ST. LOUIS — Gary Woodland doesn't need any reminders about the challenges he has encountered over the last three years, the surgery he underwent in 2023 to remove a lesion from his brain and his subsequent battle with post-traumatic stress disorder that forces him to keep constant anxiety in check while competing at the highest level of professional golf.
But there he was last week at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis meeting with an 11-year-old boy from New Zealand after the youngster followed the former U.S. Open champion around TPC Southwind. The boy has an inoperable brain tumor.
Woodland shared this anecdote on Thursday after the first round of the BMW Championship. And just seeing the look in his eyes relaying that moment in Memphis said so much about how he ***** ses what his career has come to mean to others and not just himself.
"I think I got a lot of perspective over the last couple years. I know I'm fighting for a lot more than playing golf," he said. "I'm hopefully having a positive impact on a lot of people's lives just showing up and fighting. Knowing that I'm struggling every day, and hopefully … I'm having a bigger impact than just showing up and showing that I can still compete and play out here and live my dreams. That's the big deal is I'm struggling and I'm still living my dreams. I hope people see that and try to do the same thing."
Woodland's dream took a fairytale turn in late March when he won the Texas Children's Houston Open less than a month after revealing that he suffers from PTSD. That victory, his fifth career ***** le on the PGA Tour and first in almost seven years, is easily the most inspirational story of the year, one that was a triumph of the spirit more than a conquering of a golf course and a field of talented competitors.
#last #woodland #memphis #brain
But there he was last week at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis meeting with an 11-year-old boy from New Zealand after the youngster followed the former U.S. Open champion around TPC Southwind. The boy has an inoperable brain tumor.
Woodland shared this anecdote on Thursday after the first round of the BMW Championship. And just seeing the look in his eyes relaying that moment in Memphis said so much about how he ***** ses what his career has come to mean to others and not just himself.
"I think I got a lot of perspective over the last couple years. I know I'm fighting for a lot more than playing golf," he said. "I'm hopefully having a positive impact on a lot of people's lives just showing up and fighting. Knowing that I'm struggling every day, and hopefully … I'm having a bigger impact than just showing up and showing that I can still compete and play out here and live my dreams. That's the big deal is I'm struggling and I'm still living my dreams. I hope people see that and try to do the same thing."
Woodland's dream took a fairytale turn in late March when he won the Texas Children's Houston Open less than a month after revealing that he suffers from PTSD. That victory, his fifth career ***** le on the PGA Tour and first in almost seven years, is easily the most inspirational story of the year, one that was a triumph of the spirit more than a conquering of a golf course and a field of talented competitors.
#last #woodland #memphis #brain
2 months ago
