# Ryan Gerard
**Ryan Gerard** (Ryan Burtle Gerard, born 1999) is an American professional golfer from [Raleigh, North Carolina](https://www.edgepedia.org/raleigh-north-carolina), who plays on the [PGA Tour](https://www.edgepedia.org/pga-tour) and won his first tour title at the July 2025 Barracuda Championship.[1](https://goheels.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/ryan-gerard/22732) • [2](https://www.where2golf.com/golf-tournaments/results/player/ryan-gerard/) A former [University of North Carolina](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-north-carolina) player who reached the tour via the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024, he rose into the world's top 30 during the 2026 season, finishing third at that year's TOUR Championship.[3](https://www.pgatour.com/player/59018/Ryan-Gerard/results)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1999, Raleigh, North Carolina; son of Bob and Judy Gerard[1](https://goheels.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/ryan-gerard/22732) |
| College | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, economics degree (2022); All-America in 2020 and 2022[1](https://goheels.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/ryan-gerard/22732) • [4](https://internationalmedia.pgatour.com/uploads/commentator_resources/field_list_notes/04-14-2026-rbc-heritage-field-notes.pdf) |
| Turned pro | 2022[3](https://www.pgatour.com/player/59018/Ryan-Gerard/results) |
| First PGA Tour win | 2025 Barracuda Championship, in his 47th tour start[2](https://www.where2golf.com/golf-tournaments/results/player/ryan-gerard/) |
| 2026 season | 26 starts, 22 cuts made, 7 top 10s, $10,004,898 official money; 3rd in FedExCup standings[3](https://www.pgatour.com/player/59018/Ryan-Gerard/results) |
| 2026 TOUR Championship | 3rd place at 12-under 268, earning $3,705,000[3](https://www.pgatour.com/player/59018/Ryan-Gerard/results) |
| World ranking | 21st in the OWGR during the 2026 season[3](https://www.pgatour.com/player/59018/Ryan-Gerard/results) |
| Career earnings | $14,910,725 with 59 cuts made in 79 PGA Tour starts[5](https://www.pgatour.com/player/59018/ryan-gerard/overview?deviceId=c494a0a0-f922-41ba-9fd5-233e03e5f11b) |
## Early life and college career
Gerard grew up in Raleigh and played for coach Jimmy Cox at Ravenscroft High School, where he was a four-time all-state selection and conference player of the year and led the school to conference and state titles.[1](https://goheels.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/ryan-gerard/22732) He grew up playing at Wildwood Green Golf Club in Raleigh, where his practice group included the late [Grayson Murray](https://www.edgepedia.org/grayson-murray) and fellow professionals Doc Redman and [Carter Jenkins](https://www.edgepedia.org/carter-jenkins).[6](https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2025/07/31/get-to-know-ryan-gerard-the-raleigh-native-who-just-won-on-the-pga-tour) • [7](https://internationalmedia.pgatour.com/uploads/commentator_resources/telecast_notes/2025-barracuda-championship-telecast-notes-rd-4.pdf)
At North Carolina he became one of the program's most consistent scorers. He earned [All-America](https://www.edgepedia.org/all-america) honors in 2020 and 2022, second-team recognition from the GCAA and Golfweek in 2022, and All-ACC honors as a fifth-year senior in 2021.[1](https://goheels.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/ryan-gerard/22732) His career stroke average of 71.65 ranks fourth in UNC history, and he shot in the 60s 43 times, more than any other [Tar Heel](https://www.edgepedia.org/tar-heel).[1](https://goheels.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/ryan-gerard/22732) In the second round of the 2018 Fighting Irish Classic at Notre Dame he shot a bogey-free 10-under 61, the all-time UNC 18-hole record.[1](https://goheels.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/ryan-gerard/22732) He won the 2021 Rod Myers Invitational at Duke with a 15-under 201 and played in the NCAA Championships in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022.[1](https://goheels.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/ryan-gerard/22732)
