Gary Woodland revealed Monday he is suffering from PTSD after undergoing surgery to remove a brain lesion in 2023.
“I can’t waste energy anymore hiding this, and I’m blessed with a lot of support out here on the Tour,” said Woodland, who counts the 2019 U.S. Open among his four victories. “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 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.”
Gary Woodland stands at the tee box at the first hole during the final round of the Texas Children's Houston Open golf tournament.Woodland, 41, shared his personal struggles since making a triumphant return to the PGA Tour in 2024 during an emotional interview that aired on Golf Channel. Woodland recounted one instance when he was overcome with fear and anxiety while competing at the 2025 Procore Championship in Napa in September.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“I was hypervigilant,” Woodland said. “A walking scorer startled me, got close to me from behind. I pulled my caddie (Brennan “Butchie” Little) and said, ‘You can’t let anybody get behind me.’ Next thing you know, I couldn’t remember what I was doing. My eyesight started to get blurry.”
Woodland was on the verge of withdrawing but his caddie handed him a pair of sunglasses and helped him through it.
“It was my turn to hit and I couldn’t hit,” said Woodland, who was serving as an assistant captain for 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 through this.’ I went into every bathroom to cry the rest of the day. When I got done, I got in my car and got out of there.
“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.”
Woodland commended the PGA Tour for putting in place extra security protocols to help him feel safer on the course.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“In an ideal world I’m probably not playing,” he said. “But in an ideal world I don’t have this. This is my dream.”
Woodland isn’t seeking sympathy but rather hopes that going public with his story will help make a difference for others.
“I want to live my dreams and be successful out here,” Woodland said. “But I want to help people, too. I realize now I’ve got to help myself first – and hopefully this is the first step in doing that… You just can’t do this on your own no matter how strong you think you are.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Emotional Gary Woodland opens up about PTSD after brain surgery
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