Gary Woodland knows what the struggle for survival looks like, in the most horrible way possible. No, it was not any accident or injury that threatened him. The fight was against himself, or, to be more accurate, against his own mind that was crippled with probably the most debilitating disease- fear. For four and a half months, Gary spent thinking, “I was going to die”– every single day. What happened?

The 2019 US Open champion was an optimistic soul by nature, the only thing he feared was failure. But it took a different turn in April, 2023, in the weeks after the masters. Gary suddenly found himself surrounded by every kind of fear, almost constantly. The nights turned particularly scary. Gary would wake up to spasms and jolts, jumping out of his bed, trembling in fear. He could recall a harrowing night during the Memorial Tournament in June that year when he woke up one night and clung to the mattress for an hour, certain that if he let go, he would fall to his death. Gary knew something had gone terribly wrong.

After enduring weeks of nausea and anxiety, Gary consulted his longtime general practitioner. An MRI was ordered to rule out the possibility of Parkinson’s disease. It was. But it revealed something more severe, a lesion growing on his brain. And it sat in that part of the brain which controls fear and anxiety. His practitioner assured that his symptoms were “normal”. But the assurance did not do any good to Gary, because as he said, “I just wasn’t feeling like myself.” Anti-seizure and anxiety medication started. And it invited further set of troubles.

The medication indeed worked initially and helped him go through the Wyndham Championship, the final regular-season event on the PGA Tour. But the side effects of the medicines soon started showing up-, he would pull a club and then forget which one it was. He couldn’t concentrate while putting. This time, the doctors recommended surgery and Gary decided to break the news to the golf community. On August 30, 2023, shocking everyone, he announced on X that he was scheduled for the surgery on September 18.

The doctors carved a baseball-sized hole out of the left side of his skull and removed the tumor. But not fully. Because part of the tumor was touching his eyesight area of the brain and full removal could have affected that. His scalp was then reattached with titanium plates and screws. And at least the fear was gone. Four months after the surgery, he returned to competitive golf at the Sony Open in Hawaii last year and could grin saying, “I’ve got a robotic head, I guess.” There were positives to be discovered as well. “I realize there is a lot of good in this world,” he had said. Indeed. One such came on Wednesday, February 26, from the PGA tour that hailed the entire journey of Gary.

During an exclusive interview with Michael Strahan on Good Morning America on Wednesday, the PGA Tour announced that Gary would be presented with the PGA TOUR Courage Award. He formally received the award during a presentation at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches. The award is presented to a person who, through courage and perseverance, has overcome extraordinary adversity, such as personal tragedy or debilitating injury or illness, to make a significant and meaningful contribution to the game of golf. Gary is the seventh recipient of the PGA TOUR Courage Award, which was established in 2012.

The Courage Award comes with a $25,000 donation and Gary and his wife chose Champion Charities for that. It is an organization helping fund research and support patients with brain tumors, brain disease and brain trauma. “It’s everything to me…sorry” he said, as his eyes welling up with tears. Taking a moment to recollect himself, he added, “It’s been a hard journey for me. The last couple of years has been really hard.”

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan praised Woodland, saying, “He’s overcome so many challenges… He continues to manage symptoms associated with his initial diagnosis while competing, and competing very well, at the highest level of professional golf.” Top PGA Tour golfers also pouring in their congratulations for Gary.

Justin Thomas was among the first to chime in, saying “Amazing stuff. @garywoodland. Extremely deserving!” Notably, Gary revealed in the interview that Thomas was the first golfer to whom he had disclosed his diagnosis of the tumor. “Since that day, JT — I had my last MRI last week. He’s texting me every day, checking in,” he said. Talking about Monahan, he said, “Jay was one of the first phone calls I received after surgery. His whole staff has reached out.”

Will Zalatoris added his own words of encouragement, saying “Congrats brother!! @garywoodland” – a sentiment echoed by the PGA Tour itself, which praised Woodland’s “inspiring journey through battling his brain lesion while competing on TOUR” that “will leave a special place in your heart.” In more, Trevor Immelman was equally effusive, saying “Yeah GW…congrats bro…💪🏼🙏🏼❤” The journey might seem all the more stunning if we take a look at his effort for coming back after the surgery.

He began putting two days after walking out of the hospital, installing a Putt View putting system in the family dining room. He was given permission to start hitting balls after four weeks, but he waited five weeks. His father would drive him to and from the golf course. Soon after, he tried to play nine holes. But it didn’t go well. So it was time to visit another doctor, swing instructor Butch Harmon in Las Vegas. “Twenty minutes in it was very rusty, and 30 minutes in, he [Harmon] was like, ‘G-Dub, you’re right where you’re supposed to be.’,” Gary recalled. If there was anyone who stood like a rock, it was his wife Gabby.

The one who encouraged Gary Woodland to find solutions

It was his wife Gabby, who permitted him to start putting after the surgery. “I’m blessed that my wife is such a stud. From early on in the year, I think she just let me vent and let me cry and let me tell her everything that was going on,” Gary said. He also credits Gabby who encouraged him to find a solution out of the situation.

“I credit my wife for forcing me to find solutions. She let me complain for a little bit each day, and then it was time to move on and find, what’s the answer. That’s something I’ll live with for the rest of my life. She’ll let me vent and complain, but then it’s finding answers to make this better because complaining does nothing,” Gary said. Gabby was instrumental in leading Gary to renowned golf instructor Randy Smith.

“I went back to Randy Smith at the end of last year on my wife’s — my wife is the one that guided me to that decision, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve made in golf. His voice in my head just makes my life a lot easier,” he said.

Reiterating Gabby’s role, he further added, “I can’t say enough about what she’s done. She’s had it harder than I have because she’s in it every day with the three kids and then trying to battle me every day and make sure that I can get out and function. I feel for her more than I definitely feel for myself and feel for anything else.” We can only say, more power to Gary and Gabby!