Why Did Gary Woodland Have Brain Surgery? Details Behind His Health Scare

Few golf players have had a career as eventful as Gary Woodland’s. The 41-year-old PGA Tour pro from Topeka, Kansas, built his name as one of golf’s biggest hitters, turned pro in 2007, and later broke through on the sport’s biggest stages with his 2019 U.S. Open title.

Before golf fully took over, he also played basketball at Washburn and then golf at the University of Kansas. Why did Gary Woodland have brain surgery, and is he fully recovered?

Gary chose to have brain surgery after doctors found a lesion on his brain in 2023. He had been dealing with frightening symptoms, including tremors, chills, low energy, and intense feelings of fear, according to the AP. An MRI revealed the issue after he first sought help for anxiety-like symptoms. Gary initially tried medication, but after consulting specialists and speaking with his family, he decided surgery was the best move.

“It was very emotional because I had gone four-and-a-half months of every day really thinking I was going to die,” he said. “The doctors kept telling me I was OK, but this thing pushing on my brain ... didn’t matter if I was driving a car, on an airplane, I thought everything was going to kill me. You can imagine leading up to surgery, how I felt going into having my head cut open and operated on. The fear going into that was awful.”

The health scare did not end when the surgery was over. Gary revealed in March 2026 that he had been battling post-traumatic stress disorder in the aftermath of that experience. In an emotional interview ahead of The Players Championship, Gary opened up about taking charge of his life despite battling medical issues.

“I can’t waste energy anymore hiding this, and I’m blessed with a lot of support out here on the tour,” Gary said. “Everyone’s just been amazing. Every week I come out, and everyone’s so excited and happy that I’m back. ... And I appreciate that love and support.”

On March 29, Gary added another major chapter to his comeback. He won the Texas Children’s Houston Open, securing his fifth PGA Tour title and his first win since the 2019 U.S. Open. He shot 21-under 259 and finished five strokes ahead of Nicolai Hojgaard. The victory marked his first PGA Tour win in nearly seven years and his first since brain surgery. After the win, he said he was “in complete control” of his game that week, and he explained that speaking publicly about his PTSD had lifted a weight off his shoulders.

“Obviously I had a great week there at Pebble, but I was just in complete control this week. I'm proud of that,” he said. “I put a lot of work in. It's obviously been a struggle for me the last couple years, but I knew physically the game was as good as it's ever been. I just had to fight through some other battles that I'm battling and I was able do that this week.”

The victory also earned him spots in the Masters and PGA Championship, another sign that his career has momentum again.