It took until Tuesday morning, but Parker Coody earned his way in the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic field thanks to a Monday qualifier. In a 5-for-3 playoff, Coody hit the stick with his approach and had a tap-in birdie to advance.
Now, Coody gets to join his twin, Pierceson, teeing it up at PGA National Resort’s Champion course.
“It’s a lot better than staying at home or watching him this week,” Parker said.
Pierceson, who won the Korn Ferry Tour’s Panama Championship earlier this month, is in the field on a sponsor exemption. The brothers helped Texas claim the 2022 NCAA title last spring, and now, they’ll make their professional debuts on Tour together.
“It’s really cool for our parents,” Pierceson said. “Dad is caddying for Parker this week. Mom is flying in. It’s turned into a good week, and it’s turned into a really special week that hopefully we make the most of.”
For Pierceson, who has two wins on the KFT, it’s his third Tour start as a pro. He previously missed the cut at the AT&T Byron Nelson and the U.S. Open in 2021. Parker is making his second start as a pro; he missed the cut in 2020 at the Shriners Children’s Open.
Parker Coody hits the stick with his approach on the first playoff hole. He has a tap-in for birdie. The other four have birdie putts.
— Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1) February 21, 2023
Parker and Pierceson are the grandsons of Charles Coody, the winner of the 1971 Masters. Charles is close friends with Jack Nicklaus, one of the hosts of the Honda Classic. The brothers say they’ve gotten plenty of advice from grandpa.
“He has referenced Jack, he has referenced Arnie, all those great players that he played with,” Pierceson said. “To see the Bear logo around this week and kind of think about some of the little tidbits he has given us about Jack is really cool.”
Parker earned his first professional victory last summer on PGA Tour Canada. He has conditional status on the KFT and has missed the cut in both his starts. In November, he won the TaylorMade Pebble Beach Invitational.
The Honda Classic’s field is wedged between a pair of designated events, meaning plenty of names could look to get their big break this week. Parker and Pierceson are hoping to do just that, just don’t get them confused.
“We said this a decent amount, but the goal is to play the Tour together.” Parker said. “This is obviously a great step in that direction, and hopefully in five, 10 years we’re still doing this. But yeah, to be able to both make our Tour starts as professionals together, I think it’s something we’ll always remember.”
They’re not grouped together during the first two rounds but they are in consecutive groups, with Parker playing alongside Kyle Westmoreland and Scott Harrington off the first tee Thursday, just in front of the Harry Higgs-Brandon Matthews-Pierceson Coody trio.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01f1jy2metwcg6v9hc image=]