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Player Profile: Bud Weidner

Elon Tuckman

Earl “Bud” Weidner established himself as a fan favorite in his first full year competing on the World Long Drive Tour. Frequently seen wearing his patented pink shirt, Bud competed in the amateur division, as well as the open division in 2023. In 2023, Bud secured multiple Top 4 and Runner-up rankings in the amateur division. However, the pinnacle moment of his season transpired in Port Rowan, where he ousted several top-ten competitors and culminated his run to a semifinal finish. Bud began this year with minimal expectations and has now found himself ranked #7 in the Amateur division and #35 in the Open division, trailing behind 2018 champion, Maurice Allen. At just 19 years old, Bud has a very bright future ahead of him and will look to build off the success of his 2023 season

Bud Weidner had a unique start to his Long Drive career. Initially, Bud was not particularly fond of golf, but his younger brother began to play golf and fell in love with the sport. Still hesitant, Bud tagged along to support his brother’s new passion. Like most people who try golf for the first time, Bud was hooked instantly. After playing and learning the sport for a couple of years, Bud was ready to see how he stacked up against his competition and began competing on the school’s golf team. That year confirmed Bud’s love of the sport but also showed him areas of his game he needed to improve. Bud was outdriven by a teammate each time they played together that year, which prompted him to focus on gaining speed and distance on his drive once the offseason began. 

Immediately following the season, Bud devoted himself intensively to increasing his swing speed and distance; a process involving studying Kyle Berkshire and Martin Borgmeier’s YouTube videos on how they swing and gain speed. Before Bud had even competed in a long drive event, he was already studying world champion swings, to improve his own. Shortly following, Bud attended and hit his first qualifier in Connecticut in 2022, and from that point forward, the rest was history.

            The 2023 season was filled with unexpected twists and turns for Bud Weidner. 

Bud’s initial tournament of 2023 transpired in Hobe Sound, where he was the Runner-Up to 2023 Amateur champion, Andrew Eigner. His Open Division performance did not meet his own expectations. As he stated, “My Amateur season started out pretty strong with the Runner-up and then a fourth-place finish, but my Open season did not pick up steam until Port Rowan when I made the cut for the first time.” Port Rowan marked Bud’s best finish of the year in the open division, where he advanced through to the semifinals, beating Top 10 ranked players, Colton Casto & Scottie Pearman in the head-to-head Round of 16 and Quarterfinals. Upon reaching the final four, Bud reflected,  “Once I made the final four, I was thinking to myself oh my gosh, what is going on? I really was living up as high as I could in that moment in time.” Bud put the Open Division on notice that day and reminded them that he was here to win, not just compete.

            The 2023 event in Port Rowan will be a memory Bud never forgets, not just from this season, but for the rest of his life. “I remember walking off the Teebox, I was giving high fives to people I did not even know. I remember Borgmeier was there cheering me on, all the Hitbombs guys were cheering me on, it was absolutley nuts. Something I will never ever forget.” A true memory that will last a lifetime in just his first season competing in the Open Division. Bud has yet to determine whether he will transition to become a professional, focusing only on the Open Division, or remain an amateur and strive to win the 2024 World Champion belt. Regardless, World Long Drive is undeniably a better place with Bud Weidner around.

 

 

 

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