Professional golfer Gary Woodland made a candid revelation on Monday about his ongoing battle with post-traumatic stress disorder, which developed after he underwent brain surgery two and a half years ago.
The surgical procedure in September 2023 successfully removed a lesion and stopped his seizures. While the 2019 U.S. Open winner returned to competitive golf in January 2024 and has maintained a regular playing schedule, he disclosed that his mental health struggles have continued behind the scenes.
“I can’t waste energy anymore hiding this, and I’m blessed with a lot of support out here on the Tour,” the 41-year-old golfer shared during a heartfelt conversation with Golf Channel. “Everyone’s just been amazing. Every week I come out and everyone’s so excited and happy that I’m back. I hear that every week — it’s so nice to see you past this, it’s so nice to see you 100% — and I appreciate that love and support. But inside, I feel like I’m dying, and I feel like I’m living a lie.”
Woodland described a particularly difficult moment during a tournament in Napa, California, last autumn to demonstrate the severity of his condition.
A tournament official walking behind him on the course triggered an episode for Woodland.
“I stepped aside, I pulled my caddie and said, ‘This stuff is hitting me, man. You can’t let anybody get behind me,’” Woodland recounted. “Next thing you know, I couldn’t remember what I was doing. My eyesight started to get blurry. And a hole later, I just said (to my caddie) … ‘I can’t handle it.’ And I start bawling in the middle of the fairway. It was my turn to hit, and I couldn’t hit.”
When his caddie suggested withdrawing from the round, Woodland chose to continue because he was playing alongside two U.S. Ryder Cup team members, as he was preparing to serve as an assistant captain for the team.
“I said, ‘No, man, I’m here for these guys. I want to fight through this,’” Woodland explained. “I went into every bathroom to cry the rest of the day. When I got done, I got in my car and got out of there.
“There are days when it’s tough — crying in the scoring trailer, running to my car just to hide it. I don’t want to live that way anymore.”
Speaking about his decision to discuss his mental health publicly, Woodland said, “I hope somebody that’s struggling sees me out here still fighting and battling and trying to live my dreams. I’ve talked to veterans, and one thing I’ve heard from multiple people is you can’t do this on your own, no matter how strong you think you are. …
“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.”
Woodland has secured four victories during his PGA Tour career, with his most recent triumph being his U.S. Open championship five and a half years ago. His 2024 season included just one top-10 result — a second-place finish at the Texas Children’s Houston Open — and he concluded the year ranked 72nd in the FedEx Cup standings.