## Turning professional and reaching the PGA Tour
Gerard turned professional in 2022 and co-medaled in his first professional tournament, a U.S. Open qualifier in [Jupiter, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/jupiter-florida), going on to compete in the 2022 U.S. Open at [The Country Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-country-club) in Brookline.[1](https://goheels.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/ryan-gerard/22732) He spent 2024 on the [Korn Ferry Tour](https://www.edgepedia.org/korn-ferry-tour), the circuit below the PGA Tour, and won the BMW Charity Pro-Am in South Carolina that year.[8](https://www.usopen.com/players/59018.html) Finishing among the top 30 on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour points list earned him PGA Tour membership for 2025.[8](https://www.usopen.com/players/59018.html)
## Breakthrough on the PGA Tour
His rookie PGA Tour season of 2025 established him quickly. Results included ninth at the Texas Children's Houston Open and runner-up at the Valero Texas Open before his victory at the Barracuda Championship in July 2025, which removed any doubt over his tour future.[9](https://www.golfmonthly.com/news/korn-ferry-tour-graduates-pga-tour-2025) The Barracuda title was his first win in his 47th tour start.[2](https://www.where2golf.com/golf-tournaments/results/player/ryan-gerard/) Earlier that May he had finished tied for eighth at the [PGA Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/pga-championship) at Quail Hollow, closing at 4-under 280.[10](https://hubapi.cbssports.com/golf/players/28872196/ryan-gerard/tournament-results/2025/)
A deliberate detour then changed his ranking trajectory. In December 2025 he entered the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on the DP World Tour, a tournament whose finishers could reach the year-end top 50 in the [Official World Golf Ranking](https://www.edgepedia.org/official-world-golf-ranking) and thereby qualify for the Masters.[11](https://www.golfmonthly.com/news/pga-tour-winner-masters-debut-mauritius-open) He forced a playoff with an up-and-down birdie at the last but lost to Jayden Schaper.[12](https://www.golfmonthly.com/news/live/afrasia-bank-mauritius-open-leaderboard-live-report) The runner-up finish lifted him from 57th to 46th in the world and into the field at Augusta National for his Masters debut in 2026.[13](https://www.golfmonthly.com/tour/who-is-ryan-gerards-caddie)
## The 2026 season
Gerard opened 2026 with consecutive runner-up finishes, taking solo second at the Sony Open in Hawaii at 14-under 266 and then tying for second at The American Express at 23-under 265.[14](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2026/pgatour/theamericanexpress/roundInfo/R4_Notes.pdf) At the Memorial Tournament in June he finished second, earning $2,200,000 in pursuit of his first win at a PGA Tour Signature Event.[3](https://www.pgatour.com/player/59018/Ryan-Gerard/results) • [13](https://www.golfmonthly.com/tour/who-is-ryan-gerards-caddie)
The season's peak came at the TOUR Championship at East Lake, where rounds of 65, 65, 66, and 72 left him third at 12-under 268 and worth $3,705,000.[3](https://www.pgatour.com/player/59018/Ryan-Gerard/results) Across 26 starts he made 22 cuts, recorded seven top-10 finishes, and earned $10,004,898 in official money, placing him third in the FedExCup standings and 21st in the world ranking.[3](https://www.pgatour.com/player/59018/Ryan-Gerard/results) At the Baycurrent Classic in the FedExCup Fall he was part of the group tied for fourth behind winner [Michael Brennan](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-brennan), alongside [Xander Schauffele](https://www.edgepedia.org/xander-schauffele) and [Brian Harman](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-harman).[15](https://www.golfmonthly.com/news/baycurrent-classic-prize-money-payout-2026) His season also put him 16th in the United States Presidents Cup points ranking with 3,784 points.[3](https://www.pgatour.com/player/59018/Ryan-Gerard/results)
