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Golfer Bud Cauley recovering from car crash, surgery

DUBLIN, Ohio -- PGA Tour player Bud Cauley had surgery Sunday in a Columbus, Ohio, hospital to treat injuries he suffered in a car crash on Friday evening after he missed the cut at the Memorial Tournament.

Cauley, 28, suffered rib and lung injuries, according to Cauley's father, Bill, in a Twitter update that said "they put four plates on four broken ribs. He's probably going to be in the hospital four more days recovering, no flying for a couple of weeks because of the collapsed lung.''

A former star golfer at Alabama, Cauley also suffered a broken leg, according to Justin Thomas, the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world and a friend of Cauley's. Three other people were in the car, Thomas said.

A police report will not be available until Monday.

"He was doing good yesterday,'' Thomas said after the final round of the Memorial. "It calmed me a lot after seeing him. I couldn't hit a shot, couldn't play a hole, without thinking about him.

"He's doing a lot better; surgery got bumped back to today. He was laughing, talking, but it hurt him to do both, so we tried not to ask him too many questions or make too many jokes.''

Thomas said one of the other passengers was former NHL defenseman James Wisniewski, a friend of his and Cauley's, and two other friends of Wisniewski whom he did not know. Wisniewski played four seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets and still has a home in the area.

Cauley missed the 2015 season due to a shoulder injury but had rebounded this year with two top-10 finishes and was in the top 85 in the FedEx Cup standings. He missed the cut at the Memorial with scores of 77-76 and was scheduled to play in a U.S. Open sectional qualifier on Monday but has withdrawn.