The PGA Tour presented its 2025 Courage Award to 2019 US Open winner Gary Woodland, who was visibly emotional as he accepted it. Woodland was honored for his resilience in recovering from brain surgery and returning to tour competition in just four months.
The 4-time PGA Tour winner could barely hold back tears as he accepted the award from Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, ahead of this week’s Cognizant Classic. Woodland dedicated the award to his family, his team and his peers, as well as to all those who may be suffering from a condition similar to his own. To them, he sent a message of hope based on his own example.
“Receiving this is a testament to the people around me,” Woodland told the media, “because there’s no way, one, I’d be back playing or no way I’d be sitting here today if it wasn’t for them. It means everything for me to receive it, but it really belongs to the people around me.”
“It pains me to think that somebody is out there going through something and doesn’t have that much support, and hopefully they can see me or see my story and realize that I battle it every day, too. They can see me and say, if that guy can do it, I can do it. I’m very blessed to have my family and my team and the golf world behind me, and this award is for all of them,” he added, fighting back his tears.
Jay Monahan, for his part, highlighted Woodland’s ability to overcome the difficult circumstances he faced and return to the Tour, inspiring everyone in the organization.
“Gary Woodland is a constant inspiration to us all,” Monahan said. “He’s an inspiration to his family. He’s an inspiration to his friends. He’s an inspiration to his peers. In that regard, I’d say it’s hard to find a player on the PGA Tour that’s more admired and more respected, and he’s an inspiration to organizations and individuals and families impacted through organizations like Folds of Honor.”
Woodland underwent brain surgery in late 2023 to remove a lesion that had been causing him symptoms since the beginning of the year. The surgery was a success, and the 40-year-old made such a remarkable recovery that he returned to the PGA Tour just four months later for the 2024 Sony Open in Hawaii.
“Seeing my kids…I couldn’t give up.”Courage Award winner Gary Woodland’s inspiring journey through battling his brain lesion while competing on TOUR will leave a special place in your heart. pic.twitter.com/qbVyNn2JHD
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 26, 2025
His results in 2024 steadily improved as the season progressed. In the first half (13 events), he missed seven cuts with a top-25 finish, while in the second half (13 events), he missed only four cuts with a top-10 and two top-25 finishes.
Woodland has played four tournaments so far in the 2025 season, with three missed cuts. He has finished in the top 25 on three occasions and his best finish has been a tie for 16th at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Established by the PGA Tour in 2012, the Courage Award is not given annually but is reserved to recognize individuals facing extraordinary circumstances. Woodland is the seventh recipient and joins fellow professional players Erik Compton, Gene Sauers, Morgan Hoffmann, Chris Kirk and the late Jarrod Lyle, as well as activist D.J. Gregory, who advocates for people with cerebral palsy.
The award came with a $25,000 donation from the PGA Tour, which Woodland chose to donate to Champion Charities.
More Golf: Jordan Spieth shares real reason he is teeing it up at Cognizant Classic
The post Gary Woodland Fights Back Tears Amid Learning He Won PGA Tour Courage Award appeared first on Newsweek.
