Gary Woodland secured an emotional and heartwarming victory at the Texas Children's Houston Open, where the 2019 US Open champion won his first PGA Tour title in almost seven years.

The 41-year-old, who underwent brain surgery in 2024 and recently revealed a PTSD diagnosis, strolled to victory by five strokes after a stunning display saw him finish at 21-under-par at Memorial Park.

His big win has qualified him for next week's Masters, which he will tee it up in for the first time since 2024 after missing last year's tournament. The four-time PGA Tour winner has made 12 Masters appearances with a best finish of T14 in 2023.

And because of what was likely a tiring week and with his spot in the year's first Major now wrapped up, Woodland has withdrawn from this week's Valero Texas Open in order to get some rest and prepare for Augusta.

The state open that was first played in 1922 is the last chance for players to qualify for The Masters, with only this week's champion earning the right to drive down Magnolia Lane, if they aren't already eligible.

Notables competing for a last-gasp Masters start this week include Rickie Fowler, Tony Finau and Billy Horschel.

Woodland, who was replaced in the field by Jackson Suber, is the latest pro to WD in San Antonio after Pierceson Coody, Nicolai Hojgaard - who also qualified for The Masters last week - and Matti Schmid all pulled out on Monday.

Daniel Berger also withdrew from the field on Tuesday. The American qualified for The Masters last week via his position inside the world's top 50, so it looks like he's another player in the field for Augusta set to get some rest before heading there this weekend.

Ryan Gerard, Isaiah Salinda and Aaron Wise also withdrew over the weekend.

Brian Harman is the defending champion this week.

Gary Woodland's emotional Houston Open victory was both memorable and inspiring, and it was an interesting one from a gear perspective, too.

Woodland's winning bag in Houston featured clubs from his sponsors Cobra as well as Ping, Wilson, Cleveland and Scotty Cameron.

It is the driver that we found particularly interesting, as his Cobra OPTM Max-K ended a 1,000+ day drought on the PGA Tour winning podium.

Cobra consistently makes some of the best golf drivers year-in, year-out, yet a player had not used one to win on the PGA Tour since June 2023 when Rickie Fowler won his sixth title at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Fowler, who came close to winning US Open at Los Angeles Country Club two weeks earlier, had Cobra's Aerojet LS driver in the bag.

Then 1,004 days later Woodland strolled home at Memorial Park by five strokes with his forgiving OPTM Max-K - a model that boasts over 10,000 MOI and is just as useful for an elite player as it is for a mid-handicapper.

Our tester Joe Ferguson found it to be "remarkably stable with an exceptionally tight dispersion" and coined it as a "fairway-finding machine."

Woodland's model comes in a loft of 9 degrees and is cranked down to 7.8 degrees, and he has it fitted with lead tape on the toe area of the sole to perhaps reduce some spin and also promote more of a fade ball flight.

The 41-year-old has had it in the bag all year after upgrading from the DS-Adapt Max-K version from 2025.

He has been using it to good effect so far this season, ranking 5th in Strokes Gained: Off the tee with an average of 0.678 and a driving distance of 324.6 yards, which is second on Tour.

He also tops the clubhead speed charts with a huge 128.19mph.

While Cobra's drivers are among the best on the market, its lack of PGA Tour wins in recent years has been somewhat surprising. It also did not have a win on the DP World Tour or LPGA Tour last year, either.

A key reason for this is due to its two star names both being on long droughts, with Max Homa not tasting victory since joining the brand at the start of 2025 and Rickie Fowler still winless since June 2023 in Detroit.

Cobra has had more recent driver wins than Fowler, though, notably when Angel Hidalgo took down Jon Rahm in a playoff to win the 2024 Spanish Open with a Darkspeed LS driver.

Gary Woodland won his first title since the 2019 US Open with an emotional victory at the 2026 Texas Children's Houston Open.

The heartwarming win comes after surgery to remove a lesion on his brain and the honest admission of PTSD following the operation and recovery.

Woodland was back to his best in Houston to win by a comfortable five-stroke margin, and he did so with a number of different manufacturers in a very mixed bag.

The Cobra staffer had the Cobra OPTM Max-K driver in play, which is the brand's forgiving model with 10,000 MOI.

He has driven it incredibly well on tour this year and currently ranks 2nd in driving distance with 324.6 yards.

Woodland paired that with a Ping G440 Max fairway wood in 15 degrees of loft with a Accra Tour Z Xtreme shaft.

He bridges the gap to his irons with a Wilson Staff Model 18° utility, which is fitted with a KBS Tour C-Taper 130 X - a shaft he also uses in his irons.

The 41-year-old is a former Wilson staffer and won the US Open with Wilson irons in 2019 at Pebble Beach.

He has a combo set of irons, with Cobra King Tours in his 4- and 5-irons, with Cobra King MB blades from 6-9.

He gained over 5.5 strokes on the field with his irons during his Houston Open win to rank 7th.

Woodland has three Cobra wedges along with a Cleveland RTZ Tour Rack lob wedge.

He putts with a prototype Scotty Cameron GoLo Tour with a center-shaft, which has been a new addition to the bag.

He ranked 1st in Strokes Gained: Putting for the week in Houston with 8.325.

His ball is the Titleist Pro V1.

Gary Woodland WITB: Houston Open winning clubs

Gary Woodland claimed an emotional and inspirational victory at the Texas Children's Houston Open, beating Nicolai Hojgaard by five just weeks after revealing a PTSD diagnosis.

The 41-year-old, who had surgery to remove a benign brain tumor in 2023, opened up on his struggles with PTSD earlier in the month, but he put his difficulties behind him with a superb victory at Memorial Park Golf Course to seal his first win since the 2019 US Open.

Woodland began the day with a one-shot lead over Hojgaard, with defending champion Min Woo Lee in the final group too, albeit six back of the leader.

Hojgaard, in pursuit of his maiden PGA Tour win, suffered a setback immediately with a bogey at the first while Woodland made par.

Woodland's lead increased to three with his first birdie of the day at the fifth, although Hojgaard pegged him back at the sixth with a birdie of his own.

That would have given the Dane hope, but it was all but extinguished on the next hole, where Woodland made another birdie only for Hojgaard to make a costly double bogey, and suddenly the lead was five.

The pair both birdied the eighth, before Woodland increased his lead to six at the ninth with his third consecutive birdie of the day as Hojgaard settled for par.

A commanding lead became a virtually unassailable seven at the 10th courtesy of another bogey from Hojgaard, and from that moment, it just appeared a matter of how many Woodland, who finished runner-up a year ago, would win by.

There was a glimmer of hope for the challenger at the 14th, when Hojgaard made another birdie before Woodland bogeyed for the first time in 21 holes, but, with the deficit still five, the leader remained firmly in control.

Things could have got decidedly closer had Hojgaard made an eagle putt at the par-5 16th. He set it up with a booming 395-yard drive, but when the chance to close the gap to three narrowly missed, he settled for a birdie to move to four back of Woodland.

