Gary Woodland got the Sanderson Farms Championship off to a good start, signing with a bogey-free 8-under 64.
More than a year has passed since Woodland underwent brain surgery to remove a benign lesion last September. He returned to the PGA Tour at the Sony Open in early January 2024, but it took a while to put everything together.
Woodland played in 22 games on the year and only had one top-25 finish. There were only 12 cuts this season. Woodland missed out on qualifying for the Pro Core Championship, the first event of the fall FedEx Cup. Despite the difficult year, the 40-year-old sees some positives. Going from what happened last year to where he is now has helped him put things into perspective.
“I've been out here a long time. There's been a lot of ups and downs,” Woodland said. “Coming back from where I was and seeing the signs starting to show, it made it a little easier to stay positive.”
“It was nice to shoot a low round at home. It was a little frustrating, but I'm glad I was able to put it all together today. I had days where I hit well and putted well, but I just didn't put it together and today… I’m glad to see that.”
But it looks like Mississippi State has finally hit a milestone for him.
The 2019 US Open champion spent time in Dallas playing against Randy Smith. Smith helped Woodland break things down and get back to basics.
“Everything is moving towards one thing. I've seen something at home,” he explained. “I was so happy because I hadn't seen it here for a long time. I knew it was coming. It's hard sometimes to stay patient here, but luckily I was able to do it so it all came to fruition.” I’m glad you did.”
Woodland is four strokes behind leader David Skins, who shot a 12-under 60 to start the tournament. He's committed to competing and trying to keep the momentum going. Woodland, Zach Johnson and KH Lee will tee off at 8:38 a.m. ET for the second round.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls Instagram @golf_girl_sl.
