Gary Woodland ended a seven-year bid for his fifth PGA Tour title with an emotional victory at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. It was his first victory after brain surgery.
Woodland shot a 3-under 67 at Memorial Park Golf Course to finish at 21 under, five behind Denmark’s Nikolaj Højgaard, securing his first world title since the 2019 US Open.
The victory secured Woodland an invitation to next month’s Masters at Augusta National and capped off a remarkable comeback for Woodland, who will take time off from competitive action in 2023 after undergoing surgery to remove a brain lesion.
Woodland finished the week at 21 under par, five behind Nikolai Hujgaard.
Woodland returned to the PGA Tour in January of the following year, but has been suffering from the after-effects of the surgery, and the 41-year-old revealed earlier this month that he had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during his recovery.
Woodland, who has since admitted that he felt “1,000 pounds lighter” after disclosing his diagnosis, is currently celebrating his fifth PGA Tour win and finishing within the top 25 in the FedEx Cup standings.
How Woodland achieved an emotional victory
Woodland entered the final day with a one-stroke lead, and Hoygaard extended his advantage with a bogey on the first par-4, then converted from 10 feet on the fifth to make a string of birdies and take control of the tournament.
Heigo birdied the par-4 sixth, but double-bogeyed three shots on the next par-3, and despite two attempts from greenside bunkers, Woodland rolled in from 25 feet before both players took advantage on the par-5 eighth.
Woodland mixed in four birdies and one bogey on the final day.
Woodland had another long-range birdie on the ninth, his fourth of five holes, heading into the turn at 31, and the lead at one point expanded to seven shots when Hodgegaard started the back nine with a bogey.
On the 14th, Woodland missed from 6 feet with a two-shot swing to save par, and Heigaard holed in from the same distance for a birdie.Heigaard closed the gap to four strokes with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 16th.
Woodland shed tears after winning the Houston Open
Both players made par on the 17th hole, with Woodland holding an overwhelming advantage until the final par-4, where Woodland climbed from the back of the green and took the par for his first victory in 2,473 days.
“We play an individual sport here, but I wasn’t alone today,” Woodland said after the win. “There are many people who support me, including my team, my family, and the golf world. If there are people who are worried about something, I hope they will look at me and keep fighting without giving up.”
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Gary Woodland was thrilled after winning the Houston Open for the first time since 2019.
“Today was a good day, but I’m going to keep fighting. There are big fights ahead and I’m going to keep fighting, but I’m proud of who I am.”
Hodggard took second place, ahead of Johnny Keefer and defending champion Min Woo Lee, and birdied the final hole to move into a tie for third place, with Sam Stevens, who shot back-to-back 67s over the weekend, in fifth place.
After Shane Lowry hit an ace on the par-3 second, Adam Scott hit a hole-in-one on the par-3 11th to take eight and seven under, respectively, but first-round leader Paul Wareing took a further shot away with a final-round 74.
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Shane Lowry makes another hole-in-one on the PGA Tour in the final round of the Houston Open
What’s next?
The PGA Tour heads to Texas for the Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio. This tournament is the final tournament for players to earn a last-minute invitation to the Masters if they win.
Early coverage of the Valero Texas Open begins on Sky Sports Golf from 1.15pm on Thursday, ahead of full coverage from 8.30pm. Get and stream Sky Sports without a contract.
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