Gary Woodland stormed to a fantastic victory at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, his first PGA Tour win since 2019.
Woodland is now a five-time champion on the PGA Tour, clinching his latest title thanks to a five-shot victory at Memorial Park Golf Course.
He finished his tournament on 21-under, comfortably ahead of Nicolai Hojgaard on 16-under, followed by John Keefer and Min Woo Lee on 15-under.
It was a hugely emotional moment for Woodland, who has been struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder after undergoing brain surgery 30 months ago.
The 41-year-old American, who won the US Open in 2019, has now shared his delight at getting over the line once again.
Gary Woodland reacts to emotional Houston Open win
Woodland posted on his Instagram: “It’s hard to put into words what this win means to me and my family.
“To the fans that came out last week and everyone that’s reading this post, thank you.
“Your love, support and energy has gotten me through some dark times and made days like yesterday possible.
“Thank you [Texas Children’s Houston Open] for an amazing week.”
He shared images of his memorable victory in the post, which has drawn comments from a handful of his fellow players.
Brooks Koepka posted three folded hands emojis, while Chris Gotterup commented with two muscle emojis.
Popular winner Gary Woodland ‘proud’ after Texas title
There hasn’t been a more popular winner than Woodland for quite some time, which is very understandable given his unfortunate struggles.
He deserves huge praise for his efforts throughout the week at Memorial Park, both physically and mentally.
It clearly hasn’t been an easy time for the American, who hadn’t exactly been showing signs of a first win since 2019 ahead of Houston.
It’s his only top 10 finish from eight starts on the PGA Tour in the 2026 season, from which he’s missed four cuts.
But recent history matters very little to Woodland right now, who deserves all of the praise and love he is receiving.
Doing his best to stay grounded despite the emotional moment, the champion said afterwards: “It’s just another day. Today was a good day.
“But I’ve got a big fight ahead of me, and I’m going to keep going. But I’m proud of myself right now.”
First up is the small matter of The Masters, which new world number 51 Woodland has just become eligible for thanks to his display in Texas.
But just before the calendar turns to Augusta National, TPC San Antonio plays host to the Valero Texas Open.
Looking to fine-tune their games one final time ahead of The Masters are the likes of Tommy Fleetwood, Collin Morikawa, Russell Henley and Jordan Spieth among many other high-profile names.
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