England's Paul Waring overcame early struggles in his PGA Tour career to fire a bogey-free 7-under 63 and grab a one-shot lead after the opening round of the Texas Children's Houston Open at Memorial Park on Thursday.
Woodland, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, sits in second place at 6-under 64 after closing with back-to-back birdies. Both players are navigating significant personal challenges as they compete for the title.
"I was crying going into the interview, and I left feeling a thousand pounds lighter," Woodland said, referring to his recent emotional interview with Golf Channel about his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Woodland underwent brain surgery to remove a lesion in September 2023 and has been open about his mental health journey. The familiarity of Houston, where he finished runner-up last year, provided some comfort as he posted his lowest round in recent weeks.
For Waring, Thursday's performance marked a breakthrough after a difficult transition to the PGA Tour. The Englishman earned his tour card through his DP World Tour standing after winning in Abu Dhabi at the end of 2024, but a shoulder injury requiring cortisone shots sidelined him for five months.
"This week, a lot tidier," Waring said. "No bogeys and ... I've just been told I holed over 160 foot of putts today, which is massive and gives you a massive advantage."
Waring had missed the cut in his first three PGA Tour starts, struggling to adapt to unfamiliar faces and environments. His round Thursday nearly included a costly mistake when his tee shot found water on the 17th hole, but he salvaged par with an 18-foot putt.
The most dramatic moment came on the par-5 eighth hole, where Waring's second shot went left into a hazard area. With his ball sitting in thick grass on a creek bank, he chose the risky play of hitting from the hazard rather than taking a penalty drop. The gamble paid off as he blasted the ball to 20 feet and two-putted for par.
Woodland maintained a bogey-free round until the par-3 seventh, where he attacked a left pin position and found a deep bunker. After safely escaping to 20 feet, he made his only bogey of the day.
"But the response was strong," as he followed with a pitch to 6 feet for birdie on the eighth and closed with a 10-foot birdie putt.
Sam Burns, Michael Brennan, and Tom Hoge share third place at 5-under 65. Marco Penge, who tied for fourth at last week's Valspar Championship, headlines a group at 4-under 66 that includes Stephan Jaeger, Kurt Kitayama, Matt Wallace, and Zecheng Dou.
Notable names further down the leaderboard include Rickie Fowler and Sahith Theegala, both at 3-under 67 after solid opening rounds.