Topeka's Gary Woodland playing in marquee group at the 2026 Masters
· Yahoo Sports
Gary Woodland made his triumphant return to the winner’s circle at the Texas Children’s Houston Open two weeks ago. The victory punched his ticket into golf’s elite tournament, the Masters.
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The Topeka native is set for his 13th appearance in the first major golf tournament of the year on Thursday, April 9.
Woodland’s opening tee time is set for 12:44 p.m. CT as he plays in one of this week’s marquee groups.
Woodland is matched with two-time champion Scottie Scheffler and world No. 8 Robert Macintyre.
“I love this place. I love the tradition," Woodland said on Tuesday. "There's nothing like driving down Magnolia Lane. I definitely drove down a little slower this year than I ever have, even the first time I was here in 2011. I'm definitely taking it all in this week for sure."
This has been a challenging year for Woodland, which is why playing in the Masters has felt especially meaningful to him.
In 2023, Woodland had surgery to remove a brain lesion. He underwent a process called craniotomy, which sliced his head, allowing doctors to remove the majority of the tumor. Four months after the surgery, Woodland was back playing golf in early 2024.
The effects of the surgery and brain tumor have not gone away, though.
Woodland has been battling PTSD and becomes ‘hypervigilant’ during rounds. When he fights this on the course, Woodland often looks to security, which helps calm himself down. The security helps him recognize that everything is going to be OK.
One of the special things about the Masters is the gallery and how much fans elevate the tournament. Fans are close to the tee boxes and putting surfaces. For Woodland, this is not favorable with his PTSD.
“The main deal is they were showing me where security is. The whole deal for me is it's visual, right? If I can see somebody, then I can remind myself that I'm safe constantly," Woodland said. " So, I have a good idea now where security is on every hole. Like I said, I don't have control when this thing hits me, and it's tough. It can be a fan. It can be a walking scorer. It can be a camera guy running by me, just any startlement from behind me can trigger this pretty quickly. Knowing where the security is is a constant reminder that I'm safe."
While his PTSD is a major challenge, Woodland is playing some seriously good golf. His victory at the Houston Open came in dominant fashion, as he won by five shots.
The Houston Open is known as a great tune-up for Augusta National Golf Club. The fairways and greens are mowed into the grain, similar to the Masters set-up. The lack of long rough at Houston echoes this week’s firm golf course.
Woodland's success at the Houston Open can only give him confidence entering golf’s most elite tournament.
“I'm swinging it harder now than I have in a long time," Woodland said. "We've gone way down in loft, and I'm starting to swing it a lot better and I have more confidence. The more confidence I have, the harder I can swing. So, I'm happy with that."
Liam Keating covers high school sports and Washburn University for The Topeka Capital-Journal. Send stats or information to him at [email protected]m
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Gary Woodland 'taking it all in' during 2026 Masters Tournament