Braden Thornberry is an American professional golfer who secured his PGA Tour card in 2024 after winning the Korn Ferry Tour Championship at French Lick Golf Resort. A former No.1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Thornberry had a successful amateur career before turning pro in 2018. Find out more about his life and career below…
Braden Thornberry Facts
1. Thornberry was born in Germantown, Tennessee on 11 April 1997, and currently resides in Olive Branch, Mississippi.
2. His earliest golf memory was seeing Tiger Woods make the putt to force a playoff against Rocco Mediate at the 2008 US Open.
3. Aside from golf, Thornberry grew up riding dirt bikes and learning martial arts. Living near Memphis, he grew up attending the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
4. He had a successful junior career, winning the 2011 Future Masters when he was 14 years old. A DeSoto Central High School graduate, Thornberry won multiple titles as a teen and finished his junior career ranked No.6 in the world.
5. He enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Mississippi in 2015 and played for the Ole Miss Rebels men's golf team, where he continued to show his promise as an amateur golfer.
6. Thornberry won two times as a freshman in college and was named First-Team All-American.
7. He claimed five individual titles as a sophomore, including the 2017 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship with a score of 11 under. He led the nation in stroke average at 69.57, earned the Fred Haskins Award for the college player of the year and was named to the 2017 All-Nicklaus Team.
8. He made his PGA Tour debut at the 2017 FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis, where he finished in a tie for fourth – the best finish by an amateur at the event since 1965.
9. In 2018, he replaced Joaquin Niemann as the No.1-ranked amateur in the world.
10. He was in the winning United States teams for the 2017 Walker Cup, alongside Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris. He also represented the USA at the 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup.
11. He finished his college career as the all-time leader in wins at Ole Miss with 11. He turned professional in December 2018, opting to forgo the second half of his senior season. "It's time for my dream to become reality,” he said after turning pro. “It's time for me to pursue my dream of becoming one of the best professional golfers in the world."
12. Thornberry joined the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019, with his best finish in his debut season being a tie for fifth at the Lincoln Land Championship.
13. After several years grinding on tour, Thornberry won his first title as a professional at the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Championship, earning his PGA Tour card for the 2025 season in the process. He birdied the final hole to finish on nine under, beating Brian Campbell, Alistair Docherty and Doc Redman by one stroke.
14. Following his victory, he said: “It’s amazing. I played good all year and just hadn’t quite got it to work out for me. For this to all come together today is just special ... A lot of stuff hasn’t gone my way over the past five years or so. To finally have something go my way and play well at the right time is amazing.”
15. He has made over $767,000 in his career as a professional before reaching the PGA Tour.
