Gary Woodland leads the Houston Open by one stroke heading into the final round on Sunday.
Woodland has played some truly sublime golf at the Houston Open this week, but he has been unable to shake off Nicolai Hojgaard through three rounds at Memorial Park.
The 41-year-old has been through serious mental health struggles over the past couple of years, including his battle with PTSD following the brain surgery he underwent in 2023.
Encouragingly, though, Gary Woodland has been in very good spirits at the Houston Open this week.
Woodland has been a real fan favorite at the Houston Open this week and has been feeding off the support he has received from the galleries.
He still has one round to play but if he manages to get through that unscathed, he will surely be the most popular winner of a PGA Tour event in recent history.
What Gary Woodland told himself when he lost his swing at the Houston Open
Woodland was in fine spirits on the golf course during his third round, in spite of the battle he was having with his swing early on in his round.
The 2019 US Open champion addressed the media after his superb third round 65 in Texas on Saturday.
Woodland responded when asked how he managed to slow down his tempo when he was struggling with his swing during the early part of his third round in Houston.
“I could hear him (Randy Smith) yelling at me,“ Woodland admitted.
“Like I said, I’ve been playing so nice the last week really altogether, so I took a step back and told myself, didn’t run too far away from me, it’s close in there, so slow down a little bit.
“I probably dialed it back a little bit off the tee, and then once I started to get the feel of it, I was able to ramp it back up on the back nine.“
Woodland deserves huge credit for turning things around mid-round. That is one of the hardest things to do, especially when you’re in contention to win a golf tournament.
How Gary Woodland plans to tackle nerves on Sunday in Houston
After his third round, Woodland was asked if there is anything in particular that he will be focusing on during the final round at Memorial Park on Sunday.
“I’ve just got to take a deep breath,“ the 41-year-old American said.
“I’ll have a good night ahead of me tonight to recover and rest, and tomorrow just don’t get ahead of yourself.
“I’m here, I put myself in this position for a reason, so take a deep breath and maintain what I’m doing.“
Woodland just needs to take one shot at a time on Sunday at the Houston Open.
He is clearly playing some of the best golf of his career right now, and he is within touching distance of his first PGA Tour win since the US Open in 2019.
Patience will be a virtue for Woodland on Sunday, and it will very much be a case of carrying on doing what he’s been doing.