There were some comfortably familiar names lurking near the top of the Honda Classic’s first-round leaderboard. The likes of Zach Johnson and Jason Dufner were within a couple shots of longtime PGA Tour stalwart Billy Horschel’s co-lead at five-under.
And then there was one old name sporting with a new twist: Pierceson Coody.
Pierceson and twin brother Preston have been known for some time to most avid golf fans, who might have seen this coming. Don’t be surprised if you start seeing it more and more in the future, especially after Pierceson’s opening round of four-under-par 66 at the Honda Classic.
Pierceson and Preston are longtime students of Golf Digest Top 50 Teacher Chris Como, who coaches Bryson DeChambeau and Day among others, and they were stars on the Texas junior golf scene.
Pierceson turned pro in 2022 and is in the midst of establishing himself on the Korn Ferry Tour. In 15 starts thus far over two seasons, he has won twice, including the Panama Championship this month, and notched two other top-10s, though he’s also missed eight cuts. He reportedly was a key target for the LIV tour, ultimately turning down a “ludicrous” offer from the Saudi-funded upstart tour to establish himself as the lastest Coody to grace the circuit.