PGA Tour Pro Gains Pilot's License During Five-Month Injury Layoff

What else is there to do for a PGA Tour player during a long injury lay-off other than indulge in a few hobbies or take it easy until they can return to the course? While some may opt to complete postponed DIY work on their house or dedicate more hours to online gaming, Maverick McNealy chose to look at life from a different perspective in 2023 - literally. 

The 27-year-old Californian has always had an interest in flying, and this year he completed his dream of becoming a fully-licensed pilot. Having been forced into a five-month absence from the PGA Tour as a result of tearing the ligament that connects the collar bone to the sternum, McNealy took advantage of the imposed layoff by getting up in the skies.

He secured his regular pilot’s license and his instrument rating, too, which allows the American to navigate through clouds and other circumstances of reduced visibility. Not that the young talent has any plans to “add any unnecessary stress to his life” by doing so. For McNealy, flying is still just for fun.

Ahead of his return at this week’s World Wide Technology Championship - played at Los Cabos in Mexico - McNealy explained what he’s been up to since June.

He said: “I got my pilot's license the week after Vidanta (Mexican Open in late April) and then got my instrument rating, I think in... I want to say, August, something like that.

“That's just been a lot of fun. I'm looking at it as something where I don't want to add stress to my life. It's something that I enjoy and love doing, so I would never put undue pressure on making a trip for weather reasons, flying into a new, uncomfortable, complicated air space, whatever it is.

“It's something that if I haven't flown for a month and a half, I'm just going to go rent a plane, go up with an instructor and use it as a fun afternoon, which is what I did a couple weeks ago.”

Due to the length of McNealy’s injury, the former World No.1 amateur believes he will have around 11 more events to secure the FedEx Cup points needed to retain his Tour card and choose the remainder of his 2024 schedule.

He currently sits 154th in the OWGR - 121st in the FedEx Cup Fall - and will be looking to secure a maiden PGA Tour victory this week, going one better than the couple of runner-up finishes he secured at the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the 2021 Fortinet Championship.

Not that he’ll be flying himself to every event, mind. McNealy admitted he will often only participate in clear and comfortable journeys to practice grounds located in sunnier climes.

He said: “Since I've been back to full power, I've not been flying as much, practicing and playing a lot more golf, so it was kind of a nice break where I could actually knock out a lot of those instrument hours necessary to get that done. I still study and read up on different knowledge things that I might need.

“It's a fun release away from golf, but it's been all golf lately. I may, depending on the weather, fly to a couple west coast events, but it gets expensive renting a plane for extended periods of time.

“I'll be back and forth between Vegas and Palm Springs quite a bit seeing my family down there this offseason, just chasing some better weather, using it as something that's fun, something that helps find better practice and playing conditions for golf. But that's really what it is right now, it's a hobby, it's not really a means to an end.”