Gary Woodland in tears during emotional interview after winning Houston Open
An emotional Gary Woodland gave an incredibly powerful interview after winning his first PGA Tour event since undergoing brain surgery.
Woodland was moved to tears on Sunday (March 29) after securing victory at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, where he finished five shots ahead of Nicolai Hojgaard with a score of -21.
After recording a three-under 67 in his final round at the Memorial Park Golf Course, the 41-year-old broke down in tears as he spoke to NBC.
"We play an individual sport but I wasn't alone today," said Woodland. "I've got a lot of people behind me – my team, my family. Anybody that's struggling with something, I hope they see me and don't give up. Just keep fighting."
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The American pocketed around $1.7 million (£1.3m) for the win, and his triumph in Texas secured an invite to The Masters at Augusta National next month, but it's his journey that makes this win extra special.
The American has been through a great deal in recent years.
Earlier this month, he spoke about struggling with the mental and emotional toll following surgery to remove a brain tumour in 2023 that was pressing on the part of his brain that controls fear and anxiety.
He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) last year and recently went public with the diagnosis to help himself and others.
"I can't waste energy any more hiding this, and I'm blessed with a lot of support out here on the Tour, but inside, I feel like I'm dying and I feel like I'm living a lie," he said ahead of this month's Players Championship.
Before his win in Texas, Woodland said going public helped.
“I literally feel like I got a thousand pounds off my back that day, he said. “It was hard to do. I was crying going into the interview, and I left feeling a thousand pounds lighter."
Golfer's sportsmanship on Gary Woodland's final hole at Houston Open was great to see
Min Woo Lee has been praised for an incredible act of sportsmanship towards teeing partner Gary Woodland.
Heading up to the Memorial Park green at the 18th, Woo Lee purposely hung back and threw his arms up into the air to raise the crowd to their feet in applause of Woodland.
Woodland soaked up the acclaim and appeared to be visibly emotional as he walked towards the green.
Lee and Denmark's Nicolas Hojgaard, who were in the same playing group, admitted after the final round that they had both agreed to stand back to allow Woodland to have his moment in Houston.
"We talked about it. We thought it was appropriate to make him have his moment," Hojgaard said. "It was a pretty cool moment for Gary and it was cool to see. I'm really happy for him."
Lee, meanwhile, wrote on X: "One of the best stories in golf. Happy to be apart of it today. Congrats Gary."
Topics: Golf
Jack Kenmare