| Gary Woodland | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Woodland with the2019 U.S. Open trophy | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Gary Lynn Woodland | ||
| Born | (1984-05-21)May 21, 1984 (age 41) Topeka, Kansas, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 14 st) | ||
| Sporting nationality |  United States | ||
| Residence | Topeka, Kansas, U.S. | ||
| Spouse | Gabby Granado | ||
| Children | 4 | ||
| Career | |||
| College | Washburn University University of Kansas | ||
| Turned professional | 2007 | ||
| Current tour | PGA Tour | ||
| Former tour | Nationwide Tour | ||
| Professional wins | 6 | ||
| Highestranking | 12 (June 16, 2019)[1] (as of February 8, 2026) | ||
| Number of wins by tour | |||
| PGA Tour | 4 | ||
| European Tour | 1 | ||
| Other | 2 | ||
| Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |||
| Masters Tournament | T14: 2023 | ||
| PGA Championship | T6:2018 | ||
| U.S. Open | Won:2019 | ||
| The Open Championship | T12: 2016 | ||
| Achievements and awards | |||
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| Signature | |||
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Gary Lynn Woodland[2] (born May 21, 1984) is an Americanprofessional golfer who plays on thePGA Tour. He won theU.S. Open in2019, his firstmajor championship and sixth professional victory. Following a successful college career, he turned professional in 2007 and briefly competed on theNationwide Tour.
Woodland was born inTopeka, Kansas, the son of Dan and Linda Woodland.[3] He attendedShawnee Heights High School in the suburb ofTecumseh.[4] After high school, he attendedWashburn University in Topeka on abasketball scholarship, but left after hisfreshman year to attend theUniversity of Kansas inLawrence on a golf scholarship.[5] He studied sociology while at KU. Woodland had a successful college golf career, winning four tournaments before turning professional in 2007.
After turning professional, Woodland played in a handful of tournaments on the Nationwide Tour in 2007 and 2008.[6] At the end of the 2008 season, he entered theQualifying school for thePGA Tour, and finished in a tie for 11th, which was good enough to earn him a full card to play on the PGA Tour in 2009. However, he struggled for form in his debut season, making just eight cuts in 18 appearances before a shoulder injury cut his golfing year short in July.[7]
In 2010, Woodland divided his time between the PGA and Nationwide Tours. He continued to struggle for his best form but did not record a single top ten finish on either tour. He did display enough consistency to finish 92nd in the Nationwide Tour money list. Once again, he entered the season-ending qualifying school, and again he finished T-11, to secure a return to full PGA Tour status.[citation needed]
Woodland's second tournament of 2011 was theBob Hope Classic, where he andJhonattan Vegas finished tied for first place at 27-under-par; Vegas edged out Woodland in a playoff for the title.[8] This was his first top-10 finish on either of the two main tours.[citation needed]
In March 2011, Woodland won his first PGA Tour title at theTransitions Championship by one stroke when fellow AmericanWebb Simpson missed a par putt on the final hole. Just a few moments earlier Woodland had scrambled a fantastic par from the same position as Simpson on the last, after hitting his second shot over the back of the green. This win secured Woodland a place at the2011 Masters Tournament and also elevated him to what was then a career high 53rd in theOfficial World Golf Ranking.[9] He later earned an invitation into the U.S. Open after moving into the Top 50. He left the tournament with an OWGR ranking of 39th. In November 2011, he won theOmega Mission Hills World Cup withMatt Kuchar. He finished 2011 ranked 17th on the PGA Tour money list and 51st in the OWGR. He had ended 2009 ranked 962 and 2010 591.[10]
Woodland reached the final of the2015 WGC-Cadillac Match Play, where he lost toRory McIlroy, and moved to a career-best 32nd in the OWGR.[citation needed]
In February2018, Woodland won his third PGA Tour event, at theWaste Management Phoenix Open in a sudden-death playoff overChez Reavie. After finishing tied at 18 under, Woodland won with a par on the first extra hole to end a five-year drought on tour. Woodland moved up to fifth in the season's FedEx Cup standings.[11]
Woodland held the 36-hole lead at thePGA Championship in2018 with a total 130, which was a tournament record through the first two rounds. He led by a stroke overKevin Kisner at the halfway stage. He started the final round at nine under par, three shots behind leaderBrooks Koepka. He finished in a tie for sixth with a score of 10 under par, six strokes behind the winner Koepka.[12]
In January2019, Woodland held the lead entering the final round at the winners-onlySentry Tournament of Champions atKapalua Resort in Maui, Hawaii. He shot a five-under-par 68 but still lost to championXander Schauffele who shot a course record-tying 62.[13]
