Augusta (United States) (AFP) – Gary Woodland will have special security this week at the Masters as he battles anxiety and stress following 2023 brain surgery. Woodland had not won since the 2019 US Open until two weeks ago at the Houston Open, taking the title just two weeks after going public with his mental health struggles. The 41-year-old American underwent surgery to remove part of a brain tumor and has since battled post-traumatic stress disorder that made him want to run off golf courses at times.
Just as with his PGA Tour events, Woodland will have extra security measures this week at Augusta National, qualifying after his Texas triumph. “I’ve met with Augusta. I’ve met with their security team,” Woodland said Tuesday. “Just like on tour, I’ll have security with me. The main deal is they were showing me where security is. The whole deal for me is it’s visual, right? If I can see somebody, then I can remind myself that I’m safe constantly.”
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“So I have a good idea now where security is on every hole. The big deal for me, my caddie knows too, so he can constantly remind me.” Woodland never knows what might cause an episode, so even with 12 prior Masters starts, it’s a new challenge. “I don’t have control when this thing hits me, and it’s tough,” Woodland said. “It can be a fan. It can be a walking scorer. It can be a camera guy running by me, just any startlement from behind me can trigger this pretty quickly. Knowing where the security is is a constant reminder that I’m safe.”
Woodland said speaking publicly about his issues has brought him greater strength to deal with them. “Speaking about it and how I feel afterwards made me a lot stronger,” he said. “I didn’t know that releasing this battle was going to make me stronger, and it has done that. I feel a lot stronger now than I did three weeks ago, I can tell you that. No matter how hard it is out here, I know I have someone I can talk to, that I can have security.”
Even his victory at Houston did not come without having to fight down his feelings. “I had a big battle Friday of Houston. I got hypervigilant on the ninth hole and I battled the last 10 holes thinking people were trying to kill me,” Woodland said. “I talked to tour security that night and I told them what I was going through, and every time I looked up on the weekend, my security team was behind me. Last year I didn’t talk to tour security. I fought this on my own. It was awful. Turning around and knowing that I’m safe, having somebody there with me, it’s the only reason why I won two weeks ago.”
Woodland has received messages from several people who have had their own struggles to overcome and been inspired by his story. “It just shows that everybody is going through something,” he said.
© 2024 AFP
