Gary Woodland Wins Houston Open for 1st PGA Tour Victory Since 2023 Brain Surgery, Last Won in 2019

Just three years after having brain surgery, Gary Woodland is in the PGA Tour winner's circle once again.

Woodland, who had brain surgery in 2023 and recently revealed that he struggles with PTSD, won the Houston Open on Sunday, marking his first PGA Tour win since 2019.

Woodland revealed in August 2023 that he needed surgery to remove a lesion found on his brain. He announced a month later that he had the "majority" of the tumor removed.

In an interview with Rex Hoggard of the Golf Channel, Woodland said that he received a formal PTSD diagnosis in 2025 and detailed some of the ways it has affected him on the golf course. He cited a specific time during the FedExCup Fall when he was unable to continue playing because of PTSD.

"I was hypervigilant," Woodland said. "A walking scorer startled me, got close to me from behind. I pulled my caddie and said, 'You can't let anybody get behind me.' Next thing you know, I couldn't remember what I was doing. My eyesight started to get blurry."

Woodland, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, looked dominant on Sunday as he finished five strokes ahead of the second-placed Nicolai Højgaard.

"We play an individual sport, but I wasn't alone here today," Woodland said on the NBC broadcast. "Anybody that's struggling with something, I hope they see me and don't give up."

When he spoke openly about his PTSD earlier this month, Woodland said he wanted to help others who are struggling. By picking up a win on Sunday, he likely did just that.

"I want to live my dreams and be successful out here," Woodland said. "But I want to help people, too. I realize now I've got to help myself first – and hopefully this is the first step in doing that."