It stayed that way until the 18th, by which point Woodland's win was a mere formality. After taking the applause of fans, Hojgaard and Lee as he strode down the fairway, Woodland set up a short putt for par.

Before the leader took center stage, Hojgaard missed his own short putt for par to hand his opponent a five-shot lead, and that's how it stayed, with the American completing his round of 67 with a par to hand him an incredible victory.

Afterwards, he said: "I'll tell you what, we play an individual sport out here, but I wasn't alone today. I got a lot of people behind me, my team, my family and this golf world. Anybody that's struggling with something, I hope they see me and don't give up, just keep fighting."

Even in the immediate aftermath of victory, Woodland, who will now play in The Masters as a result of the win, remained determined to see the bigger picture.

He added: "It's just another day, right, that I've got to keep healing. Today was a good day. But I'm going to keep fighting. I've got a big fight ahead of me and I'm going to keep going, but I'm proud of myself right now."

He also had a message for his family, including his wife, Gabby, saying: "I wouldn't be anywhere before this without them, there's no chance I could do this without Gabby, for sure. This has been hard on me, this has been a lot harder on her and I love her to death."

TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOUSTON OPEN LEADERBOARD

• -21 Gary Woodland (67)
• -16 Nicolai Hojgaard (71)
• -15 Johnny Keefer (64)
• -15 Min Woo Lee (67)
• -14 Sam Stevens (67)
• -13 Jake Knapp (62)
• -13 Chris Gotterup (65)
• -13 Sudarshan Yellamajura (67)
• -13 Jason Day (68)
• -12 Bronson Burgoon (66)
• -12 Sahith Theegala (68)

LIVE UPDATES FROM...

WELCOME

Hello and welcome to Golf Monthly's coverage of the Texas Children's Houston Open final round at Memorial Park Golf Course.

We've had a fantastic final round already today with a couple of aces from Shane Lowry and Adam Scott, respectively, plus a tied course record from Jake Knapp.

In addition, Gary Woodland has continued his part in one of the year's undoubted feel-good stories. With seven holes to go, the 2019 US Open champion leads by seven strokes and appears destined to lift a PGA Tour trophy once more.

Join us for Woodland's walk to the title as we bring you all of the key moments as they happen.

WOODLAND IN CONTROL

Gary Woodland is surely about to claim his fifth PGA Tour title. The 2019 US Open champion leads by seven on the back nine, and not only is he closing in on a win by the widest margin of his PGA Tour career, it would surely be the most inspirational.

Woodland had brain surgery in 2023, while only earlier this month he revealed a PTSD diagnosis. Let's see how he does over the closing holes.

FRUSTRATION FROM LEE

Min Woo Lee is the defending champion, but, back in third, he tosses his club to the side in disgust after his second at the par-4 12th misses the green.

Nicolai Hojgaard is the closest to Woodland, but facing a seven-shot deficit, his chances of victory seem all but gone.

CLOSE FROM NICOLAI

Nicolai Hojgaard has a long birdie putt at the 12th in an apparently forlorn bid to put any sort of heat on Woodland. It drifts narrowly left, though, and he'll retain a one-shot advantage over Min Woo Lee in third.

WOODLAND MARCHES ON

The leader makes a par at the 12th to remain on 22 under, and, with no real pressure from the chasing pack, he finds the fairway at the 13th as his stroll towards the title continues.

TROUBLE AT THE 13TH

The final group are at the the 13th green, where Nicolai Hojgaard tries a bump and run towards the hole, but it's misjudged and rolls right back down the slope. Seconds later, Min Woo Lee tries a similar shot, and has the same result. Woodland, meanwhile, is on the green and has a birdie putt.

NICE PAR SAVE FROM LEE

Lee opts for putter for his second attempt to reach the green, and makes it this time. It leaves a lengthy par putt, but that's a good save and he remains on 14 under.

PAR FOR THE LEADER

Next up is Woodland, whose makeable birdie putt misses right. No drama, though, he taps in for par and remains on 22 under.

WOODLAND SCRAMBLING AT THE 14TH

Woodland is scrambling for par at the 14th, having failed to reach the green with his second. His chip on the third is nice, but it goes beyond the cup.

Soon after, Min Woo Lee faces a long par putt, and it heads right. He'll go back to 13 under.

TWO-SHOT SWING AT THE 14TH

Just like that, there's a two-shot swing. First Woodland makes his first bogey in 21 holes at the 14th, before second-placed Hojgaard makes a birdie at the same hole to move to 15 under.

Woodland still leads by five, but he'll have just a little pressure on him as the final group heads to the 15th.

WOODLAND STILL ON TRACK

You have to wonder what emotions Woodland is going through just now. After so much adversity in recent years, he's now just four holes away from a fifth PGA Tour win.

He's just been pegged back at the 14th, with Nicolai Hojgaard reducing his lead to five. Will that create a few jitters for the 41-year-old? It doesn't seem likely, and he finds the green at the 15th to leave a long birdie opportunity.

NOT QUITE, NICOLAI

At the 15th green, Hojgaard really needs his long, long birdie putt to drop to put serious pressure on the leader. It breaks and heads towards it's target, but stops a few feet short.

For Woodland, the need for a birdie is nowhere near as urgent, and his putt is nicely judged. It leaves a tap in for par.

Lee then makes par too and it's as we were.

FINAL GROUP ON THE 16TH

On the 16th, Min Woo Lee's wayward back nine continues as he finds the pine straw with his tee shot.

Woodland is next on the tee, and he finds the rough to the left of the fairway.

Hojgaard, meanwhile, hit a 395-yard drive!

NICOLAI APPLIES THE PRESSURE

Hojgaard, five behind Woodland, needs to play aggressively to stand a chance here, and, following a 395-yard drive off the tee at the par-5 16th, he sends his second to within eagle territory. This could get interesting yet...

HOJGAARD CLOSES GAP AT 16TH

Woodland's birdie putt misses left at the 16th, but that's OK, he'll make par.

Now Hojgaard's eagle attempt. Can he reduce Woodland's lead to three? Not quite. It misses by a whisker but it leaves a tap-in for birdie and Woodland's lead is down to four.

STEADY FROM LEADER

Steady from Woodland at the 17th, who hits a low drive to the middle of the fairway. He just needs to hold his nerve now, and he'll have his fifth PGA Tour win.

TRICKY FOR WOODLAND AT 17TH

Gary Woodland finds the front of the green with his second at the 17th to move ever closer to victory. The problem is the birdie putt he faces has som 90 feet to go.

Meanwhile, back in the clubhouse is Johnny Keefer in third following a round of 64.

EXCELLENT FROM WOODLAND

Woodland's effort from 90 feet is good. It comes up maybe five feet short, which is missable, but he looks relaxed enough with a four-shot cushion.

CLOSE FOR NICOLAI

Hojgaard has a birdie putt from 21 feet at the 17th. If he holes this, the deficit on Woodland will be three.

