Gary Woodland is battling fatigue and adversity—but he’s back in the playoff conversation. After undergoing brain surgery in 2023, the U.S. Open champion has endured a difficult road to return. Now at the Wyndham Championship, he sits just inside the FedEx Cup cutoff at No. 70—and with a chance to extend his season into the FedEx St. Jude Championship, his first playoff event since 2022
Despite a grueling mental battle, Woodland is delivering answers on course—shooting rounds of 67 and 64 to move into the projected bubble position
PGA Tour
. “It’s been a hard year… I’m tired… I need to get back into a dark room and try to turn my brain off as much as I can,” he said following Round 3, where a solid 70 kept him at the projected No. 70 spot in the standings
🏌 In this video:
How Woodland climbed from 75th to 70th with clutch ball-striking
His moving reflection on mental fatigue and recovery from brain surgery
What seizing a playoff spot would mean after years of setback
Why Sunday’s pressure feels different—and how he plans to tackle it shot by shot
👇 COMMENT: Should Woodland rest his mind more—or ride this hot streak into the playoffs?
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a little bit of everything on the back nine. How do you assess the day as a whole? I’m proud of the way I fought. Um I don’t I don’t really know what happened there on 10. I didn’t think I made that bad of a swing and the ball maybe got up in the wind a little bit and carried out of bounds, but then a bad drive there on 11. Um outside of that, I’m so proud of the way I fought. I I could have let that round get away pretty easily. Um and I hung in there. Nice putt there to make birdie there. Kind of bounced back on 12 and uh hit some good shots. Last hole was a little frustrating, but we’ll throw that one away and uh rely on the good stuff that I fought to get back in it. Hang alluding to that hanging in there. Is that something that you’ve gotten more and more comfortable with as these kind of two years have gone on to come back? I don’t I don’t know about that. I I I think I just kept telling myself I’m playing really well. Um I’m comfortable with my game, which is a huge deal. You’re going to hit bad shots and unfortunately I had a couple bad ones in a row, but I just kept relying on the fact that I know my game’s in a really good spot. What’s the pressure like tomorrow? Uh to be honest with you, not not crazy. Um I know my game’s in a good spot. I know if I go out and play like I can, I’ll be fine. Um and I’ll I’ll rely on that. I I’ve I’ve been on the bubble on tour a lot over my career. Um some of those were for top 30 and that was a little probably a little bit easier fighting to get into the playoffs. But for me, I’m just going to go and bank that I know I’m playing really well. Try to take it one shot at a time. focus on what’s in front of me and try to enjoy it. Um there’s a lot worse places I could be. So, I’m going to try to enjoy tomorrow. It’s a privilege. I haven’t I haven’t had really a big opportunity to try to get in the playoffs the last three or four years. So, this is uh I’ll enjoy tomorrow. Is it going to be fun? Are you going to try to like make it treat it as a fun opportunity? I’m I’m going to try to keep things as slow as I can for for my health standpoint, but like I said, I know I’m playing well, which is a big deal. I’ve been in this situation trying to fight to get in the playoffs and I haven’t been playing well. This is a little different. I know my game’s in a good spot. U if I can go out there and execute what’s in front of me, uh should be pretty good. All right. Thanks, Gary. Thanks guys.
