Gary Woodland Punches Ticket to the Masters and the Players

In July 2009, PGA Tour rookie Gary Woodland tore cartilage in his shoulder, had surgery and was out for nine months. Now, less than a year later, he has his first PGA Tour victory at the Transitions Championship. He is eligible for The Masters and The Players.  

"It’s been along road back, but I can’t say enough for Randy Smith (golf coach) in Dallas," Woodland said. "We sat down right when I got hurt and—obviously that could be a setback—but we turned it into a positive."

Before today, Woodland’s best finish was a playoff loss to Jhonnathan Vegas at The Bob Hope Classic in January.  Compared to that week, Woodland said that his play is better now because of improved putting courtesy of Brad Faxon.

“He was talking about my stroke was a little slow,” Woodland indicated about the Faxon advice. “I kept coming up short, right.” Randy Smith and Brad Faxon gave him drills to cure that problem. “The last couple weeks we’ve really focused on the speed of the putter, and it’s really taken off.”  

On Sunday, Woodland crafted a one-stroke victory over Webb Simpson on the tough Innisbrook Copperhead Course. Going into the final round, Woodland was just two shots back of leader Justin Rose.    

However, Rose struggled after the front nine. “I don’t know, I just seemed to lose my focus,” he said. 

Some speculated that it might be fatigue since Rose had played 11 straight days of competitive golf without a break: Doral Cadillac WGC, Tavistock Cup and Transitions Championship pro am and tournament.

Rose’s playing partner, Brenden de Jonge, took the lead on the front nine, but a poor chip at the 12th and then a missed putt at the 15th dropped him out of contention.

Scott Stallings was in the hunt until he hit into the water on the 16th.

Woodland nearly lost his chance on the 15th and 16th.

At the par three 15th, he hit his tee shot into the rough right and short of the green.  From there he chunked a chip, then took two more to get into the hole. At the 16th, he hit his second shot into the greenside bunker, his third shot from the greenside bunker over the green, and two putted.

Webb Simpson birdied the 12th and had steady pars the next five holes.

Woodland birdied the 17th, a difficult par three, and finished one group ahead of Webb Simpson. The two were tied as Simpson played the 18th. 

Woodland watched as Simpson played a third shot at the 18th that was similar to his. It was made more difficult because Simpson’s was from the rough instead of the fringe.

Simpson’s chip with a 9-iron ran well beyond the hole, and he was left with a 20-footer for par from the fringe on the other side. When he missed it, the tournament was Woodland’s.

“I was nervous but at the same time, I just felt a sense of calmness out there,” Simpson said. “I should have focused probably a little more. That’s one of the only bad putts I hit all week, and I just happened to pull it. I wasn’t exactly sure of my line because the way the sun was coming in, it was hard to see the line.”   

Woodland had only one par on the back nine, and that was at the 18th hole. Everything else was either a birdie or bogey.

In the short period of time he has been a PGA Tour player, Woodland believes he has improved a great deal.

“I got out here in ’09. I wasn’t a very good golfer,” he said after his victory. “I was athletic, but I didn’t know what I was doing out here. I got hurt, and I had time to step back and really figure out how to play this game. And I’m starting to figure that out right now.”