By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
When I first covered Gary Woodland back in 1998, it sometimes seemed like success came easy for the Shawnee Heights multi-sport star.
I saw Woodland lead the T-Birds to Class 5A state basketball championships in 2000 and 2002 while he also captured three city boys golf titles.
Woodland also turned in an impressive basketball season for Washburn before opting to concentrate on golf and prior to high school Woodland was also a baseball star, which his father, Dan, told me might have been Gary's best sport.
Of course, it wasn't easy then -- with Woodland's success a combination of talent and an incredible work ethic and support system -- and it certainly isn't easy now, with Woodland batting through brain surgery and an ongoing battle with post-traumatic stress disorder that would have ended the careers of most athletes long ago.
But Woodland proved in Sunday's Houston Open that he still has what it takes to win, coming through with an emotional five-stroke victory -- his fifth tour win and first since his three-stroke 2019 U.S. Open triumph.
It was a victory for the ages, and should provide inspiration for those inside and out of sports in a time that good news seems to be increasingly harder to come by.
The 41-year-old Woodland's emotions bubbled over after he sank his final putt and especially when he engaged in a long, tearful hug with Gabby, his wife and mother of the couple's three children.
“We play an individual sport out here, but I wasn’t alone today,” Woodland told NBC after his win at 21-under-par. “I got a lot of people behind me, my team, my family and this golf world.
"Anybody that’s struggling with something, I hope they see me and don’t give up. Just keep fighting.”
Woodland received his brain tumor diagnosis in May of 2023 and underwent brain surgery later in the year to remove part of the tumor.
And just recently Woodland went public to discuss his battle with PTSD, which is related to his brain surgery. Woodland received the PGA Tour Courage Award last month.
Sunday's victory moved Woodland to No. 51 in the world, his highest ranking in five years, and punched his ticket to the upcoming Masters.
“Today was a good day, but I’m going to keep fighting,” Woodland told NBC after setting the tournament scoring record. “I’ve got a big fight ahead of me, and I’m going to keep going. But I’m proud of myself right now.”
The rest of the world, and particularly his hometown of Topeka, should be proud, too.
