‘Felt Like 2019 Again’ – Woodland’s Vintage Ball-Striking on Friday Doble Eagle

Gary Woodland dissects his superb second-round 64 at the 2025 Wyndham Championship, recorded Friday, Aug 1 at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro.

• Why a minor setup change produced flush contact all day
• Taking dead aim at tucked pins to rack up six birdies
• The eagle chance on 15 that sparked a late-round surge
• What a -9 total means for his FedExCup playoff hopes

“I told my caddie the swing felt as good as it has in years, and the score showed it,” Woodland says after climbing the leaderboard with that six-under 64.
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🎥 Courtesy: PGA TOUR / Wyndham Championship
🏌️‍♂️ Player: Gary Woodland
📍 Venue: Sedgefield CC, Greensboro, NC
📅 Date: Friday, Aug 1 2025

All right, Gary, great playing today in Alvatross. What was clicking for you today? And how do you feel about your position? Yeah, happy with the position. Um, I I’ve been playing well for for a while and Randy Smith, my coach, has been bugging me to stay patient. Just try to hit the shot that’s required. Um, and have fun. I mean, that’s when you’re not getting the results you want. That’s the hardest part is probably to have a little fun. So, reminding me to to enjoy what I’m doing out here. I’m in a lot better place than I was a year ago. Um, so trying to enjoy it a little bit and it was nice to nice to see some go in today. And then the Alvatross, can you talk through that hole and just your club what you hit and what it was like? Yeah, I mean the key there is obviously to get in the fairway and give yourself a chance and I hit a nice drive and had a 186 hole. We were trying to land at 183 and the wind was a little in. So we thought it was a perfect seven iron and it came off right where we were looking. Uh, landed 183, landed three short and um, nice to see the crowd go nuts to make sure it went in. But, uh, that was it was a good shot, but it was a lot of luck and, uh, one that that I’ll remember for sure. How I know you said the crowd kind of verified it, but did you see what did you see? I mean, from that far away, you’re just I’m hoping the crowd goes nuts first and then, you know, then I’ll know the ball disappeared. You can’t tell if it went behind the pin or not. So, when they somebody yelled go in when it landed and so that was that was a nice bonus for sure. Have you ever had one? I’ve had one. It was a I was in high school, so it’s 20 some years ago with the same club. Um so I need to I told Butchie to give me more seven irons into par fives. It’s obviously good luck. Do you remember what hole and where that? It was number three at Shauny Country Club. Uh course I grew up on um back home in Speak. Yes. Hole number three. Yeah. You were talking about wanting to have fun. is I know that’s probably hard to do this week, but it’s Can you play with freedom in a situation like it’s it’s first of all, I’m tired. Um my brain’s tired. I I want to keep playing obviously the next four weeks, but I need time off, too. Um my brain needs to recover still and I’m tired. Um excited for the RDER Cup, so I’ll have some time off before that, which will be nice. and then we’ll see about maybe shutting it down after that. But I’m I’m very fortunate to be where I am and it’s nice to get reminded of that sometimes, especially when you feel like you’re playing well and you don’t got any results. Um it it gets frustrating. So reminding myself to stay patient um and enjoy it. It’s uh a lot worse things I can be doing than out here playing golf. So I’m excited to be out here. And this course hasn’t been all that kind to you in the past. What’s the difference? I think for the most part a long stretch of my career I was playing really well and I took a week off before I mean when I first got out we had four weeks in the playoffs so I typically didn’t play here as much. I love the golf course. I think the last couple years when I’ve been coming in playing I haven’t been playing very well. So it’s it’s nice to come in with feeling when my game’s in a better spot um and have a little easier to enjoy it when your game’s playing playing a little better. And what are your thoughts for the weekend? Just to stay patient. I’m going to go rest now. um won’t practice much, but just to to keep doing what I’m doing. Um coach keeps telling me, hit the shot that’s in front of me, hit the shot that’s required, and and enjoy it, and that’s what I’m going to do. What does rest mean? Do you uh I’ll get some treatment now, and then I’ll get into a dark room for an hour and let my brain recover. When’s the last time you’ve been on kind of a bubble like this? I mean, I went four or five years there where I was 30th going into the BMW. Um and I think I got through almost every time. So, I’ve been on the bubble before. I came here before around 126 127 I think in 2012. Um, so the good thing is for where I am and how I feel, I can’t look ahead. I got I got to focus on where I am right now. Does the body react a little differently in a week like this or have you done it so much that it’s all I’ve done it a lot. It reacted different yesterday. It was so hot. I mean, yesterday the first 11 holes yesterday was was brutal. Uh, this cloud cover is nice and it’s supposed to be nice this weekend. So, I’m excited about that. And lastly, on Randy, the message of being like having more fun out there. Is that something this week or in the last couple? It’s been it’s been the last I’ve been playing well. My game’s been in a good spot for a couple months. I just haven’t put it together. So, the message has been there for a couple months. Um, and it was it was nice to s finally see some results and he keeps telling me to smile. So, that last nine holes makes me smile for sure. Awesome. Thanks, Gary. Thanks, guys. Appreciate you. Appreciate.