Gary Woodland's emotional confession about his battle with PTSD appears to have lifted a tremendous burden from his shoulders, as evidenced by his spectacular opening round at the Texas Children's Houston Open.
The 41-year-old veteran carded a bogey-free 64 at Memorial Park Golf Course, featuring seven birdies to sit just one stroke behind leader Paul Waring after Thursday's first round. The performance marked one of Woodland's best rounds in years, coming at the same venue where he finished runner-up last season.
"I literally feel like I got a thousand pounds off my back that day," Woodland said after his round Thursday in Houston, referring to his recent interview about his ongoing PTSD symptoms following brain surgery to remove a tumor.
The candid conversation with Golf Channel's Rex Hoggard revealed Woodland's deeply personal struggle with the psychological aftermath of his medical procedure, despite outward appearances suggesting he had fully recovered.
"It was hard to do. I was crying going into the interview and I left feeling a thousand pounds lighter," Woodland explained. "I have a battle that I'm fighting, but it's nice to not do that alone, I can tell you that. We'll take it one day at a time and continue to get better."
Woodland's opening round displayed the complete game that made him a PGA Tour winner, ranking inside the top 10 in driving, approach play, and putting on the windy Texas layout.
"I did it all pretty good today," Woodland said. "I think the best thing I did was I carried the momentum over from last week. I got a lot of confidence last week."
That momentum stems from his T14 finish at the Valspar Championship, which marked a significant turnaround after missing four of his first six cuts to open 2026. His best previous result this season was a T64 before last week's resurgent performance.
The veteran's renewed confidence extends beyond just his mental state. Working with longtime coach Randy Smith, Woodland has rediscovered his power game, currently leading the PGA Tour in driving distance despite being 41 years old.
"At the end of the day, it's confidence," Woodland said. "I'll credit Randy (Smith). I didn't hit it well there for about three, four years. I went back to him a year and a half ago and he pretty much called me soft, told me I was guiding it, and that's not ever how I played in my whole life."
Smith's direct approach appears to be working, encouraging Woodland to return to his aggressive style rather than playing cautiously.
"He wanted me to get back to swinging hard and aggressive, playing to my strengths. It's been a process to get there, but we're starting to swing," Woodland noted.
The support from the golf community following his PTSD revelation has been overwhelming, according to Woodland.
"The TOUR out here is a family and they've been amazing. The golf world's been amazing and I'm very thankful," he said.
With three rounds remaining at Memorial Park, Woodland finds himself in prime position to contend for his first victory since the 2019 U.S. Open. His complete performance Thursday suggests the mental and physical pieces are finally aligning for the Kansas native.
Woodland will look to build on his momentum when second-round play resumes Friday, seeking his first top-10 finish since his runner-up showing at this same event last year.