Gary Woodland proved his quality by romping to victory at the Houston Open while playing in the final group alongside two young stallions in the form of Nicolai Hojgaard and Min Woo Lee.
Woodland’s victory at the Houston Open was a hugely popular one in the golfing world and his victory will live long in the memory of anyone who follows the sport.
The 41-year-old’s win at Memorial Park brought a tear to the eye, after he opened up on his PTSD struggles back at The Players Champion earlier this month.
Woodland has the entire golfing fraternity on his side and his win at the Houston Open will be hugely important for him as he looks to bounce back from his off-course issues.
Numerous high-profile names both inside and outside of the golfing sphere congratulated Woodland after his Houston Open triumph.
His performance throughout the week at Memorial Park was quite truly exceptional.
Even when Woodland struggled with the tempo of his swing at the Houston Open on day three, he managed to fix it midway through his round, before going on to win by five shots on Sunday.
Min Woo Lee and Nicolai Hojgaard could only sit back and marvel at the golf being produced by the 2019 U.S. Open champion.
What Nicolai Hojgaard and Min Woo Lee said about Gary Woodland at the Houston Open
Hojgaard finished in second place in Houston, while Min Woo ended up in a tied for third.
Both players were obviously delighted to see Woodland win, after all the hardship he has been through.
As the 41-year-old from Topeka, Kansas, cruised to victory and made his way down the 18th fairway, Min Woo and Hojgaard stood back and allowed their playing partner to lap up all of the adulation.
Hojgaard told reporters after his final round that he and Min Woo had planned to carry out that gesture beforehand.
“Yeah, we talked about it,“ the 25-year-old from Denmark admitted.
“We thought it was appropriate to let him have his moment. It was a pretty cool moment for Gary and it was cool to see.
“I’m really happy for him.“
That was a real class act from Hojgaard and Min Woo Lee and it was a sign of just how much Woodland is respected and liked by his fellow pros.
Gary Woodland comments on Houston Open fans
After his second round on Friday, Woodland responded when asked if he felt the support from the fans at Memorial Park.
“There’s no doubt,“ he said.
“There’s no doubt, and I feed off that. This as much as any week, I feel like I’ve had a lot of support. Kind of feel like I’m playing at home.
“The fans have been amazing. I kind of need that energy to help me through the day, that definitely helps.
“That’s something hopefully I can ride on this weekend as well.“
Woodland had better get used to receiving extra support.
The fact that he has gone through so much heartache before coming out on the other side and winning again for the first time since 2019 is truly incredible.
The only way is up from here for Gary Woodland and every single person involved with the game is right behind him.