Gary Woodland secured his first victory on the PGA Tour in seven years having undergone brain surgery in 2023 and battled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) over the last year.
The 41-year-old American broke into tears on the 18th green at the Houston Open on Sunday after holing his final putt and hugged his wife, Gabby, in an emotional embrace after winning the tournament in Texas by five shots over Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard.
Woodland finished the tournament on 21 under par including a final round of 67 at Memorial Park Golf Course. He took a one shot lead into Sunday having posted scores of 62 and 63 across Friday and Saturday.
Four birdies on the front nine, coupled with Nojgaard recording two bogeys and a double bogey, helped Woodland build his lead and despite a late push from the Dane the deficit was too large to overcome across the final holes as Woodland made par on the 17th and 18th to secure the victory.
“We play an individual sport but I wasn’t alone today,” said a visibly emotional Woodland after the final round.
“I’ve got a lot of people behind me – my team, my family. Anybody that’s struggling with something, I hope they see me and don’t give up – just keep fighting.
“It’s just another day, I’ve got to keep healing, I’m going to keep fighting, but I’m proud of myself right now. Thank you to my family. I wouldn’t be anywhere before this without them but there’s no chance I could do this without Gabby.
“It’s been hard on me, it’s been harder for her. I love her to death.”
Victory at the Houston Open was Woodland’s fifth PGA Tour triumph and comes just before the first major of the season in April’s Masters tournament.
When asked about his chances at Augusta, he emphasised he still had personal and mental issues to work on, but said: “My game is better than it’s ever been.”
He added: “I tried to slow down and take things in because it didn’t feel like this was possible a couple of years ago.”
