Rupe Taylor turns life around after a DWI. Now the golf pro is playing in the PGA Championship
Rupe Taylor watches his tee shot on the 16th hole during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Monday, May 13, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Rupe Taylor walks to the tee on the 16th hole during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Monday, May 13, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Rupe Taylor speaks during a interview before the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Rupe Taylor hits his tee shot on the 16th hole during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Monday, May 13, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Rupe Taylor watches on the 16th hole during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Monday, May 13, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Rupe Taylor watches on the 16th hole during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Monday, May 13, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Rupe Taylor watches his tee shot on the 16th hole during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Monday, May 13, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Rupe Taylor walks to the tee on the 16th hole during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Monday, May 13, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Rupe Taylor speaks during a interview before the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Rupe Taylor hits his tee shot on the 16th hole during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Monday, May 13, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Rupe Taylor watches on the 16th hole during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Monday, May 13, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Rupe Taylor had 10 days to contemplate his most improbable path to the PGA Championship, and that wasn't enough to prepare the golf professional when he arrived at Quail Hollow.
He walked 18 holes with a wedge and a putter to get comfortable. And then he stepped into the locker room and found himself face-to-face with Scottie Scheffler.
Advertisement
'I had to do a double take because I was like 'I can't believe this is happening,'' said Taylor, a 35-year-old whose 'Play Better Golf Now' instruction business in Virginia is affiliated with Virginia Beach National. "He was so kind. He was authentic. I talked to him for a couple of minutes and he asked me about me.'
It was only for a couple of minutes, not nearly enough time for Taylor to tell him about a life he feared he had squandered through alcohol until he woke up in a hospital room, his arms and legs tied to the bed and his mother sitting beside him with her head in her hands.
Taylor was 23, a graduate of the Professional Golf Management program at North Carolina State, working at a Virginia golf course. He had been drinking since high school — 'Anything, anytime, any reason to drink,' he said — until he was arrested for driving while intoxicated.
He had no memory of how he wound up in a hospital.
Advertisement
'I was completely incoherent,' Taylor said. 'I didn't know what happened, so the only thing I knew to ask her was if I killed someone.'
There was relief to find out there was only minor damage to his car and another vehicle. And there was a second chance he couldn't afford to pass up.
He attended Alcoholic Anonymous meetings practically every day. He met a girl through a social media app, Baylee, who trusted the process and stayed by him on the road to recovery, to finding work in the golf business.
Taylor has been sober for 12 years now. They are married with an 18-month-old daughter, Noah. He worked at golf courses on Kiawah Island in South Carolina and back home in Virginia. That's when he decided to spend his working time giving lessons to a cross-section of people who wanted to get better, allowing more time with his wife and young daughter.
Advertisement
Yes, it's been a journey.
Taylor is among the 20 club professionals at the PGA Championship who will take on Quail Hollow alongside Scheffler and Rory McIlroy and defending champion Xander Schauffele. The strongest field of the majors has 98 of the top 100 players in the world ranking.
And the field includes Rupe Taylor, a recovering alcoholic and teaching professional who still can't believe he has his name plate in a locker room next to PGA Tour winners Nick Taylor and Sahith Theegala.
PGA professionals have come under scrutiny over the years for diluting a field at a major championship. They are among some 31,000 members of the PGA of America who work long hours giving lessons, folding shirts, organizing club competitions. This is their reward.
Advertisement
Taylor qualified at the PGA Professional Championship in Florida on April 30, making a double bogey on the 11th hole that made him sweat, recovering with consecutive birdies to easily finish in the top 20 to earn a spot in the field.
Scheffler recalls meeting Taylor on Sunday when he arrived.
'It's a lot of fun to have those guys in this tournament,' Scheffler said. 'I think the PGA pros do a lot for the game of golf, running tournaments all over the country, teaching people all over the country, and it's a huge organization, and they do a lot for our game.'
Taylor mentioned being on Cloud 9 on more than one occasion, but actions speak louder than cliches. He showed up Monday at 7:30 a.m. in the rain and played 18 holes.
Advertisement
'Nothing is going to faze me,' he said. 'We have rain gear. We have umbrellas. I'm at the PGA Championship. I'm going to play.'
