After more than a decade of waiting and an afternoon spent earning and then clinging to a lead, Bud Cauley broke into a trot at the RBC Canadian Open.Ostensibly, it was to mark his ball and make sure it didn’t lose its place on the 18th green and slip into the water hazard, but after all that Cauley has been through, who could blame him for wanting to go ahead and get it over with?On Sunday, Cauley became the fifth player this season to win on the PGA Tour for the first time, but none of the four golfers who preceded him can match his story of surviving a single-car crash eight years ago that threatened to end his professional golf career.“So many people helped me get here, and I’m just thankful for all the help I’ve gotten,” Cauley told CBS moments after knocking in a 10-inch par putt, and taking his wife, Kristi, and two young sons into his arms in front of a clapping crowd at TPC Toronto.“Once I got the opportunity to start playing again, I just told myself that I was going to try to just do everything the right way and give myself the best chance. I put my wife through so much during those dark times, and it’s just nice to have a little success as kind of a thank you.”Fifteen years ago, following his junior year at Alabama, Cauley qualified for the U.S. Open and elected to turn pro afterward, earning his PGA Tour card in his first eight events. Nothing went as planned after that, as Cauley at times had to battle just to keep his card.