## Game and equipment
Gerard plays from a 6-foot-2 frame with a swing described as unconventional: a strong grip and flat, short backswing in the style of Jon Rahm, and he has said he has taken few technical lessons.[5](https://www.pgatour.com/player/59018/ryan-gerard/overview?deviceId=c494a0a0-f922-41ba-9fd5-233e03e5f11b) • [16](https://www.golfdigest.com/story/ryan-gerard-golf-swing-2023-us-open) He is a Titleist staffer whose 2026 setup includes a Titleist GT3 driver set at 11 degrees with a Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue 60 X shaft, TaylorMade Qi10 HL and Qi35 fairway woods, Titleist T100 irons from 5-iron to 9-iron, and the Titleist Pro V1 ball.[17](https://www.golfmonthly.com/tour/ryan-gerard-whats-in-the-bag-2026) His caddie since late 2025 has been JP Burke, his former roommate, whom he first enlisted for the Mauritius Open; Steven Hale caddied for him at the Masters before Burke returned to the bag.[13](https://www.golfmonthly.com/tour/who-is-ryan-gerards-caddie)
## References
1. [Ryan Gerard, Men's Golf Roster, University of North Carolina Athletics](https://goheels.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/ryan-gerard/22732)
2. [Golf Tournaments: results, Ryan Gerard, where2golf](https://www.where2golf.com/golf-tournaments/results/player/ryan-gerard/)
3. [Ryan Gerard PGA Tour Player Profile, Stats, Bio, Career](https://www.pgatour.com/player/59018/Ryan-Gerard/results)
4. [RBC Heritage Field Notes, PGA Tour International Media (April 2026)](https://internationalmedia.pgatour.com/uploads/commentator_resources/field_list_notes/04-14-2026-rbc-heritage-field-notes.pdf)
5. [Ryan Gerard PGA Tour Overview](https://www.pgatour.com/player/59018/ryan-gerard/overview?deviceId=c494a0a0-f922-41ba-9fd5-233e03e5f11b)
6. [Get to know Ryan Gerard, the Raleigh native who just won on the PGA Tour, Axios Raleigh](https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2025/07/31/get-to-know-ryan-gerard-the-raleigh-native-who-just-won-on-the-pga-tour)
7. [2025 Barracuda Championship Telecast Notes, Round 4, PGA Tour International Media](https://internationalmedia.pgatour.com/uploads/commentator_resources/telecast_notes/2025-barracuda-championship-telecast-notes-rd-4.pdf)
8. [Ryan Gerard, U.S. Open player profile](https://www.usopen.com/players/59018.html)
9. [How The 30 Korn Ferry Tour Graduates Have Fared On The PGA Tour, Golf Monthly](https://www.golfmonthly.com/news/korn-ferry-tour-graduates-pga-tour-2025)
10. [Ryan Gerard, 2025 Tournament Results, CBS Sports](https://hubapi.cbssports.com/golf/players/28872196/ryan-gerard/tournament-results/2025/)
11. [On The Cusp Of A Potential Masters Debut, Golf Monthly](https://www.golfmonthly.com/news/pga-tour-winner-masters-debut-mauritius-open)
12. [Jayden Schaper Holes Out For Eagle To Win AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open In Playoff Over Masters-Bound Ryan Gerard, Golf Monthly](https://www.golfmonthly.com/news/live/afrasia-bank-mauritius-open-leaderboard-live-report)
13. [Who Is Ryan Gerard's Caddie?, Golf Monthly](https://www.golfmonthly.com/tour/who-is-ryan-gerards-caddie)
14. [The American Express Round 4 Notes, PGA Tour Media (2026)](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2026/pgatour/theamericanexpress/roundInfo/R4_Notes.pdf)
15. [Baycurrent Classic Prize Money Payout 2026, Golf Monthly](https://www.golfmonthly.com/news/baycurrent-classic-prize-money-payout-2026)
16. [How this U.S. Open contender's quirky and unconventional golf swing works, Golf Digest](https://www.golfdigest.com/story/ryan-gerard-golf-swing-2023-us-open)
17. [Ryan Gerard WITB 2026: What Clubs Does The PGA Tour Winner Use?, Golf Monthly](https://www.golfmonthly.com/tour/ryan-gerard-whats-in-the-bag-2026)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Racket and precision ball sports › Golf*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license