fifth thing on Hayden Springer's mind. It didn't take long to find her late daughter everywhere by her side Thursday afternoon: Her name is stamped on her forehead in rainbow ink, and she has a pink shirt she's chosen to wear later this week, her favorite color.
“There are more difficult times than others, but we just try to lean on our faith,” he said. “It's been really challenging and difficult, but trying to keep moving forward and live life as best we can, and we know Sage would want that for us.”
There's an old adage about grief being like a big, empty room. Our sorrow, the proverb says, is to acknowledge the size of the room, and all the things that once filled it.
“There is a missing piece, which will always be missing,” he said. “But I think we're just trying to love each other and be together as much as possible.”
Life goes on, but Springer admits he hasn't. He is still standing at the door looking back, even as he begins to build a new one.
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