Gary Woodland Ready For RBC Heritage Start After Aon Swing 5 Surge

Forbes

17-04-2025

HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 30: Gary Woodland of the United States hits from the rough on the 13th hole ... More during the final round of the Texas Children's Houston Open 2025 at Memorial Park Golf Course on March 30, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by)
Gary Woodland earned his way into the field at the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head's Harbour Town—a Signature Event with a $20,000,000 purse—thanks to one of the most electric Sundays of his career that capped a remarkable return to top form.
Woodland's odds of qualifying for the RBC Heritage heading into the Texas Children's Houston Open, according to Aon's predictive analytics, were just 1.8 percent. Even after a strong opening three rounds in Houston, he entered that Sunday with only a 7.1 percent chance of playing his way in.
'That actually surprises me. I did not realize they were that low.' Woodland said, when told the numbers. 'I guess that goes back to that saying, 'You're telling me I have a chance.''
In the highlight of his bravura performance, the 40-year-old found himself in the rough on the 18th at Memorial Park in Houston after pushing his tee shot right. From 199 yards out, with a stand of trees partially obscuring his view of the flag, he was caught between clubs—vacillating between a six or seven iron. Feeding off the crowd's energy, he chose to be aggressive with the lower bat.
'It was a shot that I knew if I hit it hard, it would be the right club,' Woodland said. 'I swung as hard as I could and it came off perfectly.' The ball stopped two feet from the pin and the resulting kick-in distance birdie capped a course-record-tying 62, briefly giving him the clubhouse lead at 19-under. Though Min Woo Lee ultimately clinched the win, Woodland's rousing T2 performance vaulted him 60 spots in the Aon Swing 5 standings—punching his ticket to South Carolina's tartan jacket chase.
It was a cinematic sports moment that felt scripted—especially for fans who'd just seen Woodland's journey chronicled in the most poignant episode of the current season of Full Swing. The 2019 U.S. Open champion and this year's recipient of the PGA Tour's Courage Award underwent a craniotomy in September of 2023, to remove a lesion pressing on the part of his brain that controls fear and anxiety.
He returned to competition just four months later. But with a portion of the tumor still resting on his amygdala—and daily medication to manage its effects—Woodland spent the 2024 season navigating a new normal — one that proved to be the most challenging of his career. He played in 26 events last year, missed 11 cuts and had only one top 10 showing—finishing 9th at the Shriner's Children's Open in the Fall.
This season, Woodland has steadily regained his confidence—opening the year with three top-25 finishes before taking things to the next level with his rousing runner-up performance at the Texas Children's Houston Open.
The 'confidence' piece of the puzzle was what lagged the longest during his comeback—both finding it and believing that it would stick around.
'I was putting a couple days after surgery and I was able to swing after four or five,' Woodland said. 'But trusting that one, I'm ok; two, that I'm going to be able to get through the day—and that I'm back, more than anything [that took time]
.'
The turn of events in Houston certainly made him a big fan of the Aon Swing 5, the mechanism that proved pivotal in that resurgence, offering a clear pathway back into the PGA Tour's highest-profile events.
'I think it's amazing,' Woodland said. 'These elevated events are a massive deal for what we're doing out here—for qualification, for everything. If you have a rough year or you're coming back from something like I'm coming off, having an opportunity each week to play your way in is a massive deal. It was brilliant on the Tour's part to come up with the Aon Swing 5 and give everyone in the field the same opportunity.'
Now, with momentum on his side, Woodland hopes his return to contention can be a springboard to dream even bigger.
'I want to be the best. I have that opportunity to come out here and play—to never give up and be a role model for my children. Hard times are going to happen in your life. Nobody is protected from hard times. But that doesn't mean you can't fight through them. You can believe in yourself and that is something that I'm trying to do every day—to show my kids the sky is the limit. You can dream anything you want, give it everything you have, work your tail off and good things will happen.'
Woodland is tremendously proud to have earned his way into Harbour Town—not simply being granted a spot—has added heft to the achievement.
'I've been blessed with some exemptions into a couple of these signature events' he said, 'but to really feel like you showed up and played your way in—that builds momentum. You have to play well to do that, and that gives you confidence. So, to ride that into a great golf course this week, I'm very excited.'
Woodland is paired with Daniel Berger for today's opening round of the RBC Heritage. They tee off at 11 a.m. ET.