Wyndham Clark Leads U.S. Open Winners After 36 Holes at BMW Championship ST. LOUIS — Gary Woodland, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, remains focused on the BMW Championship despite the uncertainty of his future participation in the Tour Championship at East Lake. Entering the weekend, Woodland, who ranked 31st in FedExCup points, acknowledged the pressure of the final 36 holes at Bellerive. After a bogey-free 65 on Friday, he emphasized the importance of maintaining his concentration. “My focus right now is one day at a time. I don’t have that luxury to look ahead,” he said, noting his projected finish could drop to 17th depending on the outcome of the remaining rounds. Woodland is not the only U.S. Open winner contending for the lead. Wyndham Clark, a two-time U.S. Open champion, holds a one-shot advantage over Woodland after two rounds. Clark, who also carded a bogey-free 65 on Friday, described his performance as a breakthrough, marking the first time in his 210 career tournaments he had gone bogey-free in back-to-back rounds. However, he admitted his short game and putting still require refinement. “Feel like my putter still hasn’t gotten hot yet so it’ll be nice if it does over the weekend,” Clark told Golf Channel’s Kira K. Dixon. The leaderboard features four U.S. Open winners: Clark, Woodland, Rory McIlroy, Chris Gotterup, and J.J. Spaun. Spaun, the 2025 U.S. Open champion, briefly held the clubhouse lead at 10 after Thursday’s opening round but finished two strokes behind in solo third. Gotterup (67) and Sungjae Im (64) are tied for third at 9 under par, while McIlroy, who shot a 69, trails by five strokes. All five players are vying for the top spot, with Clark positioned as a strong contender for player of the year after his recent victories at Shinnecock and the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.#rory_mcilroy #wyndham_clark #us_open #gary_woodland #bmw_championship
Texas Children’s Houston Open 2026 Prize Money: Gary Woodland’s $1.8 Million Win Gary Woodland claimed victory at the Texas Children’s Houston Open in 2026, defeating Nicolai Højgaard and Min Woo Lee in the final round. The 41-year-old golfer, who previously won the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, secured his first PGA Tour title since that event. The tournament, held at Memorial Park Golf Course, featured a total prize purse of $9.9 million, with Woodland earning $1,782,000 for his win. Højgaard finished in solo second, earning $1,079,100, while Johnny Keefer and Min Woo Lee, the 2025 Houston Open champion, tied for third place, each receiving $584,100. The prize money distribution for the tournament was structured as follows: Sam Stevens placed fifth with $405,900, while Jake Knapp, Chris Gotterup, Sudarshan Yellamaraju, and Jason Day tied for sixth, earning $322,987 each. Bronson Burgoon and Sahith Theegala shared $259,875 for finishing tied for 10th. Adrien Dumont de Chassart and Denny McCarthy received $220,275 for tying for 12th, while Keith Mitchell, Thorbjorn Olesen, Pontus Nyholm, Jhonattan Vegas, and Michael Thorbjornsen each earned $170,775 for their 14th-place finishes. Players who finished in the 19th position, including Max McGreevy and Karl Vilips, received $136,125. The payouts continued to decrease for lower positions, with Sam Burns, Harris English, Aldrich Potgieter, Alex Smalley, Beau Hossler, Zecheng Dou, and Adam Scott each earning $96,525 for tying for 21st. Mac Meissner, Ben Griffin, Harry Hall, Rasmus Hojgaard, Shane Lowry, Vince Whaley, Michael Brennan, Rico Hoey, Chad Ramey, Stephan Jaeger, and Jackson Suber all received $59,625 for finishing tied for 28th.#nicolai_hojgaard #texas_childrens_houston_open #min_woo_lee #memorial_park_golf_course #gary_woodland
Gary Woodland’s Equipment Adjustment and Titleist GTS Driver Launch at Houston Open Gary Woodland, the 41-year-old PGA Tour player, made a notable equipment change during the 2026 Texas Children’s Houston Open. After struggling with his iron play earlier in the season, Woodland decided to switch back to KBS C-Taper 130 X iron shafts, abandoning the True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100s he had used previously. The decision came after a conversation with Cobra Director of Tour Operations Ben Schomin, who noted that Woodland’s increased club head speed—currently the highest on the tour at 127.68 mph—was causing issues with the X100s. The stiffer shafts were leading to a lag in clubhead speed at impact, resulting in deeper divots and less optimal turf interaction. Woodland explained that the switch to the older C-Taper shafts helped “tighten everything up” and improved his shot consistency. “My misses were better today,” he said after his second round, adding that the shafts felt “comfortable” and allowed him to regain control over his game. The change also addressed a drop in his speed, which had been a concern in recent years. By returning to a shaft he had used since 2015, Woodland was able to restore his rhythm and confidence, finishing the first round one stroke behind the leader at Memorial Park. Meanwhile, the Houston Open also served as a testing ground for Titleist’s new GTS driver lineup. The brand unveiled three drivers—GTS 2, 3, and 4—as well as fairway woods, offering players pre-built setups and customization options. The GTS series features updated weight distributions, with the GTS 2 adding front weight, the GTS 3 introducing rear weight, and the GTS 4 allowing heel-toe adjustable front weight.#gary_woodland #houston_open #cobra #ben_schomin #titleist
Gary Woodland Builds 3-Shot Lead at Houston Open HOUSTON — Gary Woodland expressed relief after openly discussing his mental health struggles, and the confidence showed in his performance Friday at the Houston Open helped him build a three-shot lead heading into the weekend at Memorial Park. The 2019 U.S. Open champion carded a 7-under 63, finishing at 13-under 127, three strokes ahead of Nicolai Hojgaard and Jackson Suber. Woodland’s strong round included three consecutive birdies toward the end of the day, allowing him to create distance from the field. Woodland acknowledged his resilience after a challenging moment on the 13th hole, where a wayward tee shot landed in the water left of the fairway. The error led to a penalty drop and a 4-foot putt to save bogey. Despite the setback, he credited his mental focus for moving past the mistake. “I was proud of myself because what my coach calls an ‘oops,’ I had a bad swing there on 13, and I’ve hit it so well the last couple days, I didn’t let that bother me,” he said. “I told myself to forget about it and move on, and I was able to do that. That was a big change for me to let that go and keep doing what I’ve been doing the last couple days.” The 38-year-old’s performance reflected a well-rounded game, with control over his swing and confidence on the greens. He attributed his improved play to adjustments made after realizing his alignment was off, which led him to switch putters. Woodland also highlighted the support he’s received since publicly discussing his post-traumatic stress disorder, a decision made after undergoing brain surgery in September 2023 to remove a lesion linked to moments of unfounded fear. “I felt ‘1,000 pounds lighter’ after that Golf Channel interview,” he said.#nicolai_hojgaard #memorial_park #gary_woodland #houston_open #jackson_suber
