Originally a collegiate basketball player at Washburn University, Woodland transferred to the University of Kansas to play golf and had a successful amateur career. He turned professional in 2007 and won his first tournament on the PGA Tour in 2011. Following medical problems including surgery on a brain tumor, Woodland won his fifth PGA Tour title at the Houston Open in 2026, which was his first professional victory since the 2019 U.S. Open. He has recently been open about battling PTSD, stating: "I battled the last 10 holes (at the Houston Open) thinking people were trying to kill me," Woodland said. "I have security with me. But I talked to [PGA] Tour security that night, and I told them what I was going through. Every time I looked up on the weekend, my security team was behind me," he added.[4]
Early life and amateur career
Woodland was born in Topeka, Kansas, on May 21, 1984,[1] the son of Dan and Linda Woodland.[5] He attended Shawnee Heights High School in the suburb of Tecumseh,[6] where he was a four-year letterman in both basketball and golf.[7] As a senior, Woodland became the first all-state basketball selection in Shawnee Heights history. He averaged 18 points per game for the season, including 26 points in the state title match.[8]
After high school, Woodland attended Washburn University in Topeka on a basketball scholarship, but left after his freshman year to attend the University of Kansas in Lawrence on a golf scholarship.[9] He was a backup shooting guard during his freshman season and averaged six points per game. Regarding his decision to switch basketball for golf, Woodland recalled in 2019: "Offensively, I was fine. I could get around, I could do stuff, but defensively I wasn't quick enough. I couldn't keep up. That was the biggest thing. And that was at the Division II level. You talk about Division I level. Our first game was at KU and I learned quickly I needed to find something else."[8]
Woodland won four individual collegiate tournaments during his time with the Kansas Jayhawks: the 2005 Cleveland State Invitational, 2006 Kansas Invitational, 2007 All-American Golf Classic and 2007 Louisiana Classic. He also won the 2005 Kansas Amateur Championship.[7] He graduated with a degree in sociology in 2007 and subsequently started his career as a professional golfer.[10]
Professional career
After turning professional, Woodland played in a handful of tournaments on the Nationwide Tour in 2007 and 2008.[11] At the end of the 2008 season, he entered the Qualifying school for the PGA 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.[12]
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.[13]
Woodland's second tournament of 2011 was the Bob Hope Classic, where he and Jhonattan Vegas finished tied for first place at 27-under-par; Vegas edged out Woodland in a playoff for the title.[14] This was his first top-10 finish on either of the two main tours.[15]
In March 2011, Woodland won his first PGA Tour title at the Transitions Championship by one stroke when fellow American Webb 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 the 2011 Masters Tournament and also elevated him to what was then a career high 53rd in the Official World Golf Ranking.[16] 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 the Omega Mission Hills World Cup with Matt 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.[15]
In February 2018, Woodland won his third PGA Tour event, at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in a hole-by-hole playoff over Chez 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.[18]
Woodland held the 36-hole lead at the PGA Championship in 2018 with a total 130, which was a tournament record through the first two rounds. He led by a stroke over Kevin Kisner at the halfway stage. He started the final round at nine under par, three shots behind leader Brooks Koepka. He finished in a tie for sixth with a score of 10 under par, six strokes behind the winner Koepka.[19]
In February 2019, Woodland invited Amy Bockerstette, a collegiate golfer with Down syndrome, to play the par-3 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale during a Tuesday practice round at the Waste 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.[21]
Woodland sinking the winning putt at the 2019 U.S. Open, followed by the trophy presentation
At the U.S. Open in June 2019, Woodland held the 54-hole lead at Pebble 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).[22] The win at the U.S. Open moved him from 25th to 12th in the Official World Golf Ranking.[23] At the post-win press conference, Woodland FaceTimed Bockerstette live, telling her "I used your positive energy." Two days later, Woodland joined Bockerstette with a surprise appearance on The Today Show where, pointing to the U.S. Open trophy in Bockerstette's hands, he told her "We won this together."[24]
Woodland finished runner-up at the Houston Open in March 2025, one stroke behind Min Woo Lee. This was Woodland's first top-5 finish since his brain surgery in 2023.[26][27]
In March 2026, Woodland shot a tournament-record, 21-under 259 at the Houston Open to win the event by five strokes over Nicolai Højgaard. It was Woodland's first professional victory since the 2019 U.S. Open and his fifth PGA Tour victory. The win earned him a spot in the field for the Masters Tournament.[28]
Personal life
Woodland married Gabby Granado in 2016.[29] They had their first child, a son named Jaxson, in 2017. Jaxson was born ten weeks premature; he was originally a twin, but his sibling died in utero.[30][31] The couple had identical twin daughters in 2019.[32]
In August 2023, Woodland announced that he had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. He had experienced symptoms since April 2023, such as loss of appetite, regular feelings of fear, and partial seizures. An MRI in May discovered the tumor. Woodland was prescribed anti-seizure medication and continued to play on tour, making six cuts in his seven starts following the MRI. The medication had side effects including memory loss so the decision was made to undergo brain surgery,[33][34] which took place on September 18, 2023.[35] He wrote letters to his wife and children in case he did not survive the operation, but it was successful and he returned to play on the PGA Tour four months later.[36]
In February 2025, Woodland was awarded the PGA Tour Courage Award in recognition of his recovery from surgery.[37] The surgery did not fully remove Woodland's brain tumor and the residual tumor sits near his amygdala, which controls emotions, in particular fear and anxiety.[38] In March 2026, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder due to episodes of anxiety and hypervigilance since the surgery.[39][40][41]
† indicates the event was won in a playoff; ‡ indicates the event was won wire-to-wire; # indicates the event was won by an amateur; 1942–1945 cancelled due to World War II
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