Golf star beats brain surgery to win Houston Open with tribute to wife | Golf | Sport

Gary Woodland delivered a heartfelt tribute to his wife, Gabby Granado, following his stunning triumph at the Texas Children’s Houston Open on Sunday. The victory marks the 41-year-old’s first win since his U.S. Open glory in 2019, and arrives just two weeks after he disclosed his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the aftermath of brain surgery in 2023.

Woodland sealed a five-shot win after coasting through the final round, yet the floodgates opened once the winning putt dropped. He shared a tender embrace with his wife before breaking down in tears as the magnitude of his achievement sank, and he later made it abundantly clear to NBC how instrumental his wife and his team have been to his extraordinary comeback.

“I wouldn’t be anywhere before this without them,” Woodland said. “There’s no chance I could do this without Gabby, for sure. This has been hard on me; this has been a lot harder on her, and I love her to death.” He added: “I’ll tell you what, we play an individual sport out here, but I wasn’t alone today. I’ve 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 underwent surgery in 2023 to remove a benign brain tumour, and he made his return to the PGA Tour the following year. He was back on the golf course, yet the turmoil persisted, and last year he received a PTSD diagnosis.

In an interview with Golf Channel a fortnight ago, he opened up about one particularly distressing episode at the Procore Championship in September, when he was experiencing hypervigilance and was “startled” by a scorer walking close to him.

He endured a series of symptoms for the remainder of the round, but courageously saw it through. He revealed he then sought refuge in a bathroom, where he “cried for the rest of the day.” It was those moments of suffering in solitude that compelled him to speak out and share his struggles, stating he could not “waste energy anymore hiding this.”

Sunday proved to be a momentous day for Woodland and his nearest and dearest, as he also secured his place at the Masters, though he remains acutely aware that his battle is far from over.

“It’s just another day, right, that I’ve got to keep healing. Today was a good day. But I’m going to keep fighting. I’ve got a big fight ahead of me and I’m going to keep going, but I’m proud of myself right now.”