Among the many difficult layers to Gary Woodland’s battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was deciding to tell the world was he was going through.
Since then? He’s felt the weight of the world off his shoulders, and, probably not a coincidence, his golf is improving, too.
“It’s been amazing, to be honest with you,” Woodland, speaking on Friday after a second-round 68 in the Valspar Championship, said of the support he’s received since his Golf Channel interview about PTSD aired on the Monday of the Players Championship.
“I obviously got a lot of love and support after coming out of brain surgery and all that, but it was a lot more last week. I was maybe a little surprised by that. I think probably a lot of people could relate more to what I’m battling right now than they can relate to brain surgery, probably. But everyone’s amazing out here. The family, the tour itself, the golf world, it’s been amazing.”
Woodland, 41, underwent surgery in September of 2023 to remove a brain lesion and returned to the PGA Tour only four months later. But since then, the Kansas native said he has been struggling with anxiety and hyper-awareness following the procedure. Last year, he was officially diagnosed with PTSD from neurological trauma.
“I can’t waste energy anymore hiding this, and I’m blessed with a lot of support out here on the tour,” an emotional Woodland said in the Golf Channel piece. “Everyone’s just been amazing. Every week I come out, and everyone’s so excited and happy that I’m back. I hear that every week—It’s so nice to see you past this, it’s so nice to see you 100 per cent—and I appreciate that love and support. But inside, I feel like I’m dying, and I feel like I’m living a lie.”
Last week, Gary Woodland revealed his ongoing battle with PTSD in the aftermath of 2023 brain surgery.
This week, he's in the top 10 after his second round @ValsparChamp … the site of his first TOUR win in 2011.
"I can focus my energy on myself … instead of wasting my… pic.twitter.com/RcXhsUP3uk
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 20, 2026
Woodland illustrated his struggle with a story about becoming startled by a walking scorer coming up from behind him at last fall’s tour event in Napa, Calif. He described his vision going blurry and wasn’t sure if he could continue, though he bravely played on.
“When I got done [with the round], I got in my car and got out of there,” Woodland said. “There are days when it’s tough—crying in the scoring trailer, running to my car just to hide it. I don’t want to live that way anymore.”
On Friday, Woodland said he was nervous about talking about his PTSD, but that the relief he felt in the aftermath has been life-changing.
“Last week my caddie [Brennan Little] said it was the best he’s seen me since he can remember,” Woodland said. “I think just releasing it now. I can focus my energy on myself and what I need to do to be successful, instead of wasting my energy trying to hide something. It’s my reality, it’s what I’m battling, and we’ll get better, for sure.”
Woodland, the 2019 U.S. Open champion at Pebble Beach, ultimately missed the cut last week at TPC Sawgrass at four over, and his best finish in five starts this year is a T-64 in Phoenix. But he enjoyed what he said was his most solid round of the year on Friday at Innisbrook, recovering from two early bogeys with five birdies. With a four-under total, he was in the top 15 heading into the weekend.
“It’s been coming,” Woodland said. “I’ve been hitting it nice on the range, our practice sessions have been really good. I just haven’t translated to the golf course. So it was a lot of stay the course, stay the course. We know it’s coming. I was talking to Randy [Smith], my coach, Friday after missing the cut last week and just talking about how close it is. Like how close I am to just taking off. Nice to see some signs that have this week.”
Woodland, long known as one of the biggest hitters on tour, scored his first tour victory in the 2011 event at Innisbrook that was then known as the Transitions Championship. It came a bit out of the blue, considering the Copperhead Course has been known more for its point-to-point play. But Woodland played smartly, hitting a bunch of 2-irons off the tee and got hot with the putter to beat runner-up Webb Simpson.
“Really relied on the ball striking that week,” he said. “… I don’t think I missed a putt inside 17 feet on Sunday. I think I was 17-17 inside 20 feet or whatever it was. I had a nice day on the greens. But it gave me a lot of confidence that I belonged out here for sure.”
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Main image: Sam Navarro
