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‘Lost My Footing’: PGA Tour Rookie Reflects on Losing His Father After Securing His Tour Card

PGA Tour rookie Austin Hitt has opened up about the emotional toll of securing his tour card just months after losing his father, Aubrey Milan Hitt III, who was a college golfer and his first mentor in the sport. Hitt’s journey to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship was marked by personal grief—he flew directly from his father’s funeral in February 2024 to compete in Argentina, where he missed the cut and struggled with the weight of his loss.

Despite the setback, he channeled his father’s lessons in resilience, particularly the importance of maintaining a positive mindset after poor rounds, a philosophy instilled during his father’s six-year battle with renal cell carcinoma. Hitt’s breakthrough came at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, where a final-round 66 and five-under finish earned him a $270,000 payday and a jump from 22nd to sixth in the standings, locking in his 2027 PGA Tour card.

The win carried deep personal significance, as the course was near his father’s hometown of Salem, Virginia, where Chip Hitt had grown up and later worked at a local golf course before his own career as an All-American player at Roanoke College. Hitt, who finished his college career at North Carolina with a 72.20 stroke average—the fourth-best in program history—has spoken publicly about how his father’s presence, even in absence, shaped his approach to the game and life beyond it.

His emotional reflection on the green after the win, where he tearfully said, *“I wish he was here,”* underscored the enduring bond between father and son, as well as the legacy of positivity that defined their relationship.

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