Woodland, amid PTSD battle, set to play Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- After securing a return trip to the Masters with his unexpected victory last month in the Texas Children's Houston Open, Gary Woodland is enjoying the experience of Augusta National Golf Club a little more this week.

"I love this place," Woodland said Tuesday. "I love the tradition. There's nothing like driving down Magnolia Lane. I definitely drove down a little slower this year than I ever have, even the first time I was here in 2011. I'm definitely taking it all in this week for sure."

But Woodland also knows the larger galleries and having patrons so close to tee boxes and greens might be triggers for him.

The 2019 U.S. Open champion revealed in early March that he had been battling post-traumatic stress syndrome for about a year. He had surgery in September 2023 to remove a benign lesion from his brain that was causing seizures and anxiety and fear.

When his symptoms continued following surgery, Woodland was diagnosed with PTSD.

"It's a big week for me this week," Woodland said. "The fans are very close on the tee boxes. There's a lot going on. There's probably not a safer golf tournament in the world, so I'm happy for that. But it's still a battle in my head if I'm safe or not. That's a tough pill to swallow."

Woodland, 41, and his team have already met with security officials at Augusta National Golf Club this week.

"The main deal is they were showing me where security is," Woodland said. "The whole deal for me is it's visual, right? If I can see somebody, then I can remind myself that I'm safe constantly. So, I have a good idea now where security is on every hole."

In the Houston Open two weeks ago, Woodland said he became hypervigilant on the ninth hole of the second round.

"I battled the last 10 holes thinking people were trying to kill me," Woodland said. "I have security with me. But I talked to [PGA] Tour security that night, and I told them what I was going through. Every time I looked up on the weekend, my security team was behind me."

Woodland finished 21=under to beat the field by five strokes. It was his fifth victory on tour and first since winning his only major championship at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California in June 2019.

That victory earned him what ended up being the last spot in the Masters field.

Woodland tied for 14th in the 2023 Masters before his surgery. He missed the cut after he returned to tour in 2024 and didn't make the field last season.

"I'm emotional from the standpoint I know how close I probably was to never being back here, and I'm very proud of myself for earning my way back," Woodland said. "People ask me, 'How was the win?' The one thing I know is having this brain tumor and having PTSD, it doesn't matter if I win or lose. It doesn't care."

Woodland said the added attention and obligations that came with winning even left him battling his emotions last week.

"I didn't know that releasing this battle was going to make me stronger, and it's done that," Woodland said. "I feel a lot stronger now than I did three weeks ago, I can tell you that. No matter how hard it is out here, I know I have someone I can talk to that I can have security. My team has been amazing in helping me."