My9Iron · Adaptive Golf · Creator Golf
Chaz Bowker Bio
The elite short-stature golfer who left a 12-year culinary career, broke through at the Internet Invitational and is using creator golf to expand the audience for adaptive competition.
Quick answer: Albert “Chaz” Bowker, known online as Chazzy Golf, is an American adaptive golfer and creator from Buellton, California. He won the Short Stature category and finished third overall at the 2026 PING USDGA Championship, then opened the 2026 U.S. Adaptive Open with a 69. His larger creator breakthrough came through Barstool Sports’ 2025 Internet Invitational.
At a glance
Chaz Bowker quick facts
Bowker’s public identity crosses two parts of golf that are increasingly connected: serious adaptive competition and personality-driven creator golf. His tournament record makes the golf credible, while his collaborations and first-person storytelling make the person searchable beyond a leaderboard.
No dependable primary source located during My9Iron’s September 2026 research established his exact date of birth. The age above is tied specifically to the USGA’s 2026 field information rather than being presented as permanently current.
Before the audience
From a cut-down club to culinary school in Italy
Bowker began hitting golf shots as a child with a club cut down to fit him. By middle school, he had learned that his height did not prevent him from competing against average-height golfers. He made his high-school varsity team as a freshman.
After high school, Bowker chose a different professional path and attended culinary school in Italy. He then worked as a chef for approximately 12 years while continuing to play golf. That chapter matters because his creator career did not begin as a straight transition from junior golf into social media; it followed a long working life away from the golf industry.
The turn came after trick-shot creator Josh Kelley joined one of Bowker’s Instagram Live sessions and invited him to play Atlantic City Country Club. Bowker later said he had approximately 4,000 Instagram followers when they first played. Their immediate connection developed into a friendship, repeated collaborations and a path toward full-time golf content.
Competitive record
Chaz Bowker’s rise in adaptive golf
Bowker has competed in every edition of the U.S. Adaptive Open since the championship began in 2022. The clearest measure of his progress is the scoring trajectory: the USGA noted that his opening 69 in 2026 was 19 strokes better than the 88 he recorded during the inaugural championship.
| Date | Documented result | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| July 2024 | T14 overall and T2 in Short Stature at the U.S. Adaptive Open | Established him near the top of both the overall and category fields. |
| 2025 | Third in category and 20th overall at the U.S. Adaptive Open | Kept him inside the championship’s competitive conversation. |
| April 2026 | Won Short Stature and finished third overall at the PING USDGA Championship | Closed with a six-birdie 68 and finished two strokes from the overall title. |
| July 6, 2026 | Opened the U.S. Adaptive Open with a 69 | Finished Round 1 one stroke from the men’s overall lead. |
The PGA of America’s championship report identifies him as Albert Bowker, while interviews and creator material generally use Chaz or Chazzy. My9Iron treats those names as the same golfer rather than separate people.
Bowker has described his growing platform as a way to make adaptive golf more visible on and off the course. His message is not that competition should be softened; it is that more golfers should see a path into it.
Creator breakthrough
Why the Internet Invitational changed Chaz Bowker’s audience
Bowker entered Barstool Sports’ 2025 Internet Invitational as a respected adaptive golfer but not one of creator golf’s largest names. His scrambling and putting in Episode 3 changed that. GOLF reported that he holed $24,000 worth of putts in a victory over Frankie Borelli and Bubbie Broders.
The audience response was immediate. Bowker said he had just over 80,000 Instagram followers when the tournament was released; by May 2026, GOLF reported that the number had passed 168,000. The important signal is not the exact count on any one day but that a high-pressure golf performance introduced his personality to a much larger audience.
The event also strengthened relationships that now connect his profile throughout My9Iron. Josh Kelley later caddied for him at the 2026 U.S. Adaptive Open, and Bowker publicly thanked Bob Does Sports and the Bryan Bros for supporting him before the championship.
Watch First
From restaurant kitchens to creator golf
Bowker’s April 28, 2026 appearance on GOLF’s Subpar supplies the most complete first-person introduction to his story. He discusses his culinary career, the Internet Invitational, the growth of his audience and the personality behind Chazzy Golf.
Adaptive Golf Interview
Chazzy Golf in his own words
This June 2026 interview focuses on Bowker as an adaptive competitor, internet personality and advocate. It complements the longer Subpar conversation with a more direct profile recorded shortly before the U.S. Adaptive Open.
Creator network
Where Chaz Bowker fits in My9Iron
- Josh Kelley — close friend, frequent collaborator and Bowker’s 2026 U.S. Adaptive Open caddie.
- Chance Taylor — Callaway creator who has appeared with Bowker and Kelley.
- George Bryan IV — part of the Bryan Bros network that supported Bowker’s adaptive championship run.
- Wesley Bryan — PGA Tour winner and Bryan Bros co-founder.
- Kipp Popert — four-time U.S. Adaptive Open champion and the leading overall player in Bowker’s championship field.
In September 2026, Bowker also joined the creator field around the Grass League Summer Grind. That appearance is best treated as a dated event connection rather than a permanent team affiliation; Grass League’s player archive listed him as an amateur free agent.
Fitting, not imitation
A bag built around the flight Chaz Bowker needs
Bowker announced a Callaway relationship in April 2025 and later described working with the Ely Callaway Performance Center to rebuild equipment he had previously assembled for himself. The most useful part of that story is not the sponsor name. It is the fitting logic.
GOLF documented a June 2025 setup in which higher-launching woods and a hybrid replaced difficult long irons. During the 2026 U.S. Adaptive Open, Bowker again explained that he had removed his 5- and 6-irons so he could launch the ball higher and hold firm greens.
Paired equipment page prepared: My9Iron has separately built Chaz Bowker’s dated Callaway fitting and Clubs & Specs page. The reciprocal link will be activated after both pages are approved and deployed.
Frequently asked questions
Chaz Bowker FAQ
Sources
Primary and supporting evidence
- USGA — 2026 U.S. Adaptive Open field
- USGA — 2026 opening-round report
- U.S. Adaptive Open — July 5, 2026 press conference
- U.S. Adaptive Open — July 6, 2026 flash interview
- PGA of America — 2026 PING USDGA Championship
- GOLF — Bowker’s chef-to-creator story
- GOLF — Internet Invitational breakthrough
- GOLF — Callaway fitting and June 2025 equipment
- Grass League — player archive