Sam Saunders, the grandson of Arnold Palmer, announced he’s retiring from professional golf after missing the cut this week at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Magnit Championship.
Saunders, 37, who made more than 150 career starts on both the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour, was mired in the worst season of his career. He had made just four cuts this season on the Korn Ferry Tour and missed the cut in nine of his last 10 starts. He ranked 157th in the season-long points standings and had earned only $29,920. He shot 71-75 and missed the cut on Friday.
“I started this career over 15 years ago, and today was my last professional round,” he wrote on X. “It was never easy for me, and I never reached my playing goals, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything…I am excited for the next chapter of my life.”
Saunders played his college golf at Clemson and turned pro in 2009. He lost in a playoff at the Puerto Rico Open in 2015. In 2019, he shot 59 on the Korn Ferry Tour. Last season, he lost in a playoff at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Panama Championship. Saunders qualified for the U.S. Open on three occasions, but he battled a myriad of injuries in recent years.
Sam Saunders holds up a ball inscribed with 59 after a birdie on the ninth green at the Web.com Tour Championship at Atlantic Beach Country Club on Sept. 28, 2017. (Michael Cohen/Getty Images)
Saunders counted his grandfather, who passed away in September 2016, as his swing coach. In recent years, his childhood pal Eric Cole served as a second set of eyes for him.
Saunders didn’t make clear in his social media post what he planned to do next other than to say “he would always be involved in this great game of golf that has given me so much.”
320 @PGATOUR-sanctioned starts,
four runner-up finishes, and a lifetime of memories.What a career for Sam Saunders
pic.twitter.com/Z9HpFCPwdu
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) August 17, 2024