On Sunday at Memorial Park, Gary Woodland secured a victory that resonated far beyond the final leaderboard, claiming the Texas Children’s Houston Open just 30 months after undergoing brain surgery and two weeks after publicly revealing his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The 41-year-old American, a popular figure on the PGA Tour, closed with a three-under-par 67 to win by five shots over Denmark’s Nicolai Højgaard. In a rare gesture of sportsmanship typically reserved for major championships, Højgaard and defending champion Min Woo Lee held back on the 18th green to allow Woodland a solitary walk to the trophy, the gallery chanting his name before falling silent for his final putt. “We thought it was appropriate to let him have his moment,” Højgaard said. “It was a pretty cool moment for Gary.”
A medical battle behind the triumph
The win, Woodland’s first since the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and the fifth of his career, seemed improbable given the profound health challenges he has faced. In the spring of 2023, he began to struggle with unexplained symptoms including tremors, chills, fatigue, and a loss of appetite. Medical investigations revealed a lesion on his brain, located in a region that controls fear and anxiety. This caused him to experience partial seizures and persistent, unfounded thoughts that he was dying.
On September 18, 2023, Woodland underwent a craniotomy, a procedure which involved surgeons creating a baseball-sized opening in the side of his skull to access and remove the majority of the growth. It was later confirmed to be benign. He made a determined return to competition just four months later at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January 2024, receiving widespread support from peers including Tiger Woods, who offered him an exemption into the Genesis Invitational.
However, the trauma of the experience had a lingering psychological impact. In March of this year, Woodland revealed he had been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He described suffering from hypervigilance, where his surroundings felt perpetually threatening. In one incident, he was so startled by a walking scorer that he froze and experienced blurred vision. He also spoke of leaving the course mid-round to break down in tears, seeking refuge in bathrooms. “I appreciate that love and support. But inside, I feel like I’m dying, and I feel like I’m living a lie,” he said in a recent Golf Channel interview.
He said that deciding to speak out about these struggles two weeks ago made him feel “1,000lbs lighter,” though challenges remain. During this tournament, he felt overwhelmed when fans got too close on the ninth tee, a trigger for his hypervigilance, and was in tears after his second round. “Coming out, talking and asking for help, I didn’t do that last year. I didn’t do that early this year,” Woodland admitted. “I’m in a fight. With the love and support I have around me, I have hope.”
The foundation of support
That support system has been fundamental. His wife, Gabby Granado, was by his side on the course in Houston while their three children watched from home. Woodland has consistently credited Granado as his “rock” throughout the ordeal, acknowledging the immense burden she carried. “This has been hard on me. It’s been a lot harder on her,” he said. The couple’s resilience was forged through previous adversity, including the premature birth of their son, Jaxson, and the loss of one twin daughter during pregnancy.
Woodland’s perseverance was formally recognised by his sport in February 2025 when he was awarded the PGA Tour Courage Award. His journey was also documented in season three of the Netflix series “Full Swing.” The Houston Open victory, where he entered the final round with a one-shot lead and stretched it to seven at one point, has significant professional ramifications. It catapults him to 51st in the world rankings, his highest position in five years, and secures his eligibility for all the PGA Tour’s remaining elite events this season.
Most poignantly, it earns him an invitation to the Masters in two weeks’ time, a tournament he missed in 2025 but had played in 12 times previously. For a man who once dominated with power—he is currently ranked first on tour in driving distance—this win was about a different kind of strength. “We play an individual sport out here, but I wasn’t alone today,” a tearful Woodland said from the green. “Anyone struggling with something, I hope they see me and don’t give up. Just keep fighting.” Reflecting on the ongoing nature of his recovery, he added with a smile, “It’s just another day. Today was a good day. But I’ve got a big fight ahead of me, and I’m going to keep going.”