It's a great effort, but it rolls past and both he and Woodland clean up for par.

TOP WORK, GARY!

You have to admire Gary Woodland's temperament. Just weeks after revealing a PTSD diagnosis, he has held his nerve admirably, even when seeing a seven-shot lead reduced to five, then four in the closing holes.

His tee shot at the 18th is a little wayward, but even then, it shouldn't pose much of an issue, and he's now just minutes from an inspirational victory

LEADER TAKES THE APPLAUSE

Gary Woodland takes the applause as he strolls down the 18th fairway. He's now just minutes from his first win since the 2019 US Open. No wonder fans are rooting for him after the tribulations he has endured in recent years.

Nicolai Hojgaard and Min Woo Lee also applaud Woodland. A lovely touch.

WOODLAND ON THE CUSP

Woodland, short of the green, sends his third about four feet past.

GARY WOODLAND WINS THE TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOUSTON OPEN!

Hogjaard's long putt for birdie is good, but rolls left, and next up is Lee with a short birdie putt. He makes it to finish in T3.

Coming back for par, Hojgaard misses right, then taps in for bogey and he's runner-up.

Now the stage is set for Woodland. Ga-ry, Ga-ry come the chants from the fans. He steadies himself and rolls in the winning putt before the tears flow as he embraces his caddie. Amazing stuff from the 2019 US Open winner.

Gary Woodland is chasing his fourth outright PGA Tour title at the Texas Children's Houston Open, and should he land the trophy, it would complete a remarkable comeback of sorts for the immensely popular golfer.

Woodland has enjoyed a long and successful pro golf career so far, but his brightest moment arrived when he held off Brooks Koepka and co. to win the 2019 US Open.

However, since then, the man born in Topeka, Kansas has endured more than his fair share of bad luck and trauma.

Woodland underwent brain surgery to remove a benign tumor in September 2023 and has subsequently revealed he was diagnosed with PTSD as a result of the ordeal.

Even leading up to the surgery, Woodland shared he suffered with anxiety and was worried about death.

Thankfully, the former World No.12 has since admitted that he feels much better for revealing his issues and is back contending for PGA Tour titles once more.

Woodland's first PGA Tour win arrived at the 2011 Transitions Championship, four years after he turned pro and just a few weeks after he lost to Jhonattan Vegas in a playoff at the Bob Hope Classic.

His college career was a fascinating period in his life, too, as he spent a year at Washburn University on a basketball scholarship before transferring to Kansas University and continuing college life as a golfer.

Speaking to TaylorMade about the decision, Woodland said that he gave up on basketball after playing in a game against the University of Kansas.

He said: "They were so much bigger and faster then we were. I quickly realized I wasn't going to be able to play basketball as a professional - I probably could've gone overseas and played, but I wasn't going to be able to do it as a career."

During his time in education, Woodland studied sociology and won four college golf events. Since that time, Kansas University made the decision to name its golf complex after Woodland and he was inducted into the Topeka Sports Hall of Fame in June 2017.

And Woodland's Alma Mater still means a lot to him with his favorite college team being the Kansas Jayhawks. On a similar theme, the professional football team he supports is the Kansas City Chiefs.

Woodland took his immense talent from school out on tour and has collected multiple achievements over the years, including wins at the Reno-Tahoe Open, the 2018 WM Phoenix Open and - of course - the 2019 US Open.

He also landed the World Cup of Golf alongside Matt Kuchar back in 2011, won the Presidents Cup with Team USA in 2019 and has two career aces. Woodland, to date, has earned more than $36.5 million in prize money on the PGA Tour.

For much of that time, Woodland's caddie has been Brennan Little - an extremely experienced looper who has helped the American maintain his place at the highest level.

Away from the golf course, Woodland, his wife Gabby and their children Jaxson, Maddox and Lennox live in Delray Beach, Florida. Woodland is a member of Pine Tree Golf Club. His home club as a junior was Topeka Country Club in Kansas.

One of his favorite past times is playing table tennis. After injuring his shoulder during his rookie season on the PGA Tour, Woodland had nine months out and couldn't really move his left shoulder, so he took to table-tennis to keep busy.

GARY WOODLAND FACTS

1. During the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open, Woodland surprised Amy Bockerstette from Special Olympics Arizona to play the iconic 16th hole with him. The moment went viral online and in the world of sport, and the two have remained in touch since.

2. He marks his ball with a 1984 half-dollar coin given to him by his mother. The year 1984 signifies the year he was born.

3. He was presented with the PGA Tour's Courage Award back in 2025 and was given the Ben Hogan Award in 2023.

4. He made a hole-in-one on the 14th hole in round two of the 2015 AT&T Byron Nelson. He also made an ace at the 2018 QBE Shootout and in The Masters Par 3 Contest in 2024.

5. He has previously worked with Butch Harman. His current coach is Mark Blackburn, while he also works putting guru Phil Kenyon.

6. Woodland was the star of an episode of Netflix docuseries 'Full Swing'.

7. Back in 2017, Woodland and his partner Gabby had their son Jaxson who was born 10 weeks prematurely. They were expecting twins but sadly their daughter was lost during the pregnancy. They then had two twin girls together in 2019 after two miscarriages.

GARY WOODLAND BIO

GARY WOODLAND PRO WINS

Gary Woodland earnings

Gary Woodland has earned over $36.5m on the PGA Tour. His biggest check came after his 2019 US Open win, where he earned $2.5m.

He also has sponsorship deals with Cobra-Puma Golf, Titleist, Security Benefit, NetJets and Troon Golf.

Gary Woodland driving distance

Woodland is a powerful player and has averaged over 300 yards in every season he's played on the PGA Tour. His longest hitting season was 2022-23, where he had an average drive of 313.8 yards.

Gary Woodland brain tumor

Woodland underwent surgery in September 2023 for a benign brain tumor. It led to him taking four months away from the game, returning in January 2024.

He opened up about the anxiety and fear of death he experienced leading up to the surgery.

"The doctors kept telling me I was OK, but this thing which was pushing on the part of my brain which controls fear and anxiety... it didn't matter if I was driving a car or on an airplane - I'd be thinking the bin is going to fall on me - I just thought everything was going to kill me," he said.

"So, you can imagine - leading up to surgery - what I felt like about the thought of having my head cut open and my brain operated on. The fear going into that was awful.

"When I woke up and realized I was OK, I was filled with thankfulness and love, and that replaced the fear. It was emotional, very emotional, because I'd gone four-and-a-half months of every day really thinking I was going to die."

More recently, Woodland shared how he had been diagnosed with PTSD following his recovery from the surgery.

Golf fans witnessed one of the year's most emotional and popular victories on Sunday as Gary Woodland won the 2026 Texas Children's Houston Open.

Less than three years ago, Woodland underwent surgery to remove a lesion on his brain. After recovering from that and returning to the PGA Tour, the 41-year-old recently revealed he was suffering from PTSD but was continuing to fight on every day.

