Gary Woodland‘s journey is indeed one for the book. He has endured a brain lesion, surgery, and PTSD, and one thing remained common through it all: resilience. People had analyzed his comeback from every perspective, but few had considered how it felt to someone who had watched Woodland from inside the ropes, long before any of this happened.

“Gary is a guy that I’ve looked up to for a long time. He worked with Randy a long time ago, starting when he was in college and when he was a young pro, and I was a young kid at Royal Oaks who was fortunate to be able to sit there and watch him practice,” said Scottie Scheffler at Hilton Head, after carding 65 on moving day to move back into contention.

“Gary was always great at letting me hang around, and I’m sure I was fairly annoying at times, but there was never a moment when he kicked me off the range. He always let me spend time with him, compete with him, watch him practice, and do all different kinds of things.”

Scheffler and Woodland both trained under Randy Smith at Royal Oaks. Smith has won 18 national PGA of America awards and coached some of the sport’s top players. Scheffler has worked with Smith from the start. Woodland drove from Kansas to see him, even making the trip twice after getting the date wrong. Sceffler knows firsthand what Woodland’s game looks like at its best and what it takes to reach that level.

“It’s hard to watch him at times just because I know exactly what he’s going through, but the guy is so resilient. He’s so tough. For him to show up, especially after a week like last week, which can be pretty draining mentally for him, to show up this week and continue to play and compete the way he does is pretty inspirational.”

Before 2026, Woodland won a PGA Tour title on June 16, 2019, at Pebble Beach. Nearly seven years later, after facing a brain lesion, undergoing a craniotomy the size of a baseball, and being diagnosed with PTSD, he won again in Houston. Woodland finished T33 at the Masters, even par for the tournament.

His final-round 66 was his best score in 13 appearances at Augusta National. Security accompanied him for every hole due to the crowds. After a bogey-free 65 in his opening round at Harbour Town, he acknowledged the toll the previous week had taken.

“Last week took a lot out of me. I had a lot of love and support here today, and I needed every ounce of it.”

After 54 holes at Harbour Town, Woodland is 12-under. He averages 324.6 yards off the tee, second on Tour at age 41. He is ranked 49th in the world and 27th in the FedEx Cup. These numbers reflect more than just his position on the leaderboard.

In September 2023, Woodland underwent surgery to remove a lesion pressing on his amygdala. Most of the lesion was removed, but a small part was left to preserve vision and mobility. Since then, he has dealt with hand tremors, panic attacks, and ongoing anxiety. In 55 starts after surgery, he made 34 cuts and had two top-10 finishes.

Gary Woodland’s comeback: The health battle behind the leaderboard

In September 2023, surgeons removed a lesion from his amygdala, the area responsible for fear and anxiety. Most of the lesion was excised through a large craniotomy, with a small portion left to preserve vision and mobility. Despite ongoing hand tremors, panic attacks, and hypervigilance, he made the cut in 34 of 55 starts post-surgery and posted two top-10 finishes. The effects of the surgery and its aftermath followed him from event to event.

He did not disclose these challenges until March 2026, when he explained the situation to Rex Hoggard of Golf Channel.

“Inside, I feel like I’m dying, and I feel like I’m living a lie.”

Three weeks after the interview, he won in Houston. His wife Gabby, who had not previously intervened in his career decisions, advised him to contact Randy Smith. Smith, who reconnected with him 18 months earlier, identified technical issues in his swing. The adjustments led to his return to form. The response from his peers was immediate and supportive.

At Memorial Park, Højgaard and Min Woo Lee allowed him to take the spotlight, a gesture that signaled the significance of the occasion beyond the leaderboard.

Scheffler described the achievement as inspirational. His current performance at Harbour Town further supports that assessment.