*This content was translated by AI.
Gary Woodland, 42, who returned to the ground after brain tumor surgery, won the PGA Tour for the first time in about seven years. The image of a 42-year-old veteran who burst into tears at the moment of winning the championship made the whole nation cry.
Woodland tied four birdies and one bogey for 3-under 67 in the final fourth round of the Texas Children's Houston Open (total prize money of $9.9 million) at Memorial Park Golf Course (par 70, 7,475 yards) in Houston, Texas on the 30th (Korea time).
Woodland won his fifth career PGA Tour victory, beating second-place Nikolai Hoygor (Denmark) by five strokes with a 21-under 259 total. The prize money is 1.78 million U.S. dollars. For Woodland, it was his first win in six years and nine months since the U.S. Open in June 2019.
The moment he made the final putt on the 18th hole, Woodland opened his arms and looked up at the sky. After sighing loudly, he couldn't hold back his tears when he saw his caddie and wife coming toward him. I tried to cover it with a hat, but I ended up crying in my wife's arms.
Hoigor, who competed for the championship until the end, was also praised for stepping down from the field at the last putting moment and allowing the spotlight to focus solely on Woodland.
Hoigor, who competed for the championship, said after finishing second, "I thought it was right for Woodland to fully enjoy the moment. It was a great moment and it was nice to watch it. I was truly happy," he said.
It was a touching victory. Woodland was diagnosed with a brain tumor in May 2023. It was the result of examination for abnormal symptoms such as shaking hands or closing eyelids. Eventually, in September 2023, a large portion of the lesion was removed by incision the size of a baseball on the side of the head.
The ordeal continued even after returning to the field through the Sony Open in January 2024. Since his return, he has experienced 11 missed cuts in 26 tournaments. The aftereffects were also serious. According to U.S. media ESPN, Woodland also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the Houston Open, which was the runner-up last year, and shed tears in the bathroom.
But Woodland didn't give up. After confessing to his PTSD two weeks ago, he changed his putter for more sophisticated shots, and replaced it with a harder iron to increase the distance and batting speed. It was even more applauded because it was an achievement made by overcoming the pain and trying hard.
After winning, Woodland said, "Golf is an individual sport, but I wasn't alone today. If anyone is experiencing any difficulties, I hope you don't see me and give up. I hope you continue to fight," he said.
The win will make Woodland 51st in the world and qualify for all the remaining major PGA Tour events. Woodland, who is still battling the aftereffects of brain surgery, said: "There's still a big fight ahead of me and I'm going to keep moving on. I'm proud of myself now. And brain surgery was hard for me too, but much harder for my wife. I'm really grateful to my wife," he said.
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*This content was translated by AI.