Having shared that he felt so much better for sharing his struggles, a rejuvenated Woodland went on to dominate this week's event in the Lone Star state.

The 2019 US Open champion added his fourth outright PGA Tour title at Memorial Park thanks to a five-stroke success in Texas, consequently setting the tournament scoring record thanks to a par at the last.

And with The Masters just a couple of weeks away, Woodland's timing couldn't have been better as his latest victory has now earned a spot at Augusta National for the 13th time in his career.

Not only that, but the Kansas-born pro has also picked up a check for almost $1.8 million - one of the biggest pay days in his near 20-year pro career - from a total purse of $9.9 million.

In second was Nicolai Hojgaard, and although a one-over-par final day was disappointing, the solo second represented the Dane's highest PGA Tour finish and banked him just over $1 million.

For everyone else, it was a case of trying to end the week as high up the leaderboard as possible in order to collect as much money and as many OWGR points as possible. The top-50 in the world on Monday, should they not already be exempt, will book a last-gasp tee time at Augusta National.

Below is the complete prize money breakdown at the 2026 Texas Children's Houston Open.

HOUSTON OPEN PRIZE MONEY BREAKDOWN

PGA Tour pro, Gary Woodland his caddie, Brennan Little are set to swap places later this year as the looper makes his Senior Major debut as a player.

Highlighted by his recent achievement, Little - who now lives in Plano, Texas - is an excellent golfer as well as being a top caddie, with seven career victories in the PGA of America's Northern Texas section. Last year, the Canadian-born looper won three of his five starts.

Continuing that form, the 55-year-old qualified for May's Senior PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club after coming through his local section and then doing enough at the National Club Pro stage in Oregon - despite a nervy finish.

The plan now, as far as the duo are concerned, is for Woodland to compete at the 2025 PGA Championship (Quail Hollow) between May 15-18 before taking the caddie bib off of Little a week later as they travel to Bethesda in Maryland.

The former New Mexico State player - who held a Handicap Index of around two in 2019 - revealed how the decision came about during an on-course interview with Golf Channel's Damon Hack at the Cognizant Classic.

Little said: "[Gary] told me that when I turn 50, if I qualify for a Major, he'd caddie for me. I qualified through my section and went to the National Club Pro out in Oregon. I got him panicked there for a while and almost blew it, but I ended up making it so I'm holding him to it."

Little, a professional caddie himself since 1999, has been a part of two Major-winning performances as well as multiple other tour triumphs throughout his career. The first notable success was on the bag of Canada's Mike Weir at the 2003 Masters while the second arrived at the 2019 US Open alongside his current boss.

While those two victories came about as a result of professional excellent on both sides of the team, Woodland admitted his prowess as a looper is not quite to the same level as his playing abilities.

Responding to a question about the extent of his caddying history, the Kansas-born pro said: "It's very slim. Roles are going to be reversed, we're going to struggle a little bit considering Butchy does everything for me out here - I just hit the shots.

"I'm going to have to learn really quickly how to do everything. But I'm really proud of him, it was pretty cool what he did, and I'm excited to be there."

Earlier in the week, Woodland was announced as the PGA Tour Courage Award winner for 2025 as a result of his return to the professional game following brain surgery in 2023.

Despite the successful operation on the benign tumor, the 40-year-old has endured a difficult road to recovery involving serious mental-health battles which Woodland still fights to this day.

But, speaking in his pre-tournament press conference where he was announced as the award winner, an emotional Woodland vowed to continue "fighting for my dreams."

He said: “At the end of the day, I’m fighting. The last thing I’m going to let this do is let this thing in my head stop my dreams, and that’s why I fight every day. I want to be there for my kids and my family, but I want to chase my dreams, too. I’ve got a lot of dreams out here.

“I’m starting to understand what I need to do every day to function in life, but the things I’m doing to help with my brain are also helping me play golf, and I’m knocking on the door.

"I know my game is close. It’s coming, and I’m going to keep knocking on that door until I bust through, and then we’ll see what happens.”

Gary Woodland has been honored with the PGA Tour Courage Award following his professional comeback after brain surgery in September 2023.

Having felt unwell during May 2023, Woodland went for tests and it was discovered that he had a lesion pressing on the part of his brain which deals with fear and anxiety.

Initial treatment via medication did little to solve the issue, so the American decided to go under the knife. Doctors removed most of the tumor and cut off blood supply to prevent future growth.

In the 18 months since surgery, however, the 2019 US Open champion has endured a difficult road to recovery involving serious mental-health battles which Woodland still fights to this day.

As his efforts to extend what has been a hugely successful playing career so far continue, the PGA Tour have recognized Woodland's journey by making him the seventh recipient of a prize awarded to Chris Kirk in 2023.

In a statement announcing the latest PGA Tour Courage Award winner on Wednesday, PGA Tour commissioner, Jay Monahan said: "Gary's journey has been well documented and the fact that he has overcome so many challenges associated with his initial diagnosis is nothing short of miraculous.

"We are so proud to honor him with the PGA Tour Courage Award recognizing his relentless spirit and his willingness to share his story and inspire others."

Following his vital treatment, the 40-year-old returned to the PGA Tour at the Sony Open in January 2024. During the months that followed, Woodland managed three top-25 finishes in 26 appearances and a best of T9th at the Shriners Children's Open - an incredible achievement given the circumstances.

The PGA Tour said in its statement that Woodland "continues to manage physical, emotional and mental symptoms" as a result of his initial diagnosis, with the man himself insisting he will continue to fight for his dreams.

Ahead of his latest PGA Tour appearance at the Cognizant Classic this week, Woodland said: “At the end of the day, I’m fighting. The last thing I’m going to let this do is let this thing in my head stop my dreams, and that’s why I fight every day.

"I want to be there for my kids and my family, but I want to chase my dreams, too. I’ve got a lot of dreams out here.

“I’m starting to understand what I need to do every day to function in life, but the things I’m doing to help with my brain are also helping me play golf, and I’m knocking on the door.

"I know my game is close. It’s coming, and I’m going to keep knocking on that door until I bust through, and then we’ll see what happens.”

As part of the award, Woodland received $25,000 to donate to a charity of his choice - a figure the American says he will match. The four-time PGA Tour winner confirmed that money will go towards Champion Charities, an organization which conducts research and supports patients with brain tumors, trauma or disease.

Woodland - whose story is told during Full Swing: Season 3 on Netflix - went on to share what the award itself means to him and why it belongs to his family as well as everyone who has supported him through the past couple of years.

Fighting through tears during his pre-tournament press conference, Woodland said: [This award means] everything to me because -- sorry. It's been a hard journey for me. The last couple years has been really hard.

"Receiving this is a testament to the people around me because there's no way, one, I'd be back playing or no way I'd be sitting here today if it wasn't for them.

"It means everything for me to receive it, but it really belongs to the people around me. It's been hard for me to share my journey, but I've done it for the sole purpose of trying to help people because I am blessed with amazing family and my team around me, and even the golf world, from the Tour, players, caddies, to you guys, the love and support I've had has been amazing.

