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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1693410781864.jpeg" alt="Gary Woodland/@GaryWoodland on X" />
 <figcaption>Gary Woodland/@GaryWoodland on X</figcaption>
 </figure><div>Kansas Athletics
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LAWRENCE, Kan.&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Kansas alum and 2019 U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland was named the seventh recipient of the PGA TOUR Courage Award, the organization announced Wednesday. In May 2023, there was a discovery on Woodland's brain of a lesion impacting the region that controls fear and anxiety. He underwent surgery in September 2023 and recovered at home in Delray Beach, Florida, with his wife, Gabby and their three children. Woodland returned to competition at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January 2024 and went on to secure three top-25 finishes in 26 starts that season, including a T9 at the Shriners Children's Open&mdash;his first top-10 since the diagnosis. "Jayhawk nation has been amazing from the start. KU's been a big part of my life forever but when I needed them the most, they were there for me and I'm forever grateful," Woodland said in a Kansas Athletics interview last year. Woodland, a Topeka native, turned professional in 2007 after graduating from KU. He joined the PGA TOUR in 2009 and has won four times, his most notable victory coming at the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. That same year, he was a member of the U.S. team at the Presidents Cup. One of the most decorated golfers in Kansas history, Woodland was a two-time All-Big 12 selection and won four collegiate tournaments while competing in Lawrence. "I do not know if they could have picked a more deserving person than Gary," said Kansas men's golf head coach&nbsp;<dfn><a href="https://kuathletics.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/coaches/jamie-bermel/182" rel="smarttag" rev="182" data-airgap-id="71">Jamie Bermel</a></dfn>. "He handled a very difficult situation with great ease. He was able to share his journey with the guys on our team and I know they were very impressed with his toughness, grit and dedication to get back to playing on Tour. We are so happy he is back on the mend and competing again at the highest level." Woodland is the seventh recipient of the PGA TOUR Courage Award, created in 2012. He joins past honorees Erik Compton (2013), Jarrod Lyle (2015), Gene Sauers (2017), Morgan Hoffmann (2020), D.J. Gregory (2022) and Chris Kirk (2023).</div>

⛳ Gary Woodland named 7th recipient of PGA TOUR Courage Award