HONOLULU – Gary Woodland was never afraid of anything but failure. He was jolted to wake up by the fear of death.
He said, “I spent four and a quarter months thinking that I would die every day.” “Everyday it was a different way to die, a new method of death.” “The jolting I felt in the middle night scared me to death.”
The majority of the brain tumor was removed by a craniotomy on September 18,. This involved cutting his skull open from his ear to the base of his head.
“Then, put it back using plates and screws.” “I’ve got robotic head,” joked Woodland who needed 30 staples to his head.
Woodland will make his competitive golf return this week in Hawaii, at Waialae Country Club. It was something he didn’t think would be possible even just a few weeks ago.
He said: “I’ve had people tell me that this is a bit optimistic, but my family and myself came to Hawaii earlier last week.” “I stepped up my training, increased the practice and my body responded beautifully.” “Kept getting better and more.”
Woodland, 39, is a four-time winner on the PGA Tour. His biggest win came at the 2019 U.S. Open, at Pebble Beach Golf Links. He began to experience some worrying symptoms in late April at the Vidanta Mexican Open, just a few days after the Masters: shaking, tremors of his hands, lack of appetite, chills and no energy. He was so anxious that on May 24, he asked his doctor for help.
You think you’re able to overcome anything. “I couldn’t defeat this,” he replied. “I thought, ‘Man I need something that will calm me down. ‘”
Woodland’s doctor told him he could not prescribe medication until Woodland had an MRI. Woodland had an MRI the next night, and it showed a brain lesion. This led to further testing and an appointment with a doctor.
Woodland explained that the lesion was located in the part of his brain which controls anxiety and fear. “He said, you are not going insane.” “Everything you’re feeling is normal and common for where this thing sits in your brain.”
Woodland was prescribed an anxiety seizure medication that he would take twice daily, but initially his fear of death only got worse.
It was either Wednesday night (May 31) of Thursday morning (June 1,) and I was lying in bed at one (a.m.), grabbing the mattress to convince myself that I wasn’t going to die, or fall from heights.
Gary Woodland plays his shot at the fourth tee of the 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship held at The Country Club of Jackson. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images).
As the seizures continued, the dose was increased. The seizures stopped as his brain slowed and increased the dosage.
He said, “The medications I was taking were effective for my seizures but horrible for me personally.” “I had horrible side effects.”
One of these side effects was short term memory loss. “I would forget what club I was hitting when I was standing over it. When I was lining up my putts, I’d think that it was taking too much time. “I’m going to just hit it,” said he. “Didn’t have the focus and the energy.”
Woodland continued to play because his physical game felt good and competing gave him a brief respite from his fear and anxiety. But after he missed the FedEx Cup Playoffs his caddie took him aside and told him, “You can’t play this way.” You need to get some help. “You’ve got to fix it.”
The biopsy revealed that the benign tumor was located against the optic tract of the brain. It was therefore too dangerous to remove the entire thing.
Woodland stated that they removed “as much as they possibly could” and noted the possibility of losing his sight or even the control of the left-side of his body. “And believe they cut off blood circulation to whatever was left,” he said.
Woodland spent two nights in the ICU. Woodland refused to use the wheelchair that was brought into the ICU when he left the hospital. He recalled saying, “I’m sorry. I walked into this place, and I’m leaving.” “I got up and walked to my car, then home. It was incredible seeing my three kids. They didn’t visit me while I was hospitalized. “We didn’t want them to come to see me in that way.”
Woodland began planning his comeback immediately. He began putting in his dining room two days after the surgery. Full Swing Simulators had installed PuttView – its indoor putting garden – into his home. He was cleared four weeks after surgery to start hitting golf balls, but waited another week. Woodland was so bad on his first nine-holes that he called his teacher Butch Harmon and asked to come visit him in Las Vegas. The rust began to disappear within 30 minutes.
Harmon said that he was told by the man, “G-Dub you are exactly where you should be.”
The journey has been difficult, but I am grateful for everyone’s love and support. This process has been made a lot easier for my family and me by you all. I want to thank everyone for their help and look forward to seeing you next year. pic.twitter.com/ON16PuDUck
Gary Woodland (@GaryWoodland). 13 November 2023
Woodland has been touched by the support and love he received from people who he does not even know, as well as his golfing family.
Woodland stated, “I am aware that there is much good in the world.” “Even though I was back in this week to see the guys, I haven’t met many guys. “It’s been amazing how good it has been.”
The question is: Is he prepared for seven days of mental stress and focus? Woodland stated that it was standard protocol for him to take medication for six months. He also received a positive report from an MRI a few weeks ago. He is ready to show that he’s one of the top players in the game again.
“I want my children to know that nobody will tell them they can’t achieve anything. You can make tough and scary choices in your life. It’s not always easy. “This came out of the blue for me. But I won’t let it stop my progress,” he said. “I do not want this to be just a bump on the road. I want this to be the start of my career.
