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
