Gary Woodland captured the 2026 Texas Children’s Houston Open on Sunday at Memorial Park, finishing at a tournament-record 21-under par for his first PGA Tour victory since the 2019 U.S. Open. The 41-year-old overcame a one-shot lead entering the final round to win by five strokes over Nicolai Højgaard. Woodland's win came amid his ongoing recovery from brain surgery and a recent PTSD diagnosis.
Woodland began the final round with a one-shot advantage over Højgaard and six shots ahead of Min Woo Lee, their playing partner and last year's champion. Højgaard bogeyed the first and later made a double bogey on the par-3 seventh, while Woodland played a bogey-free 31 on the front nine to build a six-shot lead. He closed with a 67, avoiding three-putts all week on the large greens and sealing par on the 18th amid chants of 'Gary! Gary!' from the crowd. His playing partners applauded as he walked the final fairway. Woodland raised his arms skyward before embracing his wife, Gabby, in tears. 'I tell you what, we play an individual sport out here, but I wasn’t alone today,' Woodland said. Two and a half years after brain surgery to remove a lesion, and just two weeks after disclosing his PTSD to Golf Channel, Woodland delivered an emotional message. 'Anybody that is struggling with something, I hope they see me and don’t give up,' he said, voice choking. 'I’m going to keep fighting. I’ve got a big fight ahead of me.' A rekindled partnership with swing coach Randy Smith, at his wife’s urging, fueled his resurgence; Woodland led the Tour in driving distance entering the week. 'Randy’s got me in a spot now, my game’s better than it’s ever been,' he said. Woodland earned $1.782 million from the $9.9 million purse, with Højgaard taking $1.079 million for second.