"It pains me to think that somebody is out there going through something and doesn't have that much support, and hopefully they can see me or see my story and realize that I battle it every day, too. They can see me and say, if that guy can do it, I can do it.

"I'm very blessed to have my family and my team and the golf world behind me, and this award is for all of them."

Gary Woodland's return from brain surgery in January was a heart-warming story to start the year, but it hasn't been plain sailing for the former US Open champion since then. 

Having undergone surgery to remove a lesion in the brain, Woodland was back on the course competing just four months later, but four missed cuts in his first five starts outlined the scale of the task ahead of him.

The American, though, has been on a steady upward trajectory since then and fired himself into contention for the first time since his return after a superb second-round 64 at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

"I just put everything together. It's been a while. I think that's the lowest round of golf I've shot on Tour in a couple years. It was nice," he said after the round. 

"It was nice to have all aspects. I drove it well, iron play, controlled the ball really well, and the short game was nice and made some putts. It's been a long time since I put it all together."

Perhaps one of the reasons why Woodland's game hasn't come together until now was the hasty turnaround from surgery. Reflecting on it now, the 40-year-old realises it was perhaps too quick but now appreciates just how far he has come.

"It's been a process for me, just coming back. I probably came back too early," he said. "I still just don't feel how I want to feel. Charlotte [at the Wells Fargo Championship] was the first week I went back to where I had a tournament where I had symptoms the year before and it was eye-opening for me just to be, like, 'I don't feel great, but I don't feel like I did a year ago.'

"I think I've forgotten about some of that because I was just so thankful to be back. So the last three weeks has been a lot more pep in my step, I think, a little more excitement. I needed that."

"I'm still battling, still on medication, still battling all the stuff, but probably a little more positive, I would say, the last three weeks than I was earlier this year. I think I was getting down on myself just because I didn't feel well. There's a lot to be positive about because I'm in a different position than I was a year ago."

Woodland sits six shots back of halfway leader Davis Riley and will need an impressive weekend display to get his first victory since his Major triumph at Pebble Beach in 2019. Whatever happens, though, the American knows this week represents another step in getting back to where he wants to be. 

"Negative energy's contagious. I've been thankful, but it's been hard on myself just when you wake up and you don't feel great, and that's not a good attitude and energy to have," he said. 

"It took me to going back to a place where I remembered how bad it was a year ago and I'm like, 'Oh, wow, I'm getting better.' I think the energy's changed for me the last three weeks and something I'll continue to build on."

Gary Woodland revealed that he spent almost five months in the build-up to his successful brain surgery in September "really thinking I was going to die."

The 2019 US Open champion underwent an operation to remove a benign brain tumor towards the end of 2023 and, thankfully, made a swift recovery which allowed him to start hitting balls again just two months later.

Ahead of his professional return at this week's Sony Open in Hawaii, the gritty American detailed some of the harrowing emotions he experienced from the point of diagnosis through to his treatment.

The 39-year-old revealed - at some of the worst points - he was often terrified anything and everything would kill him before an all-encompassing wave of relief hit him once he woke up and realized he still had full vision and the full use of his left side, post-surgery.

Speaking in the Sony Open's pre-tournament press conference, Woodland said:

"[Before surgery] The doctors kept telling me I was OK, but this thing which was pushing on the part of my brain which controls fear and anxiety... it didn't matter if I was driving a car or on an airplane - I'd be thinking the bin is going to fall on me - I just thought everything was going to kill me.

"So, you can imagine - leading up to surgery - what I felt like about the thought of having my head cut open and my brain operated on. The fear going into that was awful.

"When I woke up and realized I was OK, I was filled with thankfulness and love, and that replaced the fear. It was emotional, very emotional, because I'd gone four-and-a-half months of every day really thinking I was going to die.

"It was hard on me, but it was probably harder on my family because they had to deal with me throughout this whole thing and try to keep me positive and looking forward, and that was hard to do in the moment.

"After surgery, I definitely felt relief. One, that I could see and that I had the left side of my body, because those were the two big risks going in - losing my eyesight and losing the left side of my body. Having those when I woke up. I spent two days in the ICU and then walked out of the hospital."

Woodland explained that he knew something was wrong a couple of weeks after The Masters in April 2023 - stating the most telling factor was that "I just wasn't feeling like myself."

The four-time PGA Tour winner admitted that things began to get worse when he found himself jolting up in the middle of the night with his hands shaking and he was also experiencing an increased level of fear in his every-day life.

He said: "That was the one that scared me the most, the fear. I'm a very optimistic person, I believe good things will happen, and I was very fear-driven every day. Mostly around death."

Woodland admitted that as his condition became steadily worse - he suffered with the chills, a lack of energy, and no appetite - he felt compelled to call his doctor and ask for medication to help calm him down. But the doctor said that they could not prescribe anything without an MRI as they wanted to rule out Parkinson's Disease.

The 39-year-old then found out through further tests that he had a lesion on the part of his brain which controls fear and anxiety, and a specialist pointed out that the jolting and his trouble sleeping was down to Woodland suffering partial seizures.

An initially-low dose of anti-seizure medicine failed to help Woodland, but an increased application made noticeable inroads into curing the fits. Unfortunately for the American, the medicine was affecting his memory as well as other "horrible side-effects."

Woodland said that the fear in his brain did go away "for a couple of weeks" but once it came back, he was told by doctors that some form of surgery simply had to take place as they believed the lesion was growing again. 

The Kansas-born player said the timing of this news was quite frustrating as his game "from a physical standpoint felt really good" and he was "in positions that I've been trying to get into for a long time." Plus, playing golf also took on the form of a coping mechanism.

But - after the American started to forget which clubs he was hitting and rushing putts for fear of taking too long - Woodland's caddie, Brennan Little, pulled his man aside after the Wyndham Championship and told the 39-year-old he needed to go and get help to sort his issue out once and for all.

And after seeing a specialist in Miami who told Woodland surgery was the only way to cure the fear and hopefully solve all of the other issues, the World No. 94 reluctantly prepared himself to go under the knife.

He continued: "[The doctor] didn't want to go in any more than he had to, so surgery and removal was the next step. They couldn't get it all out from where it is located. It was benign, which was a big deal, if it was cancerous then they would have removed it all. But it's against my optic track, so they removed as much as they could and they believe they cut off the blood circulation to what's left.

"They're tracking it right now, every three months, with MRI scans still. I had an MRI right before I came to Hawaii, a week-and-a-half ago, and everything was stable from surgery - so that's a huge relief for me. Showing up in Hawaii and practicing over the last 10 days, I had a little bit of relief off my back because it's stable right now and we'll just pray and hope that it continues to not grow."

Woodland will be hoping to mark his comeback with a win and a large slice of the $8.3 million prize purse at the Sony Open after last teeing it up in August's Wyndham Championship.

Rose Zhang may have only turned professional a couple of months ago, but she has already become one of the stars of women’s golf.

