Completed Event: Men's Golf at William H. Tucker Invitational on September 19, 2025 , , 7th of 18
M Golf
at William H. Tucker Invitational
7th of 18
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Mueller reached new PGA heights with wife
8/12/2022 10:30:00 AM | Men's Golf, Paul Coro
GCU Golf Course GM played in 2 Grand Slam events with wife as caddy
The greatest golf stretch of Jesse Mueller's life began as an anniversary trip of sorts.
Mueller, the Grand Canyon University Golf Course general manager, asked his wife, Jessie, to spend the week of their 12th wedding anniversary with him in Austin, Texas, and be his caddie for the PGA Professional Championship.
The four-star resort nestled into Hill Country was as advertised, but the Muellers never saw the pool or fine dining on the April trip.
The anniversary dinner became a late night Domino's supreme pizza, but those slices were the only ones in Mueller's days there. The couple's shared walks became a march to the tournament title, which led to Jesse qualifying for two PGA Grand Slam events this summer and six more PGA Tour events in the next season.
"It's almost surreal to think about," said Jesse, especially for a 39-year-old golfer who moved on from mini-tour life years ago to emphasize his family of four and a demanding job. He rarely has time for more than 30-minute snippets of practice at GCU Golf Course, where the University transformed a typical municipal layout into championships links.
Mueller's golf grind at his desk and the practice facilities outside his office window launched him into a world among golf's greatest players.
Before the PGA Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma, began in May, Jesse was invited to a dinner with an exclusive guest list of former PGA Championship winners and tour officials. Before he sat down with the likes of Rory McIlroy and Keegan Bradley, he walked in with Martin Kaymer as Dave Stockton told the story of how he defeated Arnold Palmer there in 1970.
On his first hole the next day, with "GCU" on his visor and shirt and the bag Jessie carried, Mueller's practice of ending each workday with work on his short game paid off when his pitch from 102 yards hit the green with backspin and rolled into the hole for eagle. He stayed on the leaderboard for hours, playing the first 13 holes at 1 under.
"With all those times of playing with my three brothers and dad growing up, this is something we hoped would happen for one of us," said Mark Mueller, the GCU men's golf head coach and one of Jesse's three younger brothers. "We've been rooting for this to happen for him for a long time, so it's definitely a sense of pride for all of us."
A lifetime of golf started with the Mueller version of a father-son game of catch. A 3-year-old Jesse pitched golf balls into a baseball glove worn by his father, Brian, now the President of the University that Jesse put on national television repeatedly this year.
The latter came by virtue of another Jesse-and-Jessie effort. He earned a U.S. Open spot by taking third at an 88-player qualifier in San Francisco at The Olympic Club, where she caddied for him in his only previous PGA Grand Slam appearance 10 years earlier.
The memories again extended beyond the tournament, with his parents and brothers walking with him for practice rounds in Brookline, Massachusetts.
When he made the turn of his Wednesday practice round, Jesse was approaching an elevated tee that hid who was waiting to start their rounds there.
"Out of the top 10 in the world, six were standing on the tee," Jesse said of his tee shot gallery, which suddenly included the world's No. 1 player, Scottie Scheffler. "The first tee shot was nerve-racking. I had 3-wood in my hands. I switched to a driver, a little bigger clubhead, to make sure I get this ball out to the open somewhere."
Jesse hit it purely onto the center of the fairway, as golf superstars Collin Morikawa and Sergio Garcia joined him for nine holes.
Jessie is a former Mesa Community College golfer who has dialed back her X-ray technician work as family demands grow with their 8-year-old son, Logan, and 3-year-old daughter, Sienna, and caddying duties. While many couples might find a round of golf together challenging, the Mueller tandem works because Jesse's vision is not contradicted on the course.
"I let him be," said Jessie, who weighs in on wind direction and emotion and defers on club selection and lining up putts. "In
Texas (at the PGA Professional Championship), it never felt like a victory march, even though he won by five strokes, because it was so windy in the final round. He doesn't usually shoot over par. I could tell he was getting a little rattled. I told him everybody out here is struggling with the wind, so just calm down, keep playing and it's fine."
That victory led to the Grand Slam appearances but also put Mueller in six PGA Tour events next season. Because he can choose three, Mueller will return to the Phoenix Open in February. Before this summer, Mueller had made five PGA Tour appearances. By next summer, he will have 13 in his career.
Jesse returned to his day job, a role that includes being the men's golf team's volunteer assistant. The career switch perhaps has enhanced his game by taking the stress away from playing success.
Before June was over, carrying her husband's bag up hills had helped Jessie prepare for her climb of Mount Rainier, and Jesse caddied for Logan's victory in a six-hole Phoenix tournament and resumed course operations and lessons.
