Gary Woodland
Woodland with the 2019 U.S. Open trophy
Personal information
Full nameGary Lynn Woodland
Born (1984-05-21) May 21, 1984
Topeka, Kansas, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight190 lb (86 kg; 14 st)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceDelray Beach, Florida
SpouseGabby Granado
Children4
Career
CollegeWashburn University
University of Kansas
Turned professional2007
Current tour(s)PGA Tour
Former tour(s)Nationwide Tour
Professional wins6
Highest ranking12 (June 16, 2019)[1]
(as of January 7, 2024)
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour4
European Tour1
Other2
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters TournamentT14: 2023
PGA ChampionshipT6: 2018
U.S. OpenWon: 2019
The Open ChampionshipT12: 2016

Gary Lynn Woodland[2] (born May 21, 1984) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He won the U.S. Open in 2019, his first major championship and sixth professional victory. Following a successful college career, he turned professional in 2007 and briefly competed on the Nationwide Tour.

Early life

Woodland was born in Topeka, Kansas, the son of Dan and Linda Woodland.[3] He attended Shawnee Heights High School in the suburb of Tecumseh.[4] After high school, he attended Washburn University in Topeka on a basketball scholarship, but left after his freshman year to attend the University of Kansas in Lawrence on a golf scholarship.[5] He studied sociology while at KU. Woodland had a successful college golf career, winning four tournaments before turning professional in 2007.

Professional career

After turning professional, Woodland played in a handful of tournaments on the Nationwide Tour in 2007 and 2008.[6] At the end of the 2008 season, he entered the Qualifying school for the PGA Tour, and finished in a tie for 11th, which was good enough to earn him a full card to play on the PGA Tour in 2009. However, he struggled for form in his debut season, making just eight cuts in 18 appearances before a shoulder injury cut his golfing year short in July.[7]

In 2010, Woodland divided his time between the PGA and Nationwide Tours. He continued to struggle for his best form but did not record a single top ten finish on either tour. He did display enough consistency to finish 92nd in the Nationwide Tour money list. Once again, he entered the season-ending qualifying school, and again he finished T-11, to secure a return to full PGA Tour status.

Woodland's second tournament of 2011 was the Bob Hope Classic, where he and Jhonattan Vegas finished tied for first place at 27-under-par; Vegas edged out Woodland in a playoff for the title.[8] This was his first top-10 finish on either of the two main tours.

In March 2011, Woodland won his first PGA Tour title at the Transitions Championship by one stroke when fellow American Webb Simpson missed a par putt on the final hole. Just a few moments earlier Woodland had scrambled a fantastic par from the same position as Simpson on the last, after hitting his second shot over the back of the green. This win secured Woodland a place at the 2011 Masters Tournament and also elevated him to what was then a career high 53rd in the Official World Golf Ranking.[9] He later earned an invitation into the U.S. Open after moving into the Top 50. He left the tournament with an OWGR ranking of 39th. In November 2011, he won the Omega Mission Hills World Cup with Matt Kuchar. He finished 2011 ranked 17th on the PGA Tour money list and 51st in the OWGR. He had ended 2009 ranked 962 and 2010 591.[10]

Woodland reached the final of the 2015 WGC-Cadillac Match Play, where he lost to Rory McIlroy, and moved to a career-best 32nd in the OWGR.

Woodland at the 2015 PGA Championship

In February 2018, Woodland won his third PGA Tour event, at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in a sudden-death playoff over Chez Reavie. After finishing tied at 18 under, Woodland won with a par on the first extra hole to end a five-year drought on tour. Woodland moved up to fifth in the season's FedEx Cup standings.[11]

Woodland held the 36-hole lead at the PGA Championship in 2018 with a total 130, which was a tournament record through the first two rounds. He led by a stroke over Kevin Kisner at the halfway stage. He started the final round at nine under par, three shots behind leader Brooks Koepka. He finished in a tie for sixth with a score of 10 under par, six strokes behind the winner Koepka.[12]

In January 2019, Woodland held the lead entering the final round at the winners-only Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua Resort in Maui, Hawaii. He shot a five-under-par 68 but still lost to champion Xander Schauffele who shot a course record-tying 62.[13]

In February 2019, Woodland invited Amy Bockerstette, a collegiate golfer with Down syndrome, to play the par-3 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale during a Tuesday practice round at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. After hitting her tee shot into a greenside bunker, Bockerstette surprised Woodland by parring the hole in front of a roaring crowd. The PGA Tour's video capturing the moment went viral, receiving 43 million views across various social media platforms.[14]

At the U.S. Open in June 2019, Woodland held the 54-hole lead at Pebble Beach Golf Links. On Sunday, he shot a 2-under-par 69 for 271 (−13), which gave him a three-shot margin over the runner-up, two-time defending champion Koepka. Woodland became the fourth champion in U.S. Open history who was double-digits under-par. The victory was his first major and his sixth professional win. In his previous thirty starts in majors, Woodland had only carded two top-ten finishes, both in the PGA Championship (2018, 2019).[15] The win at the U.S. Open moved him from 25th to 12th in the Official World Golf Ranking.[16] At the post-win press conference, Woodland FaceTimed Bockerstette live, telling her "I used your positive energy." Two days later, Woodland joined Bockerstette with a surprise appearance on The Today Show where, pointing to the U.S. Open trophy in Bockerstette's hands, he told her "We won this together."[17]

In December 2019, Woodland played on the U.S. team at the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia. The U.S. team won 16–14. Woodland went 1–2–1 and lost his Sunday singles match against Im Sung-jae.[18]

