Gary Woodland ended his seven-year wait for a fifth PGA Tour title with an emotional victory at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, his first win since brain surgery.
Woodland carded a three-under 67 at the Memorial Park Golf Course to finish on 21 under, five clear of Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard, securing his first worldwide win since the 2019 US Open.
The victory secures Woodland an invite to The Masters next month at Augusta National and caps a remarkable comeback for the American, who took a competitive leave from the sport in 2023 and underwent surgery to remove a lesion on the brain.
Woodland returned to the PGA Tour the following January but has struggled with the aftermath of his surgery, with the 41-year-old revealing earlier this month that he has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during his recovery.
He has since admitted that making his diagnosis public left him “feeling a thousand pounds lighter”, with Woodland now celebrating a fifth PGA Tour title and moving inside the top 25 in the FedExCup standings.
How Woodland closed out emotional victory
Woodland took a one-shot lead into the final day and saw his advantage extended when Hojgaard bogeyed the par-four first, then took control of the tournament after converting from 10 feet at the fifth to spark a birdie burst.
Hojgaard birdied the par-four sixth, but a three-shot swing saw him double-bogey the par-three next – having taken two attempts out of a greenside bunker – and Woodland roll in from 25 feet, before both players took advantage of the par-five eighth.
Woodland mixed four birdies with a lone bogey during the final day
Woodland holed another long-range birdie – his fourth in five holes – at the ninth to race to the turn in 31, with his lead briefly increasing to seven strokes when Hojgaard started his back nine with a bogey.
A two-shot swing at the 14th saw Woodland miss from six feet to save par, as Hojgaard holed from a similar distance for birdie, with Hojgaard then making a two-putt birdie at the par-five 16th to cut the gap to four shots.
Woodland was reduced to tears after his victory in Houston Open
Both players made par at the 17th to keep Woodland’s commanding advantage to the par-four last, where he got up and down from the back of the green for a par to complete his first win in 2,473 days.
“We play an individual sport out here, but I wasn’t alone today,” Woodland said after his victory. “I got a lot of people behind me, my team, my family and this golf world. Anybody that’s struggling with something, I hope they see me and don’t give up, just keep fighting.
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Gary Woodland was hugely emotional after picking up his first win since 2019 at the Houston Open
“Today was a good day, but I’m going to keep fighting. I’ve got a big fight ahead of me and I’m going to keep going, but I’m proud of myself right now.”
Hojgaard finished runner-up ahead of Johnny Keefer and defending champion Min Woo Lee, who made a final-hole birdie to move into tied-third, with Sam Stevens in fifth spot after back-to-back 67s over the weekend.
Adam Scott made a hole-in-one at the par-three 11th after Shane Lowry fired an ace at the par-three second, leaving them on eight under and seven under respectively, with first-round leader Paul Waring a further shot adrift after a final-round 74.
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Shane Lowry hit another hole-in-one on the PGA Tour during his final round of the Houston Open
What’s next?
The PGA Tour heads to Texas for the Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio – the final tournament for players to secure a last-minute invite to The Masters with a victory.
Early coverage of the Valero Texas Open begins on Thursday from 1.15pm on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of full coverage from 8.30pm. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract.
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