It was his second time at the PGA Professional Championship, the first experience a decade ago when he was just starting to get his life back in order. That wasn't easy on its own. And then a year into sobriety, Taylor lost his grandfather to cancer. Ten days later, his father died. He had diabetes from a young age and wasn't in the best shape.
'He had low blood sugar, got into a car accident and I never go to speak to him again,' Taylor said, his voice cracking slightly.
It was a devastating time in his life, and yet he never felt stronger.
Advertisement
'At that point, I had my sobriety in order and I think in some ways it helped me deal with the grief,' he said. "A lot of what we discussed in AA is you can't let circumstances influence your desire to drink or give you an excuse.
'Without sobriety, I would have fallen into a deep depression and gotten into another bender.'
His given name is Robert. Turns out he was playing Little League at age 10 and his coach had bad handwriting. He was called 'Rupert," which became Rupe. And it stuck. It's a name worth noting this week, even if it likely won't be found on the leaderboard.
His expectations are minimal. Quail Hollow is a big course for anyone, much less a professional who spends more time giving lessons than honing his own game. Taylor at times wonders how good he could have become had he chosen a different path in golf.
Advertisement
Then again, he wonders how in the world he got from a hospital bed in a drunken state to teeing it up against Scheffler and McIlroy in the PGA Championship.
'I'm just going to do the best I can and have as much fun as I can,' Taylor said. 'At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what I do. I feel like I won already just by being here.'
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
18 minutes ago
- New York Post
Scottie Scheffler not out of US Open just yet despite looking human
OAKMONT, Pa. — Sometimes, even Superman struggles. Scottie Scheffler doesn't wear a cape. Advertisement But the golf he's played for the past two years has been otherworldly. The gap between his No. 1 world ranking and the rest of the pack is reminiscent of the gaping advantage Tiger Woods built when he was dominating in his prime. Scheffler won seven times last season, including the Masters and the Players Championship. He entered this week's U.S. Open at Oakmont having won three times in his previous four starts, including the PGA Championship and Memorial. Advertisement 5 Scottie Scheffler reacts during the second round of the U.S. Open on June 13. Getty Images Understandably, he entered this week as such an overwhelming favorite to win that the gamblers' chatter was about whether to bet on Scheffler or the rest of the 156-player field. And yet, the surprise of this week is how human Scheffler has looked, which is to say he's resembled an impostor of the man who's been, with his head down and face without expression, coldly mowing down the rest of the PGA Tour. Advertisement Scheffler, despite not having his best stuff, grinded out a 1-over-par 71 in Friday's second round to keep himself in contention, at 4-over par, to win his second major of the year, and the third leg of a career Grand Slam. 5 Scottie Scheffler reacts after hitting a shot during the second round of the U.S. Open on June 13. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect 5 Scottie Scheffler plays a shot during the second round of the U.S. Open on June 13. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images He spent much of the day hovering around the cut line, which was projected to be 5-over while he was playing. Advertisement 'Overall, [I'm] definitely not out of the tournament,'' Scheffler said. '[Friday], with the way I was hitting it, I could have been going home. And I battled pretty hard to stay in there. I'm 4-over. Around this golf course I don't think by any means I'm out of the tournament.'' Scheffler, who has uncharacteristically been fighting his driver with a case of the lefts this week, entered the week having made the cut in his previous 56 starts. His last missed cut came on Aug. 14, 2022 at the St. Jude Classic. He entered the week having played in 21 major championships as a pro and missed the cut only twice — in the 2019 U.S. Open and the 2022 PGA. Scheffler's 3-over-par 73 on Thursday was his worst opening-round score of his career in majors relative to par (Oakmont is a par-70). 5 Scottie Scheffler is pictured during the second round of the U.S. Open on June 13. Getty Images His previous worst opening-round score was a 1-over-par 73 at the 2021 Masters. At the conclusion of his round, Scheffler was tied for 36th. Advertisement He's never come back from outside the top 30 at the end of the first or rounds to win a PGA Tour event. 5 Scottie Scheffler reacts after a shot during the second round of the U.S. Open on June 13. Getty Images Only three U.S. Open winners have come from outside the top-20 on the leaderboard at the end of the second round to win: Lou Graham, 1975 at Medinah (T-27 after 36 holes), Larry Nelson in 1983 at Oakmont CC (T-25 after 36) and Webb Simpson in 2012 at Olympic Club (T-29 after 36),. Advertisement 'I feel like I battled really hard,'' Scheffler said. 'It's challenging out there. I was not getting the ball in the correct spots and paying the price for it. I felt like me getting away with 1-over today wasn't all that bad. It could have been a lot worse. I anticipated to hit it better. 'Mentally, this was as tough as I've battled for the whole day,'' he went on. 'There was a lot of stuff going on out there that was not going in my favor necessarily and I felt like Teddy [Scott, his caddie] and I did a great job of battling, especially coming down the stretch.''
