In 2019, Gary Woodland lifted the U.S. Open trophy and secured his place among major champions. But the next few years weren’t the easiest. In 2023, he underwent lengthy brain surgery. And years later, he finally arrives at the PNC Championship in 2025. Six years separated the qualification from the competition. The victory at Pebble Beach, 13-under par, three shots clear of Brooks Koepka, earned Woodland an invitation to golf’s premier family event.

Now, at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Woodland will tee it up alongside his father, Dan. The moment carries significant weight. Dan rang the bell for being cancer-free almost a year ago. Father and son, both on the other side of health battles, are finally together on this stage. Yet one absence lingers. And Woodland made sure to address it.

“I wish JT was here because I was kind of grinding him and battling him,” Woodland said during his pre-tournament press availability. “This is a special one.”

The “grinding” wasn’t trash talk. It was respect. Woodland and Justin Thomas share a bond deeper than typical Tour friendships. Thomas was the first person to learn about Woodland’s brain tumor diagnosis. The trust required for that confidence speaks to something beyond professional courtesy.

“I know it’s a major champion deal, so I knew when I won in ’19 that we’d have an opportunity,” Woodland explained. “From a health standpoint, this is the first year that we’ve really been able to do it. It was nice to be able to get that call and be able to do it for sure.”

Woodland first noticed something wrong in May 2023. Hand tremors. Intrusive thoughts. An MRI revealed a lesion pressing on the part of his brain that controls fear and anxiety. By September 19, 2023, he elected to undergo a craniotomy. Doctors removed the majority of the benign tumor and cut off its blood supply.

But the road back was longer than any fairway. Woodland returned at the Sony Open in January 2024. The results didn’t follow immediately. Three top-25 finishes in 26 starts. His first top-10 since diagnosis came at the Shriners Children’s Open. Then, in March 2025, a runner-up finish at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, tied with Scottie Scheffler at 19-under. The PGA Tour recognized his journey with the Courage Award.

Just as Woodland reclaimed his health, Thomas temporarily lost his… The two-time PGA Championship winner underwent a microdiscectomy on November 13, 2025, at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. A herniated disc had been causing nerve irritation for months. Recovery points to early 2026. The PNC Championship, for the second straight year, will proceed without him.

That matchup will have to wait. But the Thomas family’s absence leaves a visible gap in Orlando.

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Justin Thomas and father Mike’s PNC Championship legacy remains on pause

Thomas and his father, Mike, won the 2020 PNC Championship at 25-under, capping their final round with a 15-under 57. Mike, a PGA Master professional who spent 28 years as head pro at Harmony Landing Country Club, sank a five-foot birdie putt on the 18th to clinch victory. He is known as one of the strongest “player-dads” in the field.

The Thomas duo participated in four consecutive PNC Championships from 2020 to 2023. But they missed 2024 after Justin became a father in November. Now, surgery recovery sidelines them again. The absence of Woods and Thomas would certainly dampen the banter on the course.

Woodland understands that void differently than most. He knows what it means to watch from the sidelines while the body heals. The competitive ribbing he mentioned wasn’t about winning. It was about presence. Two friends measuring themselves against each other in the way only competitors can.

For now, Woodland has a different partner and a different purpose. His father. Their health. This moment. The 2025 PNC Championship begins December 20. Gary Woodland will be there. Justin Thomas will be watching.