Having finished T8 in her first Major as a professional at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Zhang is now gearing up for the US Women’s Open which is set to take place at the iconic Pebble Beach.

During her practice round on Monday, the young American already made waves on social media with a near-impossible and most likely accidental trick shot on the par-3 7th. Having struck her tee shot close, Zhang also managed somehow to get her tee to flip up and land in her back pocket above her yardage book.

The remarkable feat was captured by her equipment sponsor Callaway, who posted it on social media, with fans quick to react.

“Absolute sorcery,” one wrote, while another commented: “Tour golfers have so many skills it’s scary.”

Another tweeted: “How does that even happen?,” while one user believed it was a sign of things to come for Rose this week, saying: “Reason 1 why Rose Zhang will win at Pebble this week.”

Having enjoyed a stellar amateur career at Stanford, which saw her win back-to-back NCAA titles as well as the US Women’s Amateur and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, the 20-year-old announced her intention to turn professional at the end of May.

The American’s professional debut at the Mizuho Americas Open could not have gone any better as Zhang became the first since Beverly Hanson in 1951 to win on her professional debut after she defeated fellow American Jennifer Kupcho in a playoff.

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Zhang now prepares to compete in her first US Women’s Open as a professional as the world’s best players take on the iconic Californian links and compete for a purse of at least $10 million.

The Californian course has been a mainstay on the PGA Tour and has hosted the men's US Open on six occasions, most recently when Gary Woodland won in 2019.

World No. 2 Nelly Korda was left "amazed" after her first practice round at Pebble Beach Golf Links and believes the iconic course hosting this year’s US Women’s Open represents a “massive stride” for the game.

The Californian course has been a mainstay on the PGA Tour and has hosted the men's US Open on six occasions, most recently when Gary Woodland won in 2019.

Known for its scenic views and challenging wind conditions along the west coast of America, the course will play host to this week’s US Women’s Open for the first time, with the best in the world set to compete for a purse of at least $10 million.

Korda experienced playing Pebble Beach for the first time on EA Sports’ Tiger Woods video game with her brother when she was younger, but the World No. 2 was still left in awe after she played the course for the first time.

“The views on every hole are amazing,” she said speaking at a pre-tournament press conference on Monday. 

"I feel like you get to a hole and you're like, this is my favourite view, and then you get to another hole and, no, this is actually my favourite view.

“So very scenic, amazing golf course, so much history, and so grateful to be out here.

“It's amazing to see we're making these massive strides forward. Not only with the increase in purses but the venues we get to play, the rich history that we just get to be a part of. I think that's our little piece of history, as well.”

Having played the course once through, Korda has a couple more days to finalise her strategy in preparation for Thursday’s first round and believes patience will be the key to navigating a course with varying conditions.

“The weather is a big, just being here on the coast, adjustment of yardages. It doesn't fly as far typically,” she said.

“Then I would say just the slope. I had so many shots where the ball was below my feet, above my feet, and then on top of that, you're hitting into small greens, so you have to adjust with the slope and hit the green.

“Making sure you stay patient is going to be very crucial this week.”

This week also offers the American a chance to bounce back from a disappointing performance in the second Major of the year at Baltusrol two weeks ago. 

Korda shot rounds of 76 and 77 to miss the cut by six at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship but said she had been hard at work since.

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“It was obviously pretty disappointing,” she said. I flew out on Friday right after the round - I think it's just golf. 

“You constantly go through it just like the roller coasters of it. I think it just makes you appreciate the highs more, I would say.

“But I’ve been making sure that I was mentally ready to come into this week. I just put my head down and grinded. I love that about golf. I think no one knows everything and no one is an expert, and I think that this is the beauty of the game is that everyone experiences highs and lows.”

The drama of the final round of the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club appears to have captured the imagination of TV viewers.

Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal group has reported on Twitter that NBC’s coverage drew 6.2 million viewers as Wyndham Clark saw off the challenge of Rory McIlroy to claim his maiden Major title.

That’s an increase of 800,000 on the same stage in 2022 as Matt Fitzpatrick closed out the victory, while it is also the highest number since 2019, when Gary Woodland thwarted Brooks Koepka’s efforts to claim a third successive title with a three-shot win.

On that occasion, 7.3m watched the action, although there was an alarming drop the year after in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, when the tournament was played in September and just 3.2 million saw Bryson DeChambeau claim the title. However, the year after, there was a significant bump as 5.7m watched Jon Rahm win his first Major at Torrey Pines.

One factor that could have helped boost viewing figures in the 2023 tournament's final round was the performance of the ever-popular Rickie Fowler, who had been in contention to claim his first Major before fading on as the day progressed. 

However, the tournament was not without its critics, with the likes of Brooks Koepka, Matt Fitzpatrick and Viktor Hovland airing frustrations with the course, while there were relatively low crowd numbers.

However, despite those niggles and the fact that one of the game’s biggest draws,15-time Major winner Tiger Woods, was absent as he recovers from ankle surgery, the figures will surely offer plenty of encouragement, particularly with the disappointment of those for the previous Major, May’s PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

Back then, despite headline-grabbing stories including club pro Michael Block producing a fairytale week and Koepka claiming his fifth Major win, the figures across the tournament slumped to a 15-year low. 

Thankfully, it appears that was an anomaly as the third Major of the year enjoyed a boost similar to the first, April’s Masters at Augusta National. That was the most watched golf telecast in five years, as over 15 million watched Rahm clinch the title.

Attention will soon turn to the figures for the final Major of 2023, The Open at Royal Liverpool, which takes place between 20 and 23 July.

It is time for the second major championship of 2023, as the world's best golfers head to Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York for the 2023 PGA Championship!

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PGA Championship Odds - Who are the Favorites on Bet365?

Here is a list of the top 10 golfers on the odds board via Bet365 Sportsbook.

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• Scottie Scheffler +750
• Jon Rahm +750
• Rory McIlroy +1200
• Xander Schauffele +1600
• Patrick Cantlay +1800
• Brooks Koepka +2000
• Tony Finau +2000
• Justin Thomas +2500
• Dustin Johnson +2500
• Jason Day +2500

Mexico Open 2023 Live Stream

Reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm returns to action this week and will head to Mexico to defend his Mexico Open title from a year ago. Other well-known players in the field include Tony Finau, Francesco Molinari, Gary Woodland, Alex Noren and many more PGA Tour stalwarts. 

Opened in 2015, the course offers views of the Sierra Madres on every hole. There are large landing areas off the tee, with positioning being of paramount importance, while the large greens have huge bunkers. 

Below are all the broadcast and streaming details for the event.

Mexico Open Live Stream: How to watch from outside your country

There are loads of easy ways to watch golf in 2023 including in the US, UK and almost anywhere else in the world. Below we have a full list of options but anyone away from their home country can still watch the action by using VPNs.

VPNs allow you to get around any geo-blocking and and let you watch the same legal, high-quality golf live stream you would at home.

