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American golfer Gary Woodland shared with the golf world on Wednesday (August 30) the shocking news that he must undergo brain surgery to remove a lesion. At 39 years old, Woodland has had a career with ups and downs, but with several notable successes.
Gary Woodland was born in Topeka, Kansas, and in his youth, he played several sports. He even attended Washburn University on a scholarship to play basketball. But golf was his thing, and after just one year, he transferred to the University of Kansas on a golf scholarship.
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His collegiate years were very successful both academically and athletically. In collegiate golf, Gary Woodland won four tournaments and countless accolades, while his studies led him to earn a bachelor's degree in sociology.
Woodland turned professional in 2007 and began this stage of his career on the Nationwide Tour. In 2008, he reached the Qualifying School to seek promotion to the PGA Tour and achieved it for the 2009 season.
However, that first experience at the highest level was not the best for the then 24-year-old. At the end of the season, he had to return to the Nationwide Tour, with some participation in the PGA Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour.
He again sought qualification through Qualifying School and regained a spot on the PGA Tour for 2011. In his second tournament, that season came his first Top 10 (T2 at the Bob Hope Classic). It seemed to be the beginning of his consolidation at the highest level. And so it was.
Two months later, Gary Woodland won his first tournament on the PGA Tour (2011 Transitions Championship). He finished that season with four more Top 10s and 21 cuts in 25 events.
His performance earned him a call-up to represent the United States in the OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup. Woodland won that tournament, teaming up with Matt Kuchar.
Gary Woodland's consolidation on the PGA Tour
Since the 2011 season, Gary Woodland has been a regular player on the PGA Tour. Woodland's career at this level includes 340 tournaments played, with 251 cuts passed and 54 Top 10s.
His best results have been his four victories, including the aforementioned 2011 Transitions Championship. Woodland won again in 2013 (Reno-Tahoe Open). He then had to wait five years to return to the winner's circle, winning the 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open.
A year later, he got the main result of his career so far: winning the 2019 U.S. Open.
The 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons were not very successful for Woodland, as he was cut in almost half of the tournaments he participated in. However, in 2022-23 he had quite an interesting resurgence.
In the recently concluded season, Woodland played 24 tournaments. He made the cut in 18 of them, with two Top 10s and four Top 25s as his best results.
Woodland closed the season ranked 73rd in the Official World Golf Ranking.
