Gary Woodland ended his seven-year wait for his fifth PGA Tour title with an emotional victory at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, his first win since brain surgery.
Woodland shot a 3-under 67 at Memorial Park Golf Course to edge Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard at 5 under and finish at 21 under to claim his first world title since the 2019 U.S. Open.
The win earned Woodland an invitation to next month’s Masters at Augusta National and sealed the American’s remarkable comeback from competing in the sport in 2023 after undergoing surgery to remove a brain lesion.
Woodland finished the week at 21 under par, beating Nicolai Hojgaard at 5 under par.
Woodland returned to the PGA Tour next January, but is struggling with the aftereffects of surgery. Woodland, 41, revealed earlier this month that she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during her recovery.
He has since admitted that disclosing his diagnosis has made him “feel 1,000 pounds lighter,” and Woodland is now celebrating his fifth PGA Tour win and finishing in the top 25 in the FedExCup standings.
How Woodland wrapped up an emotional victory
Woodland held a one-shot lead heading into the final day and took control of the tournament after Hojgaard made bogey first on the par-4 and converted from 10 feet on the fifth hole to spark a birdie burst.
Hojgaard had a birdie on the par-4 sixth, but made a double bogey on the par-3 after two attempts from a greenside bunker on a three-shot swing, and Woodland rolled in from 25 feet before both players took advantage on the par-5 eighth.
Woodland had four birdies and one bogey on the final day.
Woodland holed another long birdie (his fourth of five holes) on the ninth to get to 31, and his lead briefly expanded to seven when Hojgaard opened the back nine with a bogey.
On a two-shot swing on the 14th hole, Woodland missed from 6 feet to save par. Hojgaard holed from similar distance for birdie, and Hojgaard made a two-putt birdie on the par-5 16th to close the gap to four strokes.
Woodland shed tears after winning the Houston Open.
Both players made par on the 17th hole and Woodland maintained his commanding lead until the final par 4, when he went up and down from behind the green to record par to earn his first win in 2,473 days.
“We’re playing an individual sport here, but I wasn’t alone today,” Woodland said after the win. “I have a lot of people behind me, including my team, my family and this world of golf. If there’s anyone out there struggling with something, I hope they see me and don’t give up and keep fighting.
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Gary Woodland was very emotional after winning his first title since the 2019 Houston Open.
“Today was a good day, but I will keep fighting. I have a big fight ahead of me and I will keep going, but for now I am proud of myself.”
Hojgaard birdied the final hole to beat Johnny Keefer and defending champion Lee Min-woo to tie for third, while Sam Stevens finished fifth with back-to-back weekend rounds of 67.
Adam Scott recorded a hole-in-one on the par-3 11th after Shane Lowry hit an ace on the par-3 second to get to 8-under and 7-under, respectively, and first-round leader Paul Waring added another shot after a final-round 74.
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Shane Lowry recorded another hole-in-one on the PGA Tour in the final round of the Houston Open.
What’s next?
The PGA Tour heads to Texas for the Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio. This is the last tournament where players can pull off a last-minute win and qualify for the Masters.
Early coverage of the Valero Texas Open begins on Sky Sports Golf from 1.15pm on Thursday, with full coverage starting at 8.30pm. Access or stream Sky Sports with no contract.
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