ExpressVPN is one of the best out there. It's easy to use, boasts strong security features, is very easy to setup and is compatible with most major streaming devices, including the  Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox and PlayStation.

Best of all, ExpressVPN comes with a 30 day money back guarantee. This is the #1 rated VPN in the world right now. You can try it out for a month for free or sign up for an annual plan and get 3 months absolutely free.

US TV Schedule - 2023 Mexico Open

All times EST

Thursday, April 27: 3.30pm-6.30pm (Golf Channel)

Friday, April 28: 3.30pm-6.30pm (Golf Channel)

Saturday, April 29: 1pm-3pm (Golf Channel), 3pm-6pm (CBS)

Sunday, April 30: 1pm-3pm (Golf Channel), 3pm-6pm (CBS)

NBC's Golf Channel will televise action during the week and CBS will takeover when the tournament heats up over the weekend. Bearing this in mind you can access the Golf Channel through streaming options such as AT&T TV Now and fuboTV.

AT&T TV Now starts at around $55 a month but does have a 7-day free trial. While fuboTV also offers the Golf Channel and 100+ other channels and also has a 7-day free trial.

We also recommend Sling TV in the US as well. At $51 per month, Sling Blue with the Sports add-on brings NBC and Golf Channel, and it is also half price for your first month.

UK TV Schedule - 2023 Mexico Open

Thursday, April 27: 1.45pm-11.30pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Friday, April 28: 1.45pm-11.30pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Saturday, April 29: 1.30pm-11pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Sunday, April 30: 1.30pm-11pm (Sky Sports Golf)

In the UK, Sky Sports should be your first port of call as Sky Sports Golf will televise action from the event. At the moment Sky has some great deals on Sky Sports for those looking to upgrade and those looking sign up to Sky for the first time.

You can get all eight Sky Sports Channels in HD for just £25 a month which not only includes all the golf action, but you can also watch the football, cricket, Formula 1, NFL and a whole host of other sporting events.

Australia TV Schedule - 2023 Mexico Open

Thursday, April 27: 11.30pm-8.30am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Friday, April 28: 11.30pm-8.30am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Sunday, April 30: 3am-8am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Monday, May 1: 3am-8am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

The PGA Tour coverage in Australia obviously means getting something great to watch early in the morning. As ever in Australia the most comprehensive golf coverage is offered by Kayo Sports where you can watch Fox Sports that broadcasts the PGA Tour coverage. Not only can you watch the action from Mexico here, it has all the PGA Tour, DP World Tour events and the Majors. It also has events on the LPGA as well.

It of course also offers access to over 50 sports live and on-demand, with some its big name channels including Fox Sports, ESPN, and beIN Sports.

It's also fantastic value at either $30 for Kayo Basic or $35 for Kayo Premium. Basic lets you stream sport on two devices at once, while Premium allows you to watch on up to three screens simultaneously, so it represents great value if your household has different sporting tastes or you're splitting the cost of the subscription. There's even a free 14-day trial.

As ever, Aussies out of the country can access their favorite streaming service just like they would at home can use a VPN to watch their PGA Tour live stream of choice.

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example

1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service) 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad

We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. 

Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing. 

The PGA Tour returns to Mexico this week for the 2023 Mexico Open, as Vidanta Vallarta will once again play host to the 144-player field. In part due to the designated events now being required for the Tour’s top players (with elevated purses), the non-designated events, such as this one, see much weaker fields. 

Even still, world No. 1 Jon Rahm will be on hand, as will Tony Finau, as the pair of superstars is followed closely by a dozen or so guys still looking to break through on Tour. With that, let’s take a closer look at this week’s field and the top five golfers in the 2023 Mexico Open. 

Before we get into our Mexico Open power rankings, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Mexico Open selections this week.

Mexico Open Odds

Mexico Open Course - Vidanta Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Coming in right around 7,500 yards, Vidanta features paspalum greens that are made for guys who can crush the ball. It’s also a resort course located right on the water, so high winds are always in play coming off the Pacific coast.

Mexico Open Power Rankings

John Rahm (+250) Bet $100 to collect $350 Get the best odds at DraftKings for John Rahm

Even at these micro-odds, it’s hard to see a scenario John Rahm isn’t in the mix come Sunday. The reigning champ here, he is also now removed from the Masters-win hangover and should be motivated to go low here.

Tony Finau (+860) Bet $100 to collect $960 Head over to DraftKings to get the best Tony Finau odds

It was a Sunday 63 here last year that really set Tony Finau off on a terrific summer that was the best of his career. Could another low few days in Mexico be exactly what the doctor ordered ahead of the major season for Finau?

Gary Woodland (+2200) Bet $100 to collect $2,300 DraftKings has the best Gary Woodland odds

Finishing T14 at Augusta, Woodland’s very much still got it. One of the longest hitters on Tour, Gary Woodland, should find himself to score here early and often, and I think presents a ton of value at more than 20-1 in a weak field. 

Byeong Hun An (+3500) Bet $100 to collect $3,600 Get the best odds at DraftKings for Byeong Hu An

Still, in search of that first Tour win, Byeong Hun An has been dialed as of late with consecutive top 15 finishes this month. 

Wyndham Clark (+1600) Bet $100 to collect $1,700 For the best Wyndham Clark odds go to DraftKings

Arguably the best guy in this field without a PGA Tour win, Wyndham Clark could very well find the magic here with his terrific iron play and length off the tee. 

The second annual edition of the Mexico Open at Vidanta is set to get underway from Vallarta, Mexico, this week. Defending champion Jon Rahm headlines the list of notable golfers at this new event, along with Tony Finau and Wyndham Clark rounding out the top three outright betting favorites, albeit at much longer odds than the +275 the Spaniard currently possesses on most sportsbooks. 

After watching Davis Riley and Nick Hardy set a Zurich Classic record at -30-under-par during Best Ball and Alternate Ball scoring formats, the PGA Tour will head south of the border to Vallarta, Mexico for the second annual Mexico Open at Vidanta. Reigning champion Jon Rahm will attempt to defend his title, which would wind up being his fifth outright win of the 2023 season, including his recent win at Augusta National during The Masters. It’s a course that isn’t necessarily challenging, but it demands precision off-the-tee, so players with strong irons and drivers should fare well amongst the field. Finau, Brandon Wu, Alex Smalley, and Patrick Rodgers all logged T10 finishes or better in 2022, so watch out for these names when deciding which bets to wager at Vidanta. 

Let’s look at the top-ten betting odds, course layout, and a few players with the experience, skill set, and current form to secure an outright win ahead of Thursday’s opening tee times at the 2023 Mexico Open.

Before we get into our picks for Mexico Classic, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Mexico Classic selections this week.

