Woodland, who hadn't won since the 2019 U.S. Open, underwent surgery to remove a brain lesion in 2023. And it was a long, tough road back to the winner's circle.
There were times he had to leave the room when he was with his kids, unable to handle their energy. Then, he hit “rock bottom” at the 2024 3M Open, calling his wife in tears after the third round.in 2025.
. Even though he continued to pursue his golf dreams, he recorded only two top 10s in 55 starts over two years and was often hypervigilant. Another low point came at the Procore Championship last September, when a walking scorer startled him, and he could barely hit a shot from the fairway. Finally, Woodland couldn’t bear the burden of hiding his condition anymore. So, three weeks ago, ahead of the Players Championship, he contacted Golf Channel, wanting to share his struggles with the world. As he sat down with the network for an interview, his eyes continuously welled up as he revealed, “I feel like I’m living a lie.” Afterward, he said he felt a “thousand pounds” lighter. And that translated inside the ropes. Though he missed the cut at the Players Championship, he followed that up with a T14 at the Valspar Championship, his best result of the season. Now, a week later, Woodland’s triumphant comeback story is complete. He won the Texas Children’s Houston Open by five strokes over Nicolai Højgaard for his first title since the 2019 U.S. Open. And Woodland dominated, leading the field in strokes-gained total and putting. He snatched the lead on his third hole of Round 3 and never seized it. Aand third-round 65 gave him a one-stroke lead entering the final round at Memorial Park, a place where he’s clearly comfortable, as he placed runner-up at this event a year ago behind a final-round 62, one of his few bright spots in recent years.Still, could Woodland finish the job? He showed no signs of nervousness. On the 3rd hole, the world’s 139th-ranked player smashed a 363-yard drive with a 196 mph ball speed. Then came birdie on No. 5. Another followed on No. 7, sinking a 24-foot putt, as Højgaard, his playing partner, made double from the greenside bunker. Woodland led by five. And he made two more birdies before making the turn. On the back nine, Woodland was stuck in neutral. But, even with a bogey on the par-4 14th and no birdies, he had built up a substantial lead. On the par-4 17th, with a four-stroke advantage, he was playing not to lose, using an iron off the tee to avoid the risk of splashing his drive, with water on the hole’s right side. On the 72nd hole, Woodland had the trophy all but secured. His tee shot settled in the left rough, leaving him 168 yards to the hole. His approach, with a 7-iron, rolled off the left side of the green, but he walked up the fairway to a rousing applause, with his playing partners, Højgaard and Min Woo Lee, pumping up the crowd. Woodland chipped to 5 feet and made his par putt. Tying the tournament’s scoring record, his reclamation story was complete. Woodland looked up to the sky, exhaled and embraced his caddie and wife in tears as the fans chanted his name.Amid his PTSD battle, doctors suggested avoiding high-intensity environments, which professional golf certainly is. He admits that in an ideal world, he’s probably no longer playing. But also notes that in an ideal world, “I don’t have this. This is my dream.” So, despite all the tears, all the missed cuts and all the doubts that his major championship-winning career was over, he never gave up. All the difficult times paved the way for this very moment. To hoist a trophy again. Only this time, compared to Woodland’s first four wins, it serves a bigger purpose: showing people that they, too, can overcome their struggles.Max Schreiber is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, covering golf. Before joining SI in October 2024, the Mahwah, N.J., native, worked as an associate editor for the Golf Channel and wrote for RyderCup.com and FanSided. He is a multiplatform producer for Newsday and has a bachelor's in communications and journalism from Quinnipiac University. In his free time, you can find him doing anything regarding the Yankees, Giants, Knicks and Islanders.
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