PALM PORT, Fla. — A week after speaking publicly for the first time about dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder after brain surgery, Gary Woodland is feeling a lot lighter.
“Lose a thousand pounds,” he said of his relief no longer having to hide what he was going through. “I walked in to the interview crying and I felt a thousand pounds lighter.”
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Woodland, 41, opened up in an interview aired on the Golf Channel, saying the response has been overwhelming and he continues to receive encouraging messages.
Gary Woodland tees off on the fifth hole during the first round of the 2026 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
“Honestly, it’s been awesome. I’ve obviously gotten a lot of love and support after going through brain surgery and all that, but even more so last week. I’m probably a little surprised by that,” he said. “I think probably a lot of people understand what I’m struggling with right now more than they understand brain surgery. But everyone here is great. The family, the tour itself, the world of golf, it’s all great.”
He added: “I’m telling you, I’m nervous about coming out. It’s something I’ve been struggling with for over a year. But last week my caddy said this is the best he’s ever seen me since he can remember. I want to release it now. I can focus on myself and what I need to do to be successful instead of wasting energy trying to hide something. This is my reality, this is what I’m struggling with, and we’re definitely going to get better.”
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Woodland won the Valspar Championship 15 years ago, one of his four Tour titles. He shot a 3-under 68 on Friday to improve to 4-under 138 midway through and secure a two-round victory over the weekend. Woodland has missed two promotions in a row and has had four of his six games this season on weekends.
“This was probably the most consistent round I’ve had all year,” Woodland said. “It’s coming. I’m playing well on the range, we’ve had really good practices. I just haven’t transferred to the golf course. So a lot of it’s been staying on the course. Staying the course. We knew it was coming. I was talking to my coach Randy on Friday after missing the cut last week and just talking about how close it was. Like how close I was to taking off. It’s good to see some signs of that coming this week.”
It’s great to have the support of the golf community and, as he puts it, “be myself and not have to hide what I’m going through.”
“Maybe just one shot per round,” he continued, “and maybe when I get back in the room I still have the energy to play with the kids for five minutes. All of that will help.”
This article originally appeared in Golfweek: Gary Woodland opens up about PTSD after brain surgery