PGA Tour fan favorite Gary Woodland is one round away from a remarkable comeback victory less than three years on from undergoing life-or-death surgery to remove a brain tumor.
Woodland, 41, had to play hard to stay in front on Saturday in the Houston Open and added a pair of birdies late in his round for a 5-under 65 that gave him a one-shot lead over Nicolai Hojgaard as he goes for his first win since the 2019 US Open.
Woodland and Højgaard (63) were flawless in the final hour at Memorial Park and created some separation going into Sunday, with no one else closer than five shots.
Woodland has become a popular figure in golf for the way he has handled his recovery from brain surgery in September 2023, and earlier this month opening up on his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder during an emotional interview at The Players Championship.
His golf has looked as good as ever, with full control of his swing and full use of his athletic power.
‘I’ve just got to take a deep breath,’ Woodland said. ‘I’ll have a good night ahead of me tonight to recover and rest, and tomorrow just don’t get ahead of yourself. I’m here, I put myself in this position for a reason, so take a deep breath and maintain what I’m doing.’
Gary Woodland is at the top of the leaderboard ahead of the final round of the Houston Open
Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard (left) is chasing down the fan favorite American star (right)
Woodland was at 18-under 192, the first time he has held the 54-hole lead since that 2019 major title at Pebble Beach. He has been helped by a change in shafts in his irons, noticing he was losing a little control as his speed began to return.
He was particularly strong down the stretch, and he had to be with Hojgaard chasing him. Woodland drilled a 2-iron over the water an onto the green at the par-5 16th – one of only five players to hit the green in two – for a two-putt birdie.
His drive on the reachable par-4 17th hit the bunker with such force that it hopped out onto the collar, and he pitched down to 5 feet for another birdie.
Hojgaard was right there with him, hitting a nice chip on the 16th for a birdie and getting up-and-down from a bunker on the 17th for another one. The Dane got back into the mix with a 62 on Friday, and he was equally effective on Saturday with his 63. He has made 15 birdies and one eagle the last two rounds.
Defending champion Min Woo Lee (67) and Michael Thorbjornsen (66) were five shots behind. Sunday is big for Thorbjornsen, who is No. 56 in the world. The top 50 after this week earn Masters invitations, and the Massachusetts native likely needs no better than eighth place.
The golf star, pictured with his family at Augusta National, admitted he feels he is ‘dying inside’ with the effects of his post-traumatic stress disorder after overcoming a brain tumor
Woodland lifted the lid on his intense battle with PTSD in an interview at the Players in Florida
Hojgaard is still not in the Masters, though at No. 47 he is virtually a lock to stay in the top 50 barring a curious chain of events at Memorial Park.
Woodland would need nothing short of a victory to get back to the Masters, even a perk such as that is secondary considering all he has gone through.
The surgery was to remove a big part of a lesion that was producing unfounded fears of dying. He returned to the PGA Tour at the start of 2024, but only recently did he share struggles with PTSD, how he would begin crying in the middle of the round and sometimes hide in the bathroom.
To share that publicly was an enormous relief for Woodland, who said earlier this week he felt ‘1,000 pounds lighter.’
Woodland is a major winner, having lifted the US Open at Pebble Beach back in June 2019
On his Puma shoes, he carries the word ‘courage’ after his illness and subsequent battle
Now the focus turns toward winning the Houston, where he came close last year as a runner-up. Woodland leads the field in approach to the green, and he is second in putting – a slightly new putter has helped with alignment.
Facing him will be Hojgaard, who made his Ryder Cup debut in 2023 for Europe. His identical twin, Rasmus, already has qualified for the Masters.
The 25-year-old Dane has three wins on the European tour, including the DP World Tour Championship at the end of 2023. He has yet to win on the PGA Tour.
‘You know it’s going to be a grind, you know it’s going to come down to potentially the last few holes anyway,’ he said. ‘So you’ve just got to stay in the fight and play your best and do your best and then let’s see where we end up.’
