Gary Woodland was getting ready to play again at this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii when he thanked his physicians and his family, friends, and coach, Butch Harmon.
This will be his first start since his brain surgery in September of last year.
“The support and affection have been incredible. I haven’t seen many guys, even after coming back this week and seeing the guys. The level of goodness has been astounding.” In his first press conference since revealing the brain lesion to the public late last summer, Woodland made these remarks during an emotional one on Tuesday afternoon.
Woodland claimed that he started experiencing symptoms at the Vidanta Mexico Open in May of last year. He started having tiny seizures and woke up in the middle of the night with a jolt. He started to have horrible ideas about dying all the time.
Being naturally upbeat, he was aware that something wasn’t right and that he didn’t feel like himself. The week of the New York PGA Championship, he had nausea. His doctor ordered an MRI, which showed the lesion.
It turned out that it was pressing on the area of his brain responsible for controlling his anxiety and terror. Woodland started taking medication, and the medical team decided against doing surgery right away. However, the symptoms continued and seemed to be becoming worse, suggesting that the lesion might be expanding. It was time to get in there and grab it ; on September 18, Woodland will have a craniotomy in Miami.
He was frightened.
“They severed my body from my neck down to my ear. I had a baseball-sized hole cut out of my skull, and they went in through it, securing it with plates and screws,” he claimed.
When he made a joke on Tuesday about having a cybernetic head and maybe setting off metal detectors, nobody laughed. Rather, medical professionals informed him that they had removed the majority of the lesion, declared it benign, and severed the blood flow to the remaining portion. Relief washed over Woodland.
However, in some respects the task had only just begun; there was still a long way to go in terms of recovery and rest. He had no choice but to seem compromised, even if he didn’t want his three children back home in Delray Beach, Florida, to see him that way.
“When I didn’t have the staples covering my scar on my head, my son became very afraid of me.” He doesn’t understand at age 6. He believed I was going to die,” he stated.
He was recovering with his wife, Gabby, by his side. Five weeks after the surgery, he started to take full swings. On November 13, 2023, he posted a swing video in which he expressed hope that he would return the following year.
His devotion to the Sony Open supports that goal. Woodland will be making his maiden start on the TOUR this week after finishing T27 at the Wyndham Championship in August of last year. Woodland finished 94th in the FedExCup last season despite making 18 cuts in 24 TOUR appearances. Among his four TOUR victories is the Pebble Beach U.S. Open in 2019.
With eight career starts at the Sony Open, the Kansas native has made five cuts and four top-25 finishes. At Waialae Country Club, his best performance to date is a tie for third in 2015.
He arrived in Hawaii early with his family, and they have been lodging with friends in Kona. He claimed that a week and a half ago, he received a promising MRI, he also stated that he has been in constant communication with Harmon and that they are happy with the way his game is progressing. He went on to say that the problem is how well he can maintain his composure under the typical pressure and strain of a 72-hole PGA TOUR event.”
“It has gone well so far. Last night, I had a really good sleep. I went out and played 9 holes this morning, and this afternoon I want to go back. It has to do with overstimulation and attention. It’s going to be too much if all three of my kids are using an iPad or phone when I’m at the house. I have to go for a little while from this room.” Woodland said.
“It will be four months until surgery next week. That’s most likely the date they indicated I should be okay after four months. Let’s see.” he stated.