San Francisco Chronicle
23 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Scheffler: 'Definitely not out of the tournament' after another US Open round over par
OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler made yet another visit to Oakmont's famous Church Pews. He also bogeyed a hole after nearly driving the green. That wasn't enough to knock the top-ranked player out of contention — in the eyes of the betting markets and Scheffler himself. 'Overall definitely not out of the tournament. Today was I think with the way I was hitting it, was easily a day I could have been going home and battled pretty hard to stay in there,' Scheffler said. 'I'm 4 over. We'll see what the lead is after today, but around this golf course I don't think by any means I'm out of the tournament.' Scheffler battled his way to a 1-over 71 at the U.S. Open on Friday, a slight improvement on his first-round 73 but still not the type of performance that's made him the game's dominant player the past three years. He has 36 more holes to try to unleash the form that produced wins in three of his last four tournaments. But at 3 p.m. Friday, only four players had shorter odds on the BetMGM Sportsbook money line, where Scheffler was at 10-1. He was tied for 34th on the real leaderboard. Scheffler began his second round with a birdie on No. 10. After a bogey on 15, his tee shot on the par-4 17th ended up just short of the green. But he needed four more strokes to complete that hole. 'I think it's just giving it your best on each shot. There was some times today where you feel like you could give up, just based on how difficult the golf course is, how my swing was feeling,' Scheffler said. 'I'd get in position there on 17 and make a mess of the hole, and feel like I was making birdie, walk off with bogey. Then I hit it in a bunker on the next hole, and it's like I'm going to be struggling for par.' He alternated bogeys and birdies on holes Nos. 1-4. After ending up in the Church Pew bunker on both the third and fourth holes Thursday, his tee shot went in there again on No. 3 a day later. Still, it could have been much worse. Scheffler got up and down for par from the rough on No. 5 and from a bunker on No. 6. 'Mentally this was as tough as I've battled for the whole day,' he said. 'There was a lot of stuff going on out there that was not going in my favor necessarily.' At last year's U.S. Open at Pinehurst, Scheffler played all four rounds over par for the first time at a major championship. He's halfway to a repeat of that. Or he could storm back into contention. His patience was on display on No. 9, his final hole of the day. After his tee shot went into the rough, he used a wedge to hit out instead making an aggressive attempt at the green. He ultimately missed a 17-foot putt and took a bogey. If he's going to make a significant climb up the leaderboard, that will have to wait. 'Going out early tomorrow, maybe get some easier conditions than the guys late in the afternoon. At the U.S. Open I don't think you're ever out of the tournament,' he said. 'I may be in 25th or 30th place or something like that after today, and like I said, by no means is that out of the tournament.' ___
NBC Sports
40 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Belmont Stakes to be run at Saratoga Race Course again in 2026, a third time in a row
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — The Belmont Stakes is set to be run at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York for a third consecutive year in 2026. Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York Racing Association announced Friday that it will be the third and last time the Triple Crown finale is held there before returning to Belmont Park on Long Island in 2027. 'Saratoga has served our fans and stakeholders extremely well as the temporary home of the Belmont Stakes during the construction of a new Belmont Park on Long Island,' NYRA president and CEO David O'Rourke said. 'Belmont Park will always be the home of the Belmont Stakes and we look forward to its return to the newly reimagined Belmont in 2027.' It was confirmation of an expected extension of the race's stay at Saratoga while Belmont Park undergoes nearly a half-billion dollar renovation project. It is on track to reopen in September 2026, with the Breeders' Cup returning to New York at Belmont Park in the fall of 2027. The Belmont will again be run at 1 1/4 miles instead of its traditional 1-1/2 mile distance that has been known as the 'test of the champion.' That has been the case the past two years, as well, because of the configuration of the main dirt track.
