Gary Woodland Thought 'People Were Trying to Kill Me,' Details PTSD Symptoms During Houston Open

Gary Woodland told reporters on Tuesday that he dealt with severe PTSD symptoms during the back nine at the Houston Open in March, an event he won.

"I battled the last 10 holes," he said, "thinking people were trying to kill me."

Medical scans uncovered a lesion on Woodland's brain and surgery successfully removed most of it in 2023, but PTSD symptoms in the wake of that discovery and surgery have led to him to experience hyper-vigilance, a sensitivity to sensory stimulation and a heightened fear of death.

"I talked to (PGA) Tour security that night, and I told them what I was going through, and every time I looked up on the weekend, my security team was behind me," he said of the Houston Open. "Any time I got startled on the weekend, I turn around—last year I didn't talk to Tour security. I fought this on my own. It was awful. Turning around and knowing I'm safe, having somebody there with me? It's the only reason I won two weeks ago."

He said the folks at Augusta National have worked with him ahead of the upcoming Masters to provide security and peace of mind.

"There's probably not a safer golf tournament in the world, so I'm happy for that, but it's still a battle in my head if I'm safe or not," he told reporters. "I don't have control when this thing hits me, and it's tough. It can be a fan. It can be a walking [scoreboard holder]. It can be a camera guy running by me. Just any [startling situation] from behind me can trigger this pretty quickly. Knowing where that security is is a constant reminder that I'm safe."