Gary Woodland's win is a triumph for the ages

In the week when Tiger Woods’ trials and tribulations were once again laid bare for all to see, there was a redemption story at the Houston Open.

During the Players Championship a tearful Gary Woodland opened his heart to the world, admitting that he has been suffering from PTSD ever since being diagnosed with a brain tumour. He has successfully undergone treatment and is back on the PGA Tour but admitted that it has all been a struggle.

His best performance in 2025 came at the Houston Open, where he finished second. It is a course that fits his eye.

And when he arrived to play last week he clearly felt unburdened. The love for him was clear to see and he responded with rounds of 64, 63 and 65 to take a one-shot lead into the final round. 

The thing that was most impressive about that 65 is that it was achieved in the face of playing partner Nicolai Hojgaard firing his own 63 and reducing the deficit to a single shot. Woodland could have crumbled but instead was inspired.

In the end, it was Hojgaard who crumbled in the final round as Woodland continued his imperious progress with a 67 and a winning total of 259, 21 under par. 

We had already seen tears of joy earlier in the day as Alex Fitzpatrick won the Hero Indian Open and spoke about how he idolises older brother Matt.

And there wasn’t a dry eye in the house in Houston (or Norwich where I am) as he went on to win by five strokes - his first since the 2019 US Open.

"We play an individual sport out here, but I wasn't alone today," Woodland said after his victory. "I got a lot of people behind me, my team, my family and this golf world. Anybody that's struggling with something, I hope they see me and don't give up, just keep fighting.

"Today was a good day, but I'm going to keep fighting. I've got a big fight ahead of me and I'm going to keep going, but I'm proud of myself right now. It's just another day, I've got to keep healing, I'm going to keep fighting, but I'm proud of myself right now.

"Thank you to my family. I wouldn't be anywhere before this without them but there's no chance I could do this without Gabby. 

"It's been hard on me, it's been harder for her. I love her to death. Coming out, talking and asking for help, I didn’t do that last year. I didn’t do that early this year," Woodland said. "I'm in a fight. With the love and support I have around me, I have hope."

Woodland said that doctors told him that "in an ideal world," he wouldn’t be competing on the PGA Tour. "My response was, in an ideal world, I don’t have this. This is my dream and this is what I’m going to do, and no matter how hard it is, I’m going to play," Woodland said. "I want to live my dreams and I want to be successful out here, but I want to help people, too, but I realise now I got to help myself first."

He missed four of his first six cuts in 2026, but he posted a T14 at last week’s Valspar Championship and arrived at Memorial Park in Houston feeling better about the daily battle he faces and his dream of competing and winning again on the PGA Tour. 

"I literally feel like I got a thousand pounds off my back that day," Woodland said about opening up on his PTSD diagnosis. "It was hard to do. I was crying going into the interview, and I left feeling a thousand pounds lighter. I have a battle that I’m fighting, but it’s nice to not do that alone, I can tell you that. We’ll take it one day at a time and continue to get better. But the Tour out here is a family and they’ve been amazing. The golf world’s been amazing and I’m very thankful.

"This, as much as any week, I feel like I’ve had a lot of support. I kind of feel like I’m playing at home. The fans have been amazing. I kind of need that energy to help me through the day, that definitely helps. That’s something hopefully I can ride on this weekend as well."

He began the week as a four-time PGA Tour winner but hadn’t claimed a title since winning the US Open in 2019. Now he is back and has played his way into the field for the Masters.