DORAL — Gary Woodland continues to make progress toward managing his mental health.
Woodland’s breakthrough came at the Masters, where large crowds and an intimate surrounding forced the Delray Beach resident to speak out about what it required for him to make it through a round of golf.
“I think the biggest thing for me is I need to voice what I’m feeling, what I need to say,” Woodland said two days before the April 30 Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral. “And I think that week forced me to do it.
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“I learned a lot that week.”
Woodland, who has an 11:20 a.m. tee time on April 30 for Round 1, met with PGA Tour security following the Masters to review what worked and what didn’t. He finished tied for 33rd at even par after carding a 66 in the final round, the best round of his 13 Masters and 10 shots better than the previous day.
The next week, at the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head Island, S.C., Woodland was T8. He won the Texas Children’s Houston Open in March, which allowed him into Cadillac and other Signature Events.
Woodland, whose world ranking has risen to No. 45 after closing 2025 at No. 125, said he played the final 10 holes in Houston “thinking people were trying to kill me.”
Gary Woodland still meeting with PGA Tour security so he feels safe
Woodland, 41, suffers from PTSD following 2023 surgery in which doctors removed a tumor in the area of his brain that controls fear and anxiety. He continues to experience hypervigilance with part of the tumor still resting against his brain.
Woodland called the Masters “as hard a week as I’d had through this process,” adding he had not experienced “that much stimulation with the people that close to me.”
Which required extra security in areas where spectators were closest to the golfers.
“They were amazing,” Woodland said. “The security at the end of the week were a lot closer to me and that was nice. They were on chairs at the back of the tee boxes so on the weekend I felt a lot better.”
Woodland continues to meet with PGA Tour security to express what he needs when on the course. He sat down with security before the RBC to go over his experiences at the Masters and let them know the situations in which he struggled.
Woodland expects a “normal” week at the Blue Monster. What helps is the signage on most tee boxes, which is not the case at Augusta National. Having something, or someone, behind him where spectators can get close makes him feel safer.
And PGA Tour security now regularly checks to see if any more is required.
“We have it set in stone now where we have it set up where I’m in a pretty good spot, but they check in on me every day,” he said.
“It’s definitely easier out here than it is (Masters) week for me.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Gary Woodland in better spot at Doral when it comes to mental health
Reporting by Tom D’Angelo, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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