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How Edmond Memorial product Taylor Moore persevered to earn his coveted PGA Tour card

caleb mccourry, oklahoman
·4 min read
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So much has happened to Taylor Moore in the past few years.

It took a lot of patience and hard work to come back. And now he has a PGA Tour card to show for it.

Taylor, 27, won the Korn Ferry Tour’s Memorial Health Championship last Sunday after shooting a 65. That earned him the tour card, which was a huge turning point in his career after a couple of demoralizing setbacks.

In March 2019, the Edmond Memorial graduate was playing golf with his friends in Scottsdale, Arizona, when he started feeling nauseous and had trouble breathing. He went to the nearest emergency room, thinking he had food poisoning.

But Taylor had to stay in Scottsdale for three days after suffering a spontaneous pneumothorax, a condition where his right lung collapsed due to an infection. Getting on an airplane for a planned trip home to Dallas would’ve complicated his condition due to the air pressure change.

After he drove home, his lung collapsed again, leading to surgery at Baylor Medical Center.

Moore's recovery lasted three months, forcing him to miss 12 tournaments in 2019. Taylor hoped for a comeback in 2020, and played five events before the COVID-19 pandemic sacked the season.

Taylor didn’t get back into the swing of things fully until later in 2020, and he said it affected his playing.

“I really had two major things happen that were completely out of my control and I don't think, at the time, I necessarily dealt with them in the best way,” Moore said. “I think overall I was just kind of frustrated and a little bit upset that I missed that amount of time, and I really wasn't playing great golf.”

Taylor Moore hits his tee shot on the No. 3 hole in the final round of Korn Ferry Tour’s Memorial Health Championship at Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield, Ill., on July 18.
Taylor Moore hits his tee shot on the No. 3 hole in the final round of Korn Ferry Tour’s Memorial Health Championship at Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield, Ill., on July 18.

Moore, who shot a course-record 60 at Panther Creek Country Club last Saturday, made his dad proud after earning the PGA Tour card.

“From a parent's standpoint, it was very cool to see,” said Rod Moore, who coached baseball for 20 years. “The perseverance he's gone through ... the patience has kind of tested him. But I think because of that, it certainly has meant a lot more. And he's always been a kid, and you ask anybody around, that's worked harder than everybody else.”

Born in San Angelo, Texas, Taylor began swinging clubs when he was around 2 years old. He won the first tournament he ever entered at age 7 in Longview, Texas, shooting 35 in a 10-and-under, 9-hole event.

After moving to Edmond, when he was 8, Taylor’s main course was KickingBird. He played baseball and basketball throughout most of his youth. He decided golf was his main sport when he was 14, around the time he received a sponsorship from PING and began getting noticed by colleges.

More: KickingBird Golf Club closing for renovations June 30

Taylor won two state championships, his sophomore and junior year, while at Edmond Memorial before committing to Arkansas. That's where Rod played baseball and Melinda, Taylor’s mom, was a cheerleader. Taylor, who was ranked the No. 2 high school player in the class of 2012 by Golfweek, earned Co-SEC Freshman of the Year in 2013. He turned pro in 2016.

Taylor Moore gets doused with beer after sinking his putt on the No. 18 hole to finish at 27-under and win the Korn Ferry Tour’s Memorial Health Championship last Sunday.
Taylor Moore gets doused with beer after sinking his putt on the No. 18 hole to finish at 27-under and win the Korn Ferry Tour’s Memorial Health Championship last Sunday.

“I think the sky’s the limit,” Rod said. “He’s an athletic kid playing golf.

“I think he’s matured quite a bit over the last four or five years. And I think maturity has come with a lot of patience and a lot of course management. A lot of things like that involved has really, really settled him down and you can see him a lot more comfortable.”

Taylor was a part of the Mackenzie Tour in Canada before joining the Korn Ferry Tour, where he’s been competing for five years and has 10 top-10 finishes. Now having a PGA Tour card after his win last Sunday, Taylor can live out his dream and start competing at the highest level in professional golf.

It took time. It took a lot of work.

More: Oklahoma high school girls golf: Edmond North edges Edmond Memorial for Class 6A title

“It's obviously a dream come true of mine to compete against the best in the world,” said Taylor, who is tied for eighth at 15-under par after three rounds of the Price Cutter Charity Championship in Springfield, Missouri. “That was my goal ever since I was 14 years old and decided to stop playing baseball. I went full-go at golf. I wanted to be a top player in the world.

“I'm just stoked to have the opportunity to prove myself out on the big tour and play how I know I'm capable of, against some of the other best golfers in the world.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Taylor Moore earns PGA Tour card after two years of perseverance