Gary Woodland revealed on Golf Channel Monday evening that he is battling post-traumatic stress disorder.
Woodland underwent surgery in 2023 to remove a brain lesion and returned to the PGA Tour the following year. However, in an emotional interview with Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard, Woodland said he has been struggling with anxiety and hyper-awareness following the procedure, and last year was finally diagnosed with PTSD from neurological trauma.
“I can’t waste energy anymore hiding this, and I’m blessed with a lot of support out here on the tour,” Woodland said. “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 percent — and I appreciate that love and support. But inside, I feel like I’m dying, and I feel like I’m living a lie.”
Gary Woodland sits down with Rex Hoggard to discuss his struggle with PTSD following brain surgery in September of 2023. pic.twitter.com/zf7A3EFulk
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) March 10, 2026
To illustrate what he’s going through, Woodland described an encounter at last year’s tour stop in Napa, where he was serving as an assistant to Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley. A walking scorer accidentally approached from behind. The startle response was immediate: Woodland’s vision blurred, and he wasn’t sure he could continue the round.
“It was my turn to hit and I couldn’t hit,” Woodland said. “Butch (caddie Brennan Little) said, ‘Let’s go in.’ I said, ‘No man, I’m here for these guys. I want to fight through this.’” However, Woodland said he kept popping into bathrooms on the course to cry. “When I got done, I got in my car and got out of there,” Woodland explained. “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.”
The PGA Tour is aware of his diagnosis and has taken steps to keep him safe on the course. Woodland said his doctors have recommended avoiding high-stress situations — a difficult prescription for a professional golfer — but that stepping away has never entered his thinking. “In an ideal world I’m probably not playing,” Woodland said. “But in an ideal world I don’t have this. This is my dream.”
Woodland said he’s coming forward now to take the anxiety off himself from having to hide his condition, while also providing hope for others in the same situation.
“I hope somebody that’s struggling sees me out here still fighting and battling and trying to live my dreams,” Woodland said. “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.”
Woodland, 41, is a four-time winner on the PGA Tour and captured the 2019 U.S. Open. He has made five starts this season, making cuts at the American Express and WM Phoenix Open. He is in this week’s Players Championship field.
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Main Image: Mike Ehrmann