I’m a former US Open champion but a hidden brain injury left me fearing death 24/7… now I’m back on tour to inspire kids
GARY WOODLAND is returning to the PGA Tour in the hopes of inspiring his kids after suffering with a brain tumour.
The 2019 US Open champion was diagnosed in May last year before undergoing surgery in September.
He has revealed the hidden brain injury left him fearing death as he prepares to make his return this week.
Woodland, 39, explained: “It was very emotional because I had gone four-and-a-half months of every day really thinking I was going to die.
“The doctors kept telling me I was OK, but this thing pushing on my brain… It didn’t matter if I was driving a car, on an aeroplane, I thought everything was going to kill me.
“You can imagine leading up to surgery how I felt going into having my head cut open and operated on. The fear going into that was awful.”
The former world number 12 will tee off at the Sony Open in Hawaii on Thursday as he returns for the first time since August.
He had continued to play on the PGA Tour after first experiencing symptoms shortly after last year’s Masters.
Woodland was later told by a specialist, though, that he had been suffering partial seizures.
That was followed by his hiatus from golf and surgery to remove a majority of the tumour.
As for his return in Hawaii, he added: “I just want to prove you can do hard things.
“I want to prove to my kids nobody is going to tell you you can’t do anything. You can overcome tough, scary decisions in your life. Not everything is easy.
“This came out of nowhere for me, but I’m not going to let it stop me.”