"Did you watch the U.S. Open?" a golfer asked.
"Actually, I played in it," Jesse said.
Reprinted from the August issue of GCU Magazine.
Mueller, the Grand Canyon University Golf Course general manager, asked his wife, Jessie, to spend the week of their 12th wedding anniversary with him in Austin, Texas, and be his caddie for the PGA Professional Championship.
The four-star resort nestled into Hill Country was as advertised, but the Muellers never saw the pool or fine dining on the April trip.The anniversary dinner became a late night Domino's supreme pizza, but those slices were the only ones in Mueller's days there. The couple's shared walks became a march to the tournament title, which led to Jesse qualifying for two PGA Grand Slam events this summer and six more PGA Tour events in the next season.
"It's almost surreal to think about," said Jesse, especially for a 39-year-old golfer who moved on from mini-tour life years ago to emphasize his family of four and a demanding job. He rarely has time for more than 30-minute snippets of practice at GCU Golf Course, where the University transformed a typical municipal layout into championships links.
Mueller's golf grind at his desk and the practice facilities outside his office window launched him into a world among golf's greatest players.
Before the PGA Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma, began in May, Jesse was invited to a dinner with an exclusive guest list of former PGA Championship winners and tour officials. Before he sat down with the likes of Rory McIlroy and Keegan Bradley, he walked in with Martin Kaymer as Dave Stockton told the story of how he defeated Arnold Palmer there in 1970.
On his first hole the next day, with "GCU" on his visor and shirt and the bag Jessie carried, Mueller's practice of ending each workday with work on his short game paid off when his pitch from 102 yards hit the green with backspin and rolled into the hole for eagle. He stayed on the leaderboard for hours, playing the first 13 holes at 1 under."With all those times of playing with my three brothers and dad growing up, this is something we hoped would happen for one of us," said Mark Mueller, the GCU men's golf head coach and one of Jesse's three younger brothers. "We've been rooting for this to happen for him for a long time, so it's definitely a sense of pride for all of us."
A lifetime of golf started with the Mueller version of a father-son game of catch. A 3-year-old Jesse pitched golf balls into a baseball glove worn by his father, Brian, now the President of the University that Jesse put on national television repeatedly this year.
The latter came by virtue of another Jesse-and-Jessie effort. He earned a U.S. Open spot by taking third at an 88-player qualifier in San Francisco at The Olympic Club, where she caddied for him in his only previous PGA Grand Slam appearance 10 years earlier.The memories again extended beyond the tournament, with his parents and brothers walking with him for practice rounds in Brookline, Massachusetts.
When he made the turn of his Wednesday practice round, Jesse was approaching an elevated tee that hid who was waiting to start their rounds there.
"Out of the top 10 in the world, six were standing on the tee," Jesse said of his tee shot gallery, which suddenly included the world's No. 1 player, Scottie Scheffler. "The first tee shot was nerve-racking. I had 3-wood in my hands. I switched to a driver, a little bigger clubhead, to make sure I get this ball out to the open somewhere."
Jesse hit it purely onto the center of the fairway, as golf superstars Collin Morikawa and Sergio Garcia joined him for nine holes.
Jessie is a former Mesa Community College golfer who has dialed back her X-ray technician work as family demands grow with their 8-year-old son, Logan, and 3-year-old daughter, Sienna, and caddying duties. While many couples might find a round of golf together challenging, the Mueller tandem works because Jesse's vision is not contradicted on the course.
"I let him be," said Jessie, who weighs in on wind direction and emotion and defers on club selection and lining up putts. "In
Texas (at the PGA Professional Championship), it never felt like a victory march, even though he won by five strokes, because it was so windy in the final round. He doesn't usually shoot over par. I could tell he was getting a little rattled. I told him everybody out here is struggling with the wind, so just calm down, keep playing and it's fine."That victory led to the Grand Slam appearances but also put Mueller in six PGA Tour events next season. Because he can choose three, Mueller will return to the Phoenix Open in February. Before this summer, Mueller had made five PGA Tour appearances. By next summer, he will have 13 in his career.
Jesse returned to his day job, a role that includes being the men's golf team's volunteer assistant. The career switch perhaps has enhanced his game by taking the stress away from playing success.
Before June was over, carrying her husband's bag up hills had helped Jessie prepare for her climb of Mount Rainier, and Jesse caddied for Logan's victory in a six-hole Phoenix tournament and resumed course operations and lessons.
"Did you watch the U.S. Open?" a golfer asked.
"Actually, I played in it," Jesse said.
Reprinted from the August issue of GCU Magazine.
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