Pierceson Coody earned his first Korn Ferry Tour title Sunday at the Live and Work in Maine Open, carding a four-round total of 20-under at Falmouth CC, five strokes clear of Jacob Bergeron.

Coody, who played collegiately at the University of Texas, finished No. 1 on the 2022 PGA TOUR University presented by Velocity Global Ranking, earning automatic Korn Ferry Tour membership and entry into all open, full-field Korn Ferry Tour events this summer. He has quickly taken advantage.

With the win, Coody moves to No. 31 on the Regular Season Points List, suddenly well positioned to chase his first PGA TOUR card via The 25.

Here are five things to know about Pierceson Coody …

1. He finished No. 1 on the 2022 PGA TOUR University Ranking.

In the second year of the PGA TOUR University presented by Velocity Global Ranking, which awards points based on performance in collegiate and amateur events over a two-year ranking period, in addition to PGA TOUR events, Coody earned the No. 1 spot. The top five on the final PGA TOUR University Ranking earned Korn Ferry Tour membership this summer. The Dallas-area native won the 2020 Western Amateur and represented the United States on the 2021 Walker Cup team, overcoming a stomach bug to win both his singles matches and help the U.S. to a 14-12 victory over Great Britain and Ireland. He also held the No. 1 spot on the World Amateur Golf Ranking in 2021, which he described as “a lifelong goal.”

2. He overcame a freak arm injury last fall.

Last October, while participating in a relay race at the University of Texas athletic training facility, Coody ran into a padded concrete wall and sustained a fractured radial head in his right arm. He was in a sling for three weeks, didn’t grip a putter until January and didn’t make full swings until February. He knocked off the rust quickly with a victory in his first collegiate event back, the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational in early April. He then proceeded to help the Longhorns to the 2022 NCAA Division I men’s golf team title; Coody defeated Arizona State’s Preston Summerhays in the final match as part of Texas’ 3-2 victory.

3. His grandpa won the Masters and his twin brother also plays pro golf.

Coody comes from a good deal of golf heritage; his grandpa Charles won the 1971 Masters and his dad Kyle played on the Korn Ferry Tour in the early 1990s. His twin brother Parker is also chasing the upper echelon of professional golf as well; the two competed side-by-side at the University of Texas for the past four years, and Parker finished No. 13 on the 2022 PGA TOUR University Ranking to earn PGA TOUR Canada membership this summer. Parker made his PGA TOUR debut at the 2020 Shriners Children’s Open; Pierceson has competed on TOUR at the 2021 AT&T Byron Nelson and U.S. Open.

4. He shares coaches with Will Zalatoris.

Three-time major championship runner-up Will Zalatoris has credited his coaches Troy Denton (full swing) and Josh Gregory (short game) for instilling a process that has helped him ascend to the upper echelon of professional golf. For the past year-and-a-half, Coody has worked with the same duo, and the results have proven effective. Coody also grew up working with Chris Como, Tiger Woods’ one-time coach, and the newest Korn Ferry Tour winner expressed appreciation for all three coaches in his winner’s press conference Sunday in Maine. “I grew up working with Chris Como, and I've been working with Troy Denton the last year-and-a-half, and both of them together have such big influence on my swing, my game. Without Chris or Troy, I wouldn't be here,” Coody said. “They've been such huge parts of my game, and then I work with Josh Gregory on my short game, and he's changed the way I putt and chip.”

5. He’s on track to earn a PGA TOUR card.

Will Zalatoris, who practices alongside the Coody twins at Maridoe GC outside Dallas, predicted that Pierceson and Parker will earn their TOUR cards sooner than later. With his victory in Maine, Pierceson is very much on that trajectory. After missing the cut at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD Synnex in his first Korn Ferry Tour start as a member, he rebounded quickly with a T4 at last week’s Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics before his resounding victory in Maine. In just three starts, he stands No. 31 on the Regular Season Points List with five events remaining. The top-25 on the Points List upon the conclusion of the Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna in early August will earn 2022-23 PGA TOUR membership.