A New Chapter for Gary Woodland
For the first time since undergoing brain surgery, Gary Woodland has won a PGA Tour event. The former U.S. Open champion came out victorious in the Texas Children’s Houston Open on Sunday, marking his first win since the major championship at Pebble Beach in 2019. Woodland has faced significant challenges over the past few years, including surgery and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which temporarily halted his golf career.
Woodland’s victory comes just weeks after he publicly admitted to having PTSD, a condition he said was holding him back. This win also secures his spot in the Masters in two weeks. As the final putt went in, Woodland broke down in tears and embraced his wife, Gabby. As he takes home his first title post-surgery, here’s a breakdown of what Woodland has been through since 2023.
The Brain Surgery Journey
Woodland had surgery in September 2023 to remove a lesion on his brain. The golfer experienced symptoms such as hand tremors, chills, low energy, and being scared awake at night, which led him to get an MRI that identified the issue in his brain. The lesion was located in the part of the brain that controls fear and anxiety. It took four months from diagnosis until the surgery finally occurred.
“It was very emotional because I had gone four-and-a-half months of every day really thinking I was going to die,” Woodland said. “The doctors kept telling me I was OK, but this thing pushing on my brain … didn’t matter if I was driving a car, on an airplane, I thought everything was going to kill me. You can imagine leading up to surgery how I felt going into having my head cut open and operated on. The fear going into that was awful.”
The Impact of the Surgery
On Sept. 19, 2023, Woodland underwent brain surgery. Doctors had to drill a hole in his skull the size of a baseball to remove most of the lesion. However, they had to leave some of it because otherwise, Woodland would have risked losing sight in his left eye and the use of the left side of his body. The surgery was successful, as the tumor was benign. However, Woodland has since dealt with PTSD symptoms that were lingering effects from the lesion and the surgery.
The Struggle with PTSD
Woodland struggled after surgery, both on the golf course and in his everyday life. Since the lesion was on the part of his brain that impacted his anxiety and fear, he has had to deal with the after-effects of the surgery. The surgery took a toll on him, as he became paranoid and scared when simply going through the course. He shared a story from a tournament in the FedEx Cup playoffs.
“I was hypervigilant,” Woodland said in an interview with Rex Hoggard. “A walking scorer startled me, got close to me from behind. I pulled my caddie and said, ‘You can’t let anybody get behind me.’ Next thing you know, I couldn’t remember what I was doing. My eyesight started to get blurry.”
Woodland finished that round but cried in the locker room. Since then, he and the tour have worked together to make him safer on the course. “The more we learn, the more we’re able to put protocols in place to help me. But it’s been a journey,” Woodland said.
A Relief to Share His Story
Before the Texas Children’s Houston Open, Woodland explained how much of a relief it was to have revealed his PTSD. “I literally feel like I got a thousand pounds off my back that day,” Woodland said. “It was hard to do. I was crying going into the interview, and I left feeling a thousand pounds lighter. I have a battle that I’m fighting, but it’s nice to not do that alone, I can tell you that. We’ll take it one day at a time and continue to get better. But the Tour out here is a family and they’ve been amazing. The golf world’s been amazing and I’m very thankful.”
Returning to the PGA Tour
Gary Woodland returned to the PGA Tour in January 2024, just months after undergoing brain surgery. However, it took a while for Woodland to find his game, as he battled both physical and mental hurdles over the past few years.
About Gary Woodland
Gary Woodland is 41 years old and has been a professional since 2007 and a PGA Tour member since 2009. Woodland underwent brain surgery in 2023, when he was 39 years old.
