AUGUSTA, Ga. – Gary Woodland sees the girl in the white bucket hat, but she only sees his blue pant legs. Maybe.
She’s only a few years old, only a few feet tall, and very shy, so Mom had gently nudged her over to where the other boys and girls were watching Woodland, wanting an autograph or a photo. However, no one leaves without ink or a smile.
Even the girl in the white bucket hat. Woodland looks down. She’s kind of there, just looking at the green metal railing in front of her in the nearby place Augusta National practice putting green, and Woodland laughs, then everyone does.
He’s always been a darling and is probably everyone’s favorite player this week Mastersat least based on what you get wherever Woodland walks around ANGC. This includes the pros. On the beam, Scottie Scheffler punches him in the stomach. Chris Gotterup hits his hand. Matt McCarty too. Woodland embraces JJ Spaun, last week’s PGA Tour winner. two weeks ago, Woodland won. Two weeks before that, in an interview with the Golf Channelhe opened. In the year 2023he had undergone a procedure to remove part of a lesion that was attached to the part of his brain that controls fear, but he was still struggling and had now been diagnosed with PTSD. To pull this off, he would have to be out of sorts at times, especially when things got too stimulating.
And yet they’re all more than stuck, much to Woodland’s surprise, even though such admissions are the very reason they all came to him in the first place.
“It’s probably the first thing I’ve ever done for myself,” Woodland said. “I did it because I was really struggling with energy. I had a hard time saying no. I don’t like to say no. I like to help people. I like to do whatever I can.
“I’m at a point where it’s hard for me to do most weeks and I have to say no. The doctors are pushing me and pushing me (that) I can’t do everything I used to do energy-wise. When I say no, I feel terrible. I see the disappointment in people’s eyes. And they’re like, well, then maybe they tell you now is the time to get out.”
For Woodland, he’s felt empowered since coming out with PTSD, which he also didn’t anticipate.
He had believed in avoiding the opening, but in doing so had given him strength. You can spot it in his golf, though the 190+ mph top ball speed has come through the trainer Randy Smith. (“I’ve told the guys I think I’m just angry that I have to fight this thing in my head,” Woodland said.) Fellow pro Justin Thomas has also told him he seems calmer, but Woodland believes that’s more because of his condition, interestingly. “The doctors and everybody that I’m working with was trying to slow my heart rate, trying to slow my thoughts just so I could function and be healthy. But doing those things definitely helps my golf game as well,” he said. “I wish I knew a lot of this stuff 20 years ago.” A security presence has also helped Woodland, which remains sensitive to movement and noise. “It could be a fan. It could be a standing score. It could be a camera guy running by me, just any jolt from behind me could cause that very quickly,” Woodland said. “Knowing where safety is is a constant reminder that I am safe.”
His golf, however, has given him purpose for others, he said.
Like the defender on the training green, who in a quiet moment said to him, “Gary, we’ve got your back.” That got a thumbs up.
“When I was diagnosed with this brain tumor three years ago, my number one thought was I’m not going to let this thing win,” Woodland said. “I dreamed of being a professional athlete since I was little and I would do anything in my power to live that dream for my childhood self.
“Golf has given me something much more to fight for than just myself and my family. I love being here. I love the guys. I love competing. And the thought of losing that is hard.”
On Tuesday, during his press conference before the Masters, Woodland occasionally choked back tears. There were doubts. “I know how close I probably came to never coming back here.” He said Augusta National will be a major stimulus and that he will still have “a battle in my head about whether I’m safe or not. That’s a tough pill to swallow.”
But every day here will be appreciated, he said.
This can be especially endearing to people.
“I have to worry about today,” Woodland said. “That’s a big indicator. I love this place. I love the tradition. There’s nothing like driving down Magnolia Lane. I definitely went down a little slower this year than I ever have, even the first time I was here in 2011.
“I’ll definitely get them all this week, for sure.”
;)
