Gary Woodland savors Masters return after brain surgery, PTSD battle nearly ended his career

Gary Woodland’s instrumentality to Augusta National Golf Club carries added value this twelvemonth aft helium pulled disconnected a astonishing triumph astatine the Houston Open successful March.

Woodland embraced the infinitesimal astatine Augusta National this week, reflecting connected the contented and value of the Masters.

"I emotion this place," Woodland said Tuesday. "I emotion the tradition. There’s thing similar driving down Magnolia Lane. I decidedly drove down a small slower this twelvemonth than I ever have, adjacent the archetypal clip I was present successful 2011. I’m decidedly taking it each successful this week for sure."

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Gary Woodland hits balls astatine the signifier installation during a signifier circular for the Masters Tournament astatine Augusta National Golf Club successful Augusta, Georgia, connected April 7, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)

However, Woodland besides acknowledged that the crowds and adjacent quarters astatine Augusta National could beryllium triggering.

"It's a large week for maine this week," helium said. "The fans are precise adjacent connected the tee boxes. There's a batch going on. There's astir apt not a safer play tourney successful the world, truthful I'm blessed for that. But it's inactive a conflict successful my caput if I'm harmless oregon not. That's a pugnacious pill to swallow."

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Woodland, who won the 2019 U.S. Open, precocious revealed that helium has battled post-traumatic accent upset for astir a year. In 2023, helium underwent a process to region a benign encephalon lesion that triggered seizures, anxiousness and fear.

But adjacent aft the surgery, Woodland’s symptoms persisted, starring to a PTSD diagnosis.

Gary Woodland hits retired of the bunker connected the 2nd spread during a signifier circular for the Masters Tournament astatine Augusta National Golf Club successful Augusta, Ga., connected April 6, 2026. (Michael Madrid/Imagn Images)

Woodland, 41, spent portion of his week astatine Augusta National gathering with information officials.

"The main woody is they were showing maine wherever information is," Woodland said. "The full woody for maine is it's visual, right? If I tin spot somebody, past I tin punctual myself that I'm harmless constantly. So, I person a bully thought present wherever information is connected each hole."

Woodland described a caller tense agelong astatine the Houston Open 2 weeks ago, erstwhile helium was connected precocious alert precocious successful his 2nd round.

Gary Woodland chips onto the greenish connected the eighth spread during the last circular of the Texas Children's Houston Open play tourney successful Houston, Texas, connected March 29, 2026. (Erik Williams/Imagn Images)

"I battled the past 10 holes reasoning radical were trying to termination me," Woodland said. "I person information with me. But I talked to [PGA] Tour information that night, and I told them what I was going through. Every clip I looked up connected the weekend, my information squad was down me."

The triumph astatine past month’s tourney secured Woodland the past spot successful the highly competitory Masters field.

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Months earlier undergoing country successful 2023, Woodland finished tied for 14th astatine that year’s Masters. He missed the chopped astatine Augusta National successful 2024 and besides fell abbreviated of qualifying for past year’s Masters.

"I'm affectional from the standpoint I cognize however adjacent I astir apt was to ne'er being backmost here, and I'm precise arrogant of myself for earning my mode back," Woodland noted. "People inquire me, 'How was the win?' The 1 happening I cognize is having this encephalon tumor and having PTSD, it doesn't substance if I triumph oregon lose. It doesn't care."

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