Gary Woodland's PTSD Journey to Masters Victory

0:00Gary Woodland just won the Houston Open, locking in his spot at the Masters this week. The former U.S. Open champ from 2019 beat the field by five shots at 21 under par. But behind that strong finish, he was battling serious post-traumatic stress disorder from brain surgery last year. That surgery happened in September 2023. After scans found a lesion near his amygdala, the brain's fear center. Doctors cut a baseball-size hole in his skull to remove as much as they could. Woodland came back to tour play in January 2024, slowly rebuilding his game while dealing with anxiety and hypervigilance. During the Houston Open's Friday round on the back nine, Woodland felt like people were out to get him. He broke down in tears in bathrooms and stayed on high alert. This time, unlike last year, he reached out to PGA Tour Security who shattered him all weekend. His play was sharp too, with T-Shots blasting at speeds showing his powers back, plus killer approach, and short game.

1:01That support turned the tide, helping him close strong for his fifth career win and first since the major. Now at Augusta, more fans mean bigger tests. But the masters and PGA Tour have a security locked in. Woodland's opening up about this to fight the stigma, especially for guys in sports who grind alone. He's turning that battle into real strength on and off the course. This has been Sydney News Today powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story.