PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Gary Woodland thought he was going to die.
Suddenly, golf wasn’t as important as it used to be.
The stress of whether I’ll get a few birdies or bogeys in a tournament round, whether I’ll finish on the leaderboard, whether I’ll qualify for a major tournament, etc. has now taken a backseat.
Woodland, an affable 39-year-old from Kansas, counts the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach as his fourth PGA Tour victory, but he underwent brain surgery on September 18 and is currently back on the PGA Tour. , playing alongside some of the best players in the world. He returned to the world doing something he never thought he could do again.
To say it all felt a little overwhelming would be an understatement.
At 9:25 a.m. PT Thursday, Woodland and playing partners Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas took to the elevated first tee of Riviera Country Club — arguably the most beautiful first hole in golf. He is about to start his fourth tournament since surgery. Opening game of the Genesis Invitational.
Tournament organizer Woods granted Woodland a special exemption from participating.
All Woodland did was birdie the first three holes.
He finished at 1 under, ahead of both Woods and Thomas (1 over), but the numbers weren’t all that important.
Just five months ago, when surgeons cut open his head to remove a benign tumor pressing on the part of his brain that controls fear, it caused Woodland to have terrifying nighttime seizures and self-doubt. was having panic attacks, fearing he was going to die. .
When I asked him after the round when he was scariest, Woodland replied, “Before the surgery or after?”
both.
“Before the surgery, [tumor] “I was sitting there and fear was taking over my brain and I thought I was going to die,” Woodland said. “So when I went into surgery, I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll never see my kids again.'” And then, “When I get home, will I ever go golfing again?”
“After the surgery, I couldn’t do anything for a few weeks and thought, ‘Will it be the same for me?’ Will the fear really go away? Will I be able to do the things I used to do? ” That’s the scary part.
“I still have daily reminders to take my anti-seizure medication twice a day. I still get nervous. I still get a little cramp. Most of my seizures have happened at night, so I just go to bed and get some cramps. When I do, it just twitches a little bit and I’m like, “Oh, we’re back in this situation again?” Because they didn’t understand everything [the tumor]’. it scares me. ”
It’s nothing short of a miracle that Woodland was able to return to golf so quickly. That’s impressive.
He has played in three tournaments this season but has yet to qualify. Woodland believes the overwhelming emotion and gratitude to be back here may have been a bit of a distraction.
Playing in Woods’ group on Thursday, with fans surrounding every tee box and green, helped him emerge from the situation and focus on the task at hand, calling Thursday his “best play” since his return. Improved concentration. .
“I think we’re playing together.” [Woods] It helped me because it helped me concentrate,” Woodland said.
Woodland admitted he thought he would be able to return as soon as he recovered from surgery. But it wasn’t that easy.
“I’ve been struggling for a long time and now I understand why I’m struggling and what’s going on,” he said. “I thought, ‘Okay, now I’m going to play some great golf again.'” It was a little harder than I expected, but it will come to an end. ”
Woodland talked about a dark moment after playing in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.
“I had a tough week. I just wasn’t there and I didn’t feel like I was back. That was frustrating,” he said. “If that happens, you have to go into a dark room. Really the concussion protocol is number one, turn off the lights, no noise, no overstimulation.
“And when you play with TW, there’s a lot going on.” [of stimulation]. So everything went well today and I was very happy to stay there. It was definitely the best day of the year. ”
It was a fitting day for Woodland, one of the good guys on the PGA Tour.
“I don’t think people took enough account of what Gary went through,” Woods said. “We don’t talk enough about what he went through and how difficult life was for Gary and how scary it was. He had surgery to remove a tumor in his brain and came back and competed in the Tour. It’s unbelievable that you would do that.”
Rory McIlroy described the Woodland trip as “exciting”.
“It’s great to see him get back on the other side and start playing again and get back here,” McIlroy told the Post. “It’s really great to see him back here and doing what he loves.”
McIlroy isn’t the only one with these thoughts.
