Gary Woodland has had a rough go in recent years. He went through an open brain surgery and had to spend a year in recovery. Putting in other factors, it had been seven years since he last won a tournament. He has received a lot of support from the Tour, especially after it recognized him with the Courage Award. This week, after winning the Houston Open, Woodland has decided to withdraw from the Valero Open in order to make preparations.
Gary Woodland’s Withdraw
The Valero Texas Open may be happening this week, but Woodland will not be there. This comes as a surprise considering that Woodland just achieved his first victory since his return after surgery. However, he does have some good reasoning. The Masters Tournament is just around the corner, and he wants to prepare for that. Woodland managed to earn himself a spot in the Masters through his Houston Open victory. As per usual, the event organizers had a backup ready to take Woodland’s place. This time, Jackson Suber will be filling in for the Houston Open champion.
Not The Only Withdraw
Gary Woodland is far from the only player who withdrew from the Valero Open. He’s not even the only one taking a break in preparation for the Masters. For the Valero, there were three other withdrawals at the time of writing. Pierceson Coody, Nicolai Hojgaard, and Matti Schmid have all taken a step back for the event. Like with Woodland, their spots have been filled by Taylor Moore, Joel Dahmen, and Sam Ryder, respectively.
When it comes to preparations for the Masters, Rory McIlroy cleared his schedule after throwing out his back during the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Now he’s getting ready to host the majors dinner and defend his title. Tiger Woods has only made one tournament appearance this year and is looking to join the Masters. Still nothing confirmed, and his recent accident will likely put a damper on things. Even Scottie Scheffler took a step back. Granted, he did it for his family, but like with Woodland, he will also get time to make his own preparations. Despite some big names missing from the Valero, the event does have some notable ones. Brian Harman is the defending champion this week and is facing competition from other previous champions, including JJ Spaun, Collin Morikawa, and Jordan Spieth. Despite being overshadowed by a major, the show must go on.
Woodland At The Masters
Gary Woodland went through a lot of hardship as a result of his surgery. It’s never easy to go through a serious surgery. He even admitted that the ordeal had given him PTSD. However, with his recent victory, things are looking up for him. Woodland even has a lot of support from the Tour. Now he is looking forward to the Masters and is looking to bring that same energy that gave him the win. Even if he doesn’t win, it won’t be anything short of a good show to watch him play.
Main Photo Credit: © Erik Williams-Imagn Images
