Gary Woodland appears to be making remarkable progress after undergoing brain surgery earlier this fall.
Woodland shared a video of him swinging a club on a driving range on social media Monday, just about two months after undergoing surgery to remove a brain lesion.
This journey has been very hard but I am very grateful for the progress and for the unconditional love and support from everyone. You all have made this process a little easier for me and my family. Thank you to everyone and I look forward to seeing you next year. pic.twitter.com/ON16PuDUck
— Gary Woodland (@GaryWoodland) November 13, 2023
Woodland revealed earlier this fall that he had been diagnosed with a brain lesion. He had been trying to treat the symptoms with medication, but his doctors then opted for surgery. Lesions are spots on the brain that can hurt or damage tissue, and can cause serious problems, depending on where they are located. For example, according to the Cleveland Clinic, lesions on the parietal lobe can lead to numbness, the inability to write or do math, left-right confusion, and more.
It is unclear where Woodland’s brain injury was or how severe it was.
Woodland’s surgery in September was successful, and “most of the tumor” was removed.
Woodland has won four times in his career on Tour, including the US Open in 2019. He played in 24 tournaments last season on Tour, including the four major competitions. He finished T14 at the Masters, but failed to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs.
While it is still unclear when Woodland will try to play again on the PGA Tour, Monday’s video is very encouraging. His goal appears to be to compete again next season, which marks a return to a full calendar year schedule for the PGA Tour. Whether that happens with the season opener in January or later down the road, however, remains to be seen.
