Gary Woodland Takes Plenty of Positives From Return After Brain Surgery

The 2019 U.S. Open champion missed the cut at the Sony Open but said the week was about more than the score.

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It is almost hard to fathom how Gary Woodland managed to play even decent golf last year as he dealt with the emotional fallout of physical issues associated with a lesion on his brain that led to surgery in September.

Woodland, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, described the ordeal in detail last week in a pre-tournament news conference prior to the Sony Open, where he was making his first tournament start since the Wyndham Championship in August. Woodland detailed his fears of dying and the toll it took on him and his family

But he made the decision recently to return to competitive golf and although he didn’t make the cut at the Sony, he took plenty of positives from the experience.

Gary Woodland let some emotion out while walking off the 18th hole during the second round at the Sony Open :: Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports

"Best focus I've had in a year," said Woodland, who shot scores of 71-71. “Best energy I've in had in a year on a golf course. Obviously you never want to miss the cut, never want to be out of contention, but it was bigger for me this week than golf.

"Golf game was rusty. Saw a lot of good things, but I was rusty scoring-wise. The goal coming into this week was to see where I was mentally. It was beautiful. Really was. It was the best week that I've had on a golf course in a long, long time. Focus was there all week. Attitude was great. Energy was great. A lot to build on."

Woodland got emotional in his post-round remarks on Friday.

"There was a time where I didn't know if this was going to be possible," he said. "It was a good week for me from a mental standpoint. I needed to be mentally sharp to get where I want to be in the world. It's coming back."

Woodland plans to return next week at the Farmers Insurance Open.