PGA Tour: Gary Woodland claims emotional Texas Kids’s Houston Open win to earn first title since mind surgical procedure

Gary Woodland ended his seven-year look ahead to a fifth PGA Tour title with an emotional victory on the Texas Kids’s Houston Open, his first win since mind surgical procedure.

Woodland carded a three-under 67 on the Memorial Park Golf Course to complete on 21 beneath, 5 away from Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard, securing his first worldwide win for the reason that 2019 US Open.

The victory secures Woodland an invitation to The Masters subsequent month at Augusta Nationwide and caps a exceptional comeback for the American, who took a aggressive depart from the game in 2023 and underwent surgical procedure to take away a lesion on the mind.

Woodland returned to the PGA Tour the next January however has struggled with the aftermath of his surgical procedure, with the 41-year-old revealing earlier this month that he has been recognized with post-traumatic stress dysfunction (PTSD) throughout his restoration.

He has since admitted that making his analysis public left him “feeling a thousand pounds lighter”, with Woodland now celebrating a fifth PGA Tour title and transferring inside the highest 25 within the FedExCup standings.

How Woodland closed out emotional victory

Woodland took a one-shot lead into the ultimate day and noticed his benefit prolonged when Hojgaard bogeyed the par-four first, then took management of the match after changing from 10 ft on the fifth to spark a birdie burst.

Hojgaard birdied the par-four sixth, however a three-shot swing noticed him double-bogey the par-three subsequent – having taken two makes an attempt out of a greenside bunker – and Woodland roll in from 25 ft, earlier than each gamers took benefit of the par-five eighth.

Woodland holed one other long-range birdie – his fourth in 5 holes – on the ninth to race to the flip in 31, together with his lead briefly growing to seven strokes when Hojgaard began his again 9 with a bogey.

A two-shot swing on the 14th noticed Woodland miss from six ft to save lots of par, as Hojgaard holed from an identical distance for birdie, with Hojgaard then making a two-putt birdie on the par-five sixteenth to chop the hole to 4 photographs.

Each gamers made par on the seventeenth to maintain Woodland’s commanding benefit to the par-four final, the place he acquired up and down from the again of the inexperienced for a par to finish his first win in 2,473 days.

“We play an individual sport out here, but I wasn’t alone today,” Woodland stated after his victory. “I acquired lots of people behind me, my group, my household and this golf world. Anyone that is combating one thing, I hope they see me and do not quit, simply hold preventing.

“Today was a good day, but I’m going to keep fighting. I’ve got a big fight ahead of me and I’m going to keep going, but I’m proud of myself right now.”

Hojgaard completed runner-up forward of Johnny Keefer and defending champion Min Woo Lee, who made a final-hole birdie to maneuver into tied-third, with Sam Stevens in fifth spot after back-to-back 67s over the weekend.

Adam Scott made a hole-in-one on the par-three eleventh after Shane Lowry fired an ace on the par-three second, leaving them on eight beneath and 7 beneath respectively, with first-round chief Paul Waring an extra shot adrift after a final-round 74.

What’s subsequent?

The PGA Tour heads to Texas for the Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio – the ultimate match for gamers to safe a last-minute invite to The Masters with a victory.

Early protection of the Valero Texas Open begins on Thursday from 1.15pm on Sky Sports activities Golf, forward of full protection from 8.30pm. Get Sky Sports activities or stream with no contract.

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