“I can’t waste energy hiding this anymore, and I’m lucky to have a lot of support here on Tour,” said Woodland, who counts the 2019 US Open among his four victories. “Everyone has been amazing. Every week I come out and everyone is so excited and happy that I’m back. I hear that every week: It’s so nice to see you go through this, it’s so nice to see you at 100 percent, and I appreciate that love and support. But inside, I feel like I’m dying and I feel like I’m living a lie.”
Woodland, 41, shared his personal struggles since his triumphant return to the PGA Tour in 2024 during an emotional interview that aired on Golf Channel. Woodland recounted an instance where he was overcome with fear and anxiety while competing in the 2025 Procore Championships in Napa in September.
Advertisement
“He was very alert,” Woodland said. “A walking scorer startled me, coming up behind me. I pulled on my caddy (Brennan “Butchie” Little) and said, ‘You can’t let anyone get behind me.’ The next thing you know, I couldn’t remember what I was doing. My vision started going blurry.”
Woodland was on the verge of quitting, but his caddy gave him a pair of sunglasses and helped him through it.
“It was my turn to bat and I couldn’t do it,” said Woodland, who was serving as assistant captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team and playing alongside two members of the team. “Butch said, ‘Let’s go in.’ I said, ‘No, man, I’m here for these guys.’ I want to fight this.’ I went into all the bathrooms to cry for the rest of the day. When I was done, I got in my car and left there.
“There are days when it’s hard: crying in the scoring trailer, running to my car just to hide it. I don’t want to live like that anymore.”
Woodland praised the PGA Tour for implementing additional safety protocols to help him feel safer on the course.
Advertisement
“In an ideal world, I probably wouldn’t play,” he said. “But in an ideal world I don’t have this. This is my dream.”
Woodland isn’t looking for sympathy, but rather hopes that going public with her story will help make a difference for others.
“I want to live my dreams and be successful here,” Woodland said. “But I also want to help people. I realize now that I have to help myself first, and I hope this is the first step in doing that… You can’t do this alone, no matter how strong you think you are.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Emotional Gary Woodland Talks Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder After Brain Surgery