Gary Woodland, amid PTSD battle, set to play Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. — After securing a return journey to the Masters along with his sudden victory final month within the Texas Children’s Houston Open, Gary Woodland is having fun with the expertise of Augusta National Golf Club a bit extra this week.

“I love this place,” Woodland mentioned Tuesday. “I love the tradition. There’s nothing like driving down Magnolia Lane. I definitely drove down a little slower this year than I ever have, even the first time I was here in 2011. I’m definitely taking it all in this week for sure.”

But Woodland additionally is aware of the bigger galleries and having patterns so shut to tee bins and greens may be triggers for him.

The 2019 US Open champion revealed in early March that he has been battling post-traumatic stress syndrome for a few 12 months. He had surgical procedure in September 2023 to take away a benign lesion from his mind that was inflicting seizures in addition to nervousness and concern.

When his signs continued following surgical procedure, Woodland was identified with PTSD.

“It’s a big week for me this week,” Woodland mentioned. “The fans are very close on the tee boxes. There’s a lot going on. There’s probably not a safer golf tournament in the world, so I’m happy for that. But it’s still a battle in my head if I’m safe or not. That’s a tough pill to swallow.”

Woodland, 41, and his crew have already met with safety officers at Augusta National Golf Club this week.

“The main deal is they were showing me where security is,” Woodland mentioned. “The whole deal for me is it’s visual, right? If I can see someone, then I can remind myself that I’m safe constantly. So, I have a good idea now where security is on every hole.”

At the Houston Open two weeks in the past, Woodland mentioned he grew to become hypervigilant on the ninth gap of the second spherical.

“I battled the last 10 holes thinking people were trying to kill me,” Woodland mentioned. “I have security with me. But I talked to [PGA] Tour security that night, and I told them what I was going through. Every time I looked up on the weekend, my security team was behind me.”

Woodland completed 21 underneath to beat the sphere by 5 strokes. It was his fifth victory on tour and his first since successful his solely main championship at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California in June 2019.

That Houston Open victory earned him what ended up being the final spot within the Masters area.

Woodland tied for 14th within the 2023 Masters earlier than his surgical procedure. He missed the lower after he returned to tour in 2024 and did not make the sphere final season.

“I’m emotional from the standpoint I know how close I probably was to never be back here, and I’m very proud of myself for earning my way back,” Woodland mentioned. “People ask me, ‘How was the win?’ The one thing I know is having this brain tumor and having PTSD, it doesn’t matter if I win or lose. It doesn’t care.”

Woodland mentioned the added consideration and obligations that got here with successful even left him battling his feelings final week.

“I didn’t know that releasing this battle was going to make me stronger, and it’s done that,” Woodland mentioned. “I feel a lot stronger now than I did three weeks ago, I can tell you that. No matter how hard it is out here, I know I have someone I can talk to that I can have security. My team has been amazing in helping me.”