In February 2019, Woodland invitedAmy Bockerstette, a collegiate golfer with Down syndrome, to play the par-3 16th hole atTPC Scottsdale during a Tuesday practice round at theWaste Management Phoenix Open. After hitting her tee shot into a greenside bunker, Bockerstette surprised Woodland by parring the hole in front of a roaring crowd. The PGA Tour's video capturing the moment went viral, receiving 43 million views across various social media platforms.[14]
At theU.S. Open in June2019, Woodland held the 54-hole lead atPebble Beach Golf Links. On Sunday, he shot a 2-under-par 69 for 271 (−13), which gave him a three-shot margin over the runner-up, two-time defending champion Koepka. Woodland became the fourth champion in U.S. Open history who was double-digits under-par. The victory was his first major and his sixth professional win. In his previous thirty starts in majors, Woodland had only carded two top-ten finishes, both in the PGA Championship (2018,2019).[15] The win at the U.S. Open moved him from 25th to 12th in the Official World Golf Ranking.[16] At the post-win press conference, WoodlandFaceTimed Bockerstette live, telling her "I used your positive energy." Two days later, Woodland joined Bockerstette with a surprise appearance onThe Today Show where, pointing to the U.S. Open trophy in Bockerstette's hands, he told her "We won this together."[17]
In December 2019, Woodland played on the U.S. team at the2019 Presidents Cup atRoyal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia. The U.S. team won 16–14. Woodland went 1–2–1 and lost his Sunday singles match againstIm Sung-jae.[18]
In August 2023, Woodland told the public that he had been diagnosed with a brain lesion. He underwent lengthy brain surgery on September 18, 2023.[19] In February 2025, Woodland was awarded thePGA Tour Courage Award.[20]
| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (1) |
| Other PGA Tour (3) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 20,2011 | Transitions Championship | 67-68-67-67=269 | −15 | 1 stroke |  Webb Simpson |
| 2 | Aug 4,2013 | Reno–Tahoe Open | 44 pts (14-7-16-7=44)[a] | 9 points | Jonathan Byrd, Andrés Romero | |
| 3 | Feb 4,2018 | Waste Management Phoenix Open | 67-68-67-64=266 | −18 | Playoff | Chez Reavie |
| 4 | Jun 16,2019 | U.S. Open | 68-65-69-69=271 | −13 | 3 strokes | Brooks Koepka |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2011 | Bob Hope Classic | Bill Haas, Jhonattan Vegas | Vegas won with par on second extra hole Haas eliminated by birdie on first hole |
| 2 | 2013 | CIMB Classic | Ryan Moore | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 2018 | Waste Management Phoenix Open | Chez Reavie | Won with par on first extra hole |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 27, 2011 | Omega Mission Hills World Cup (with Matt Kuchar) | 64-70-63-67=264 | −24 | 2 strokes |  England −Ian Poulter andJustin Rose, Germany −Alex Čejka andMartin Kaymer |
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | U.S. Open | 1 shot lead | −13 (68-65-69-69=271) | 3 strokes | Brooks Koepka |
Results not in chronological order in 2020.
| Tournament | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T24 | WD | T26 | CUT | CUT | CUT | ||||
| U.S. Open | T47 | CUT | T23 | CUT | T52 | CUT | T50 | T36 | ||
| The Open Championship | T30 | T34 | T39 | T58 | T12 | T70 | T67 | |||
| PGA Championship | T12 | T42 | 74 | CUT | CUT | T22 | T6 |
| Tournament | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T32 | CUT | T40 | CUT | T14 | CUT | |
| PGA Championship | T8 | T58 | T38 | T34 | CUT | T60 | CUT |
| U.S. Open | 1 | CUT | T50 | T10 | T49 | CUT | CUT |
| The Open Championship | CUT | NT | CUT | CUT | T55 | T50 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = no tournament due toCOVID-19 pandemic
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 6 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 10 |
| U.S. Open | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 9 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 9 |
| Totals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 53 | 34 |
| Tournament | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | CUT | CUT | T11 | CUT | T28 | T75 | CUT | T30 |
| Tournament | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | C | CUT | CUT | T54 | 72 | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
C = Canceled after the first round due to theCOVID-19 pandemic
Results not in chronological order before 2015.
| Tournament | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | T29 | T16 | T23 | T38 | T50 | T17 | T12 | 43 | |||
| Match Play | R64 | R64 | 2 | T39 | T29 | T17 | NT1 | ||||
| Invitational | T45 | T19 | T57 | T63 | T17 | T55 | T57 | ||||
| Champions | T56 | T23 | T47 | NT1 | NT1 |
1Cancelled due toCOVID-19 pandemic
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
NT = No tournament
"T" = Tied
Professional
