American professional golfer Gary Lynn Woodland competes on the PGA Tour. He won the U.S. Open in 2019, which marked his maiden major victory and sixth career victory. Before becoming pro in 2007 and making a brief appearance on the Nationwide Tour, he had an excellent time as a student. Following his professional debut, Woodland participated in a few Nationwide Tour events in 2007 and 2008.
This week, Gary Woodland makes a remarkable comeback to the PGA Tour at the Sony Open in Hawaii. In September, the four-time Tour winner underwent brain surgery to remove a tumour.
Ahead of his comeback to the competition, Woodland recounted his experience, adding that his doctor ordered the MRI that eventually revealed the tumour because of his dread and concern of dying in 2023.
What Happened To Gary Woodland?
Woodland stated last week, “I had an MRI that night & came back with a lesion.” “Appeared to be a brain tumour. I began receiving more testing and MRIs, and they referred me to a Kansas City specialist who explained everything in-depth. Partial seizures were what I was feeling at night, along with the jolting.
The area of my brain responsible for controlling fear and anxiety was affected by the lesion. ‘You’re not going insane,’ he says. Everything you’re going through is typical and expected given where this object is located in your brain.”
He added that once Woodland started using anxiety medication for seizures, the seizures finally disappeared. However, his doctor advised him to go in and attempt to remove as much of the lesion as possible when the dread returned.
Woodland said, “A biopsy is not recommended because the affected area of the brain is too dangerous.” He desired to enter just as required. The next course of action was surgery and removal. It was too big for them to remove from its original location. It wasn’t harmful.
They would have removed it all if it had been malignant. It is pressed against my visual nerve. They extracted as much as they could, and they think they stopped the blood supply to what was left.”
Two days following surgery, Woodland claimed to have left the hospital, and the seizures have since stopped. He began swinging in mid-October and putting as soon as he got home. Woodland claims he has all the shots he needs for this week’s competition; the only question is if he can maintain his mental focus for the entire week.
With anything like this, a lot is involved. Woodland claimed that the entire incident had altered him. He began by saying, “I know there’s a lot of good in this world.” “I’ve received such incredible love and support. I haven’t seen many guys, even after coming back this week and seeing the guys. The level of goodness has been amazing.
I gained a lot of self-awareness. Most of the time, I don’t ask for aid when people ask for it. I should count myself lucky that I sought help because that’s probably why I’m sitting here this week, able to play.
I therefore cannot handle it alone. I need the appropriate individuals in my life. I’m lucky that I was surrounded by helpful people and that the appropriate people could connect me with the right people. It has undoubtedly benefited me.”
He also mentioned how this gave his career a boost. The 39-year-old Woodland has not won a major tournament since winning the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in 2019. Despite this, his play has been consistent, if on a little lesser level than in 2019–20.
He stated that it was evident that the Tour was fantastic from Jay down, with people contacting him and delivering items to the house. “Those looking after my family and children. The messages my wife got were difficult to read because, as I already mentioned, we initially told just my family and my staff.
Thus, four months after learning, it is when we finally disclosed that I would be having surgery. And when we found out, others began to experience the same feelings.
Although it was difficult, I was overwhelmed by the love and support I received from people all over the place—from acquaintances and acquaintances I hadn’t spoken to much to strangers outside of the golf industry.