Personal life

In August 2023, Woodland told the public that he had been diagnosed with a brain lesion. He underwent lengthy brain surgery on September 18, 2023.[19]

Amateur wins

  • 2005 Cleveland State Invitational, Kansas Amateur
  • 2006 Kansas Invitational
  • 2007 All-American Golf Classic, Louisiana Classics, Kansas Amateur

Professional wins (6)

PGA Tour wins (4)

Legend
Major championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (3)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1 Mar 20, 2011 Transitions Championship 67-68-67-67=269 −15 1 stroke United States Webb Simpson
2 Aug 4, 2013 Reno–Tahoe Open 44 pts (14-7-16-7=44)[lower-alpha 1] 9 points United States Jonathan Byrd, Argentina Andrés Romero
3 Feb 4, 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open 67-68-67-64=266 −18 Playoff United States Chez Reavie
4 Jun 16, 2019 U.S. Open 68-65-69-69=271 −13 3 strokes United States Brooks Koepka

PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 2011 Bob Hope Classic United States Bill Haas, Venezuela Jhonattan Vegas Vegas won with par on second extra hole
Haas eliminated by birdie on first hole
2 2013 CIMB Classic United States Ryan Moore Lost to birdie on first extra hole
3 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open United States Chez Reavie Won with par on first extra hole

Adams Pro Tour wins (1)

  • 2008 Southwest Kansas Pro-Am

Other wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runners-up
1 Nov 27, 2011 Omega Mission Hills World Cup
(with United States Matt Kuchar)		 64-70-63-67=264 −24 2 strokes  England − Ian Poulter and Justin Rose,
 Germany − Alex Čejka and Martin Kaymer

Major championships

Wins (1)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
2019U.S. Open1 shot lead−13 (68-65-69-69=271)3 strokesUnited States Brooks Koepka

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order in 2020.

Tournament2009201020112012201320142015201620172018
Masters Tournament T24 WD T26 CUT CUT CUT
U.S. Open T47 CUT T23 CUT T52 CUT T50 T36
The Open Championship T30 T34 T39 T58 T12 T70 T67
PGA Championship T12 T42 74 CUT CUT T22 T6
Tournament 20192020202120222023
Masters Tournament T32 CUT T40 CUT T14
PGA Championship T8 T58 T38 T34 CUT
U.S. Open 1 CUT T50 T10 T49
The Open Championship CUT NT CUT CUT T55
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament000002116
PGA Championship000024129
U.S. Open100123139
The Open Championship000001118
Totals10014104732
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 6 (twice)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (2019 PGA – 2019 U.S. Open)

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament 2011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023
The Players Championship CUT CUT T11 CUT T28 T75 CUT T30 C CUT CUT T54
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
C = Canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Results in World Golf Championships

Results not in chronological order before 2015.

Tournament20112012201320142015201620172018201920202021
Championship T29 T16 T23 T38 T50 T17 T12 43
Match Play R64 R64 2 T39 T29 T17 NT1
Invitational T45 T19 T57 T63 T17 T55 T57
Champions T56 T23 T47 NT1 NT1

1Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

  Top 10
  Did not play

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
NT = No tournament
"T" = Tied

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The Reno–Tahoe Open employed a Modified Stableford points scoring system.

References

  1. ↑ "Week 24 2019 Ending 16 Jun 2019" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  2. ↑ "PGA Tour Media Guide 2018-19" (PDF). PGA Tour. p. 2-271. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  3. ↑ Dethier, Dylan (June 16, 2019). "U.S. Open 2019: 5 things to know about Gary Woodland". Golf.com. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Kansas Jayhawks profile". Archived from the original on January 20, 2011.
  5. ↑ "PGA Tour – What they said: Gary Woodland". Archived from the original on June 29, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Gary Woodland – Profile". PGA Tour.
  7. ↑ Bisel, Tim (January 22, 2011). "Column: Hey world, meet Gary Woodland". The Topeka Capital-Journal.
  8. ↑ "Vegas Hangs On". Golf Digest. Associated Press. January 23, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Week 12 – Gary Woodland Wins The Transitions Championship And Jumps To World Number 53". OWGR. March 21, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Gary Woodland – Form Table". OWGR.
  11. ↑ "Gary Woodland beats Chez Reavie on first hole in Phoenix Open playoff". ESPN. Associated Press. February 5, 2018.
  12. ↑ Porter, Kyle; Patterson, Chip (August 12, 2018). "2018 PGA Championship leaderboard, scores: Brooks Koepka beasts his way to second major of season". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on August 13, 2018.
  13. ↑ Shedloski, Dave (January 6, 2019). "Xander Schauffele again a come from behind winner, this time with a final round 62 in Sentry Tournament of Champions". Golf Digest. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  14. ↑ Stachura, Mike (June 15, 2019). "A deeper look at a viral moment reveals an invaluable lesson about golf—and life". Golf Digest. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  15. ↑ O'Connor, Ian (June 17, 2019). "Gary Woodland's journey through heartbreak to U.S. Open champion". ESPN.
  16. ↑ "Woodland on the verge of cracking top 10 in world ranking". Golf Channel. June 17, 2019.
  17. ↑ Stump, Scott (June 18, 2019). "Watch US Open champ Gary Woodland surprise young golfer who inspired him". Today.com. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  18. ↑ Dusek, David (December 15, 2019). "Presidents Cup grades: Captains, Royal Melbourne score high marks". Golfweek.
  19. ↑ Coffin, Jay (September 18, 2023). "Gary Woodland resting after lengthy surgery to remove brain tumor". Golf Digest. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
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