Livescore
PALM BEACH GARDENS — Sitting on a stage along with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan inside PGA National on Wednesday, Gary Woodland was composed as Monahan presented him with the PGA Tour’s Courage Award. Monahan called him an inspiration, saying it would be hard to find a player “more admired and more respected” on tour.
Woodland, 40, smiled naturally for photos while holding the crystal trophy presented to a person who, through courage and perseverance, has overcome extraordinary adversity to make a significant and meaningful contribution to the game of golf.
It was not until later, when Woodland graciously and valiantly shared his heart-wrenching story, that he was overcome with emotion.
Emotion that spilled over to the entire room.
More: PGA Tour Cognizant Classic Tee Times for first two rounds at PGA National
“Sorry, it’s a little hard right now,” he began as he was asked what it means to receive this award. “It’s everything to me because … sorry.”
Woodland needed a moment. To drink some water. To wipe away the tears.
“It’s been a hard journey for me,” he continued. “The last couple years has been really hard. Receiving this is a testament to the people around me because there’s no way, one, I’d be back playing, or no way I’d be sitting here today if it wasn’t for them.”
Woodland hits his first tee shot in this year’s Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches Thursday at 12:40 p.m. This is his fifth event of the year. While everything is starting to resemble normalcy with his golf game – “I’m knocking on the door, I know I am,” he said – the Delray Beach resident continues to face challenges in his personal life.
Challenges that at times seemed insurmountable.
Woodland’s story of undergoing surgery in September 2023 to remove a tumor pressing against his brain, and returning to competitive golf four months later, is not the end.
In fact, it’s just the beginning of Woodland’s second chance at life.
After returning to the course last year, Woodland went through what he describes as the “the hardest year” of his life.
Because doctors were not able to remove the entire tumor, he still suffered through scary symptoms. “My brain couldn’t keep up,” he said, describing it as having PTSD.
Woodland would call his wife, Gabby, from the road, crying and thinking, once again, he was going to die.
“Physically I look normal, I look fine,” he said. “But this thing that I battle in my head tells me every day that I’m not.
“When I came back, I just thought I’d be OK, and I wasn’t. It was hard, and the things I battled last year through stimulation were too much.”
The remaining tumor sits in Woodland’s amygdala, the part of the brain that controls emotions, particularly fear and anxiety. That is why last year when he would become overstimulated, when his children would be excited to see their daddy, he had to leave the room.
“When you see overstimulated amygdalas … I have every symptom of it,” he said.
So now Woodland has added yoga, meditation, chanting, breathing exercises; anything to help him “slow down,” to his daily routine that included working on his craft.
“The scary part for me was is this what it’s going to be like the rest of my life,” said Woodland, who several times credited Gabby for guiding him through his lowest moments and most difficult times.
“She just let me vent and let me cry and let me tell her everything that was going on. Then it got to a point of the year where it’s like, ‘well, what’s the solution?’
“It’s one thing to sit there and complain, but when you sit there and complain if you don’t have a solution, it’s going to keep spiraling and it’s going to get worse. So every day I’d call towards the end of the year and I was crying (she said) ‘Well, what are we going to do to get better?'”
Woodland says he is getting his life back
Woodland says he doesn’t have to leave the room any longer when his kids get excited. “I’m getting my life back,” he said.
And that, he believes, will lead to a second chapter in his golf career, one he believes can be better than the first, which wasn’t too bad in itself.
Woodland is a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, including the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Since joining the tour in 2009, he has 55 top 10s and has won nearly $35 million in prize money. He peaked at No. 12 in the world following his major championship.
Late last season it was Gabby who suggested Gary reenlist the services of renowned instructor Randy Smith. Woodland credits that move for giving him the game, and confidence, to believe the best is yet to come.
“He’s worked extremely hard to make the golf swing to a point where I don’t have to think, which is a beautiful thing for me right now, so the game is starting to get a little bit easier for me again,” said Woodland, who added his speed is what it was 15 years ago.
“I’m starting to regain some confidence that I lost for a couple years of battling through things. I’m starting to see shots again. I’m starting to be able to work the golf ball like I have for a long time … I’m able to see shots again. I’m not thinking about my head; I’m actually thinking about the golf course and the golf shots I need to hit.
“I believe my best golf is ahead of me.”
Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.
More: Jordan Spieth wants to test surgically repaired wrist in Cognizant Classic debut | D’Angelo
Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches
Thursday-Sunday, Champion Course, PGA National
TV: Thursday, 2 p.m., GOLF; Friday, 2 p.m., GOLF; Saturday, 1 p.m., to NBC at 3 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m., to NBC at 3 p.m.
Defending champ: Austin Eckroat
Tickets: Daily grounds tickets are available for all days. Tickets are dynamically priced, so fans are encouraged to buy early to secure the lowest available price. Visit thecognizantclassic.com/tickets.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: PGA Tour’s Courage Award: Gary Woodland an inspiring recipient
Read the full article here
Discussion about this post