Brandon Wu Bio
Brandon Wu (born February 17, 1997) is an American professional golfer who plays on the DP World Tour and previously competed on the PGA Tour. He is best known for winning the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour Championship and for his runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour in 2022 and 2023. Wu reached a career-best Official World Golf Ranking of 79 in June 2023.
Born in Danville, California, Wu spent part of his childhood in Beijing before returning to the United States and developing into one of the top amateur golfers in the country. He played college golf at Stanford University and turned professional in 2019. He currently resides in Dallas, Texas.
Early Life and Background
Brandon Wu was born on February 17, 1997, in Danville, California. He lived in the state during his early childhood and developed an early interest in golf through local competition. When he was eight years old, his family relocated to Beijing, China, where he spent the next five years competing on the junior golf circuit.
The experience of playing competitive junior golf in China helped shape Wu’s game and gave him an early international perspective on the sport. His family moved back to the United States when he was 13, settling in Scarsdale, New York. The move placed him near one of the strongest amateur golf regions in the country.
Wu attended boarding school at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, where he balanced academics with athletics. He was a member of the school’s swim team while continuing to develop his golf game, a path that led him to one of the top college programs in the nation.
Path to Professional Golf
Brandon Wu enrolled at Stanford University in 2015 and played college golf for the Stanford Cardinal men’s golf team through 2019. In his senior year, the Cardinal won the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship, capping a strong amateur career for Wu at the collegiate level.
During his amateur career, Wu earned several high-profile selections. He played in the 2019 Walker Cup and the 2019 Arnold Palmer Cup, two of the most prestigious events in amateur golf. He also teamed with Stewart Hagestad, Emilia Migliaccio, and Rose Zhang to win the mixed team gold medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima. Among his individual amateur achievements, he won the 2017 Porter Cup and was the stroke-play medalist at the 2019 U.S. Amateur.
Wu qualified for the 2019 Open Championship and tied for 35th at the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, where he famously had to miss his Stanford graduation ceremony. He received his diploma as he walked off the 18th green, a moment that highlighted the timing of his transition from amateur to professional golf.
Brandon Wu Career
Early Career (2019–2020)
Brandon Wu turned professional in 2019 and joined the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour with conditional status after finishing tied for 61st at the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Final Qualifying Tournament. His first start of the season came at the 13th event, the Price Cutter Charity Championship, where he finished tied for ninth and earned enough points to climb the priority ranking.
Building on that momentum, Wu posted four starts based on points-list entry and quickly delivered results. He was runner-up at the Albertsons Boise Open and then won the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, securing his first professional victory and locking in a spot in the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club.
PGA Tour Breakthrough (2021–2023)
Wu earned a spot on the 2021–22 PGA Tour after finishing 16th on the combined 2020–21 Korn Ferry Tour points list, a season in which he recorded one win and seven top-10 finishes across 28 starts. His PGA Tour experience started slowly, as he missed the cut in nine of his first ten tournaments, but he broke through in March 2022 with a tie for third at the Puerto Rico Open.
A few weeks later, Wu fired a final-round 63 at the Mexico Open to finish tied for second, one stroke behind winner Jon Rahm. He added top-10 finishes at the Genesis Scottish Open and Wyndham Championship and finished 82nd in the FedEx Cup standings, retaining his PGA Tour card for the following season.
In the 2022–23 PGA Tour campaign, Wu was in contention all week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and closed with a 66 to tie for second, three strokes behind Justin Rose. He later added a third-place finish at the Mexico Open and a tie for ninth at the RBC Canadian Open, ending the year 57th in the FedEx Cup standings and reaching a career-best world ranking of 79.
DP World Tour Era (2024–Present)
The 2024 PGA Tour season was a difficult one for Brandon Wu, as he made only 15 of 30 cuts with a best finish of 10th at the ISCO Championship. He ended the year 153rd in the FedEx Cup standings and lost his PGA Tour card. Rather than return to the Korn Ferry Tour, Wu opted to play the 2025 season on the DP World Tour.
His 2025 DP World Tour season was highlighted by his participation in the Volvo China Open, a personal homecoming given his years living in Beijing as a child. He finished tied for 10th in that event, his best result of the season, before struggling in the remainder of the year and ending the campaign 155th in the DP World Tour Race to Dubai standings.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the defining moments of Brandon Wu’s career came at the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, where he tied for 35th and famously received his Stanford diploma while walking off the 18th green. His runner-up finish to Jon Rahm at the 2022 Mexico Open, sealed by a closing 63, established him as a contender on the PGA Tour, and his tie for second at the 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am reinforced that reputation.
Brandon Wu Career Wins
Brandon Wu has recorded one verified professional win on a major developmental tour. His career is otherwise defined by consistent top-10 finishes and high-profile runner-up results at PGA Tour events.
Korn Ferry Tour Highlights
Wu captured his lone professional victory at the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour Championship, one of the premier events on the developmental circuit. That win, combined with a runner-up finish at the Albertsons Boise Open earlier in the 2020 season, helped him secure PGA Tour membership for the 2021–22 season.
Other Performances
Beyond his Korn Ferry Tour title, Wu has built a résumé through strong performances in amateur and professional events. He won the mixed team gold medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima and captured the 2017 Porter Cup as an amateur. On the PGA Tour, he recorded runner-up finishes at the 2022 Mexico Open and the 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, along with a tie for third at the 2022 Puerto Rico Open.
Brandon Wu Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Brandon Wu was raised in a family that prioritized education and sport, relocating from California to Beijing when he was eight years old and later to Scarsdale, New York, when he was 13. These moves shaped his international outlook and supported his development as a competitive golfer. He currently resides in Dallas, Texas.
Personal Life
Wu is a graduate of Stanford University, having completed his degree after turning professional. He continues to maintain an active presence on social media, sharing updates on his career with followers of his golf journey.
2025 Season Performance
Brandon Wu’s 2025 season on the DP World Tour was led by his tied-for-10th finish at the Volvo China Open, an event that carried personal significance given his five years living in Beijing as a child. The result stood as his best performance of the year and offered a glimpse of the form that had carried him through earlier tours.
Outside of that highlight, the season proved challenging. Wu made just 10 cuts in 26 events and struggled to find consistency on a variety of course types. He finished the year ranked 155th in the DP World Tour Race to Dubai standings, well outside the top finishers who earn full playing privileges.
Looking ahead, Wu’s experience on multiple tours and his history of strong performances at high-profile events suggest he remains a player capable of competing at a high level. His move to the DP World Tour reflects a strategic choice to compete internationally, and his ties to both the United States and China could continue to shape his competitive schedule in the seasons to come.