Mexico Open Betting Odds

2023 Mexico Open Betting Preview

Previous Winners

• 2022 - Jon Rahm (-17)

Relevant Betting Stats

• Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee
• Strokes Gained: Approaching the Green
• Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green
• Sand Save percentage
• Greens in Regulation percentage

Course Layout

Vidanta Vallarta is a par 71 track that runs over 7,400 yards. While it just became an event on the PGA Tour schedule in 2022, this course has existed since 2015, set on the scenic shores of Mexico’s western coastline. There are a fair number of water hazards, along with deep sand bunkers, which create the most difficult for players to navigate. One less par 5 hole than the standard stock par 72 courses seen at other PGA Tour events, which means birdie opportunities won’t be nearly as abundant.

As far as the fairways and greens go, they aren’t nearly as difficult as what we’ve seen during recent events at Augusta National and Harbour Town, where the narrow fairways, lightning-fast greens, and small square footage surface areas combined to cause mayhem. Off-the-tee strokes have much more room to operate, as the fairways are wider at Vidanta, while over four dozen new sand bunkers have been added around the greens and along the fairways, punishing errant tee shots and approach shots alike. 

Top Players to Bet for Outright Mexico Open Winner

Jon Rahm (+275) (Bet $100 to collect $375) Bet365 has the best Joh Rahm odds

We’re getting terribly short odds on Jon Rahm, partially because he’s the defending champion but mostly because he’s been on fire so far in 2023. The 28-year-old Spaniard has won four events outright, including The Masters, and has seven T10 finishes in 11 events played this season. Of course, ranking first in total strokes gained explains a lot about why Rahm has been so consistently great on the golf course. With hardly any flaws, it it makes sense why the outright betting favorite has such short odds at +275, but this number could dry up quickly with a strong opening round, so it’s best to jump on his current odds ahead of competing against a less challenging field than normal. 

Patrick Rodgers (+2800) (Bet $100 to collect $2,900) Head to Pointsbet to get the best Patrick Rodgers odds

Now we’re hitting on good value. Patrick Rodgers has quietly logged three T10 finishes across 18 events this season, including a fifth-place finish at Valero and a T19 finish at RBC Heritage most recently. There are quite a few missed cuts (7) to account for, which is why Rodgers is sitting at 28/1 for his outright odds, but he hit -5-under-par in two of his four rounds at Vidanta in 2022. Rodgers specializes with his irons, ranked 33rd in total strokes gained, including 24th around the green, so if he can keep his driver accurate enough, combined with some good swings off of the tee box, he could wind up sitting atop the leaderboard once Sunday’s final round is underway. At 28/1, it’s worth investing in Rodgers’ upside.

Alex Smalley (+5000) (Bet $100 to collect $5,100) Head over to DraftKings to get the best Alex Smalley odds

Alex Smalley had a fantastic showing at Vidanta last year, going -3-under-par or lower in three of his four rounds, climbing into a T6 finish (-14) alongside Aaron Wise, Cameron Champ, and David Lipsky. The 26-year-old American hasn’t had a lot of production to get excited about in 2023; however, he’s ranked inside of the top-12 for approach shots from 50-175 yards while also ranking 11th in bounce-back percentage, displaying strong mental fortitude after a bad hole. At 45/1, we’re getting significant value on Smalley’s outright odds, which could be a steal if he gets off to a fast start, where he tends to perform best in Round 2. Smalley hasn’t delivered a T25 finish since The American Express back in January, which means he’s due for an explosive outing at a course that fits his skill set. 

Brandon Wu (+5500) (Bet $100 to collect $5,600) Go to DraftKings to get the best Brandon Wu odds

Last year, Brandon Wu rocketed up the leaderboard on Sunday, going -8-under-par, along with Tony Finau. Wu has been flying under the radar this season. Still, he did log T14 and T19 finishes at The Honda Classic and The PLAYERS Championship in late February and early March, so he’s capable of stringing together a solid overall performance. Wu ranks ninth in total birdies, first in putting from three feet or less, and is 34th in total driving efficiency. He can find the greens in regulation at a 67 percent rate, which is better than his iron metrics indicate, so at 50/1, we have an obligation to sprinkle on Wu’s outright odds, as he scored -13-under-par in his final two rounds at Vidanta in 2022. 

The Mexico Open is the first national open on the 2023 schedule, and a very new event on the PGA Tour. First played 79 years ago in 1944 at the Club de Golf Chapultepec, the Mexico Open was a PGA Tour Latinoamerica event until last year, where it became an official event on the PGA Tour. The Mexico Open now offers a purse of 7.7 million dollars, with 500 FedEx Cup points up for grabs as well. 

It was held last year at Vidanta Vallarta, a Greg Norman course in Vallarta, Mexico that stretches to nearly 7,500 yards on the scorecard. Recent Masters champion Jon Rahm won the inaugural Tour event last year at 17 under par by one stroke over Tony Finau, Kurt Kitayama, and Brandon Wu. Rahm will graciously be back to defend his title, and although this is a natural rest week for many of the game’s top players, Wyndham Clark, Gary Woodland, and Tony Finau, amongst others will all look to challenge the Spaniard in his title defense.

Before we get into our picks for the Mexico Open, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. With the offers below, you can turn $6 into $350 worth of bonuses, or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your Mexico Open selections this week.

Mexico Open: Course Preview

Vidanta Vallarta

Vidanta Vallarta is like many resort courses on the PGA Tour, but it has certainly been beefed up to provide some resistance to par. The Greg Norman design plays as a Par 73 for resort guests, but was changed to a par 71 for this event, with the fourth hole now playing as a 520 yard par four, and the 16th hole now playing as a 505 yard par four. Originally 7,287 yards on the scorecard for resort guests, Vidanta was tipped out to 7,457 yards last year. Despite the notable lengthening, Vidanta still played as the 11th easiest course on the PGA Tour last year. Distance, as well as the potential for wind is really the greatest defense that Vidanta has. Featuring 40-yard-wide fairways, Vidanta is one of the most wide open, driver heavy, and distance biased courses on the PGA Tour.

The rough is barely a concern, and while water comes into play often, there is still a ton of room for players to navigate off the tee and on their approach shots. The game plan at Vidanta is fairly simple, hit the ball as long as possible off the tee, and be able to control your long irons. The Paspalum greens are extremely slow, flat, and feature very little undulation. The greenside surrounds are incredibly benign as well. All things considered, it should not come as a surprise that bombers and elite long iron players such as Jon Rahm, Kurt Kitayama, Tony Finau, and Cameron Champ all found themselves in contention last year. This year, I will primarily be looking for players that similarly rate out highly in driving distance and long iron play, as well as have a history of success on easy, slow, tropical, Paspalum golf courses.

Mexico Open Key Stats

• Proximity 200 yards plus
• Driving Distance
• Birdies or Better Gained

Mexico Open: Outright Winner

Wyndham Clark (+2100) (Bet $100 to collect $2,200) Head to FanDuel to get the best Wyndham Clark odds

Wyndham Clark is in the midst of a career year on the PGA Tour, and he now travels to a course that fits his game to a tee. The 29-year-old is one of only four players in this field to rank top-10 in both driving distance and long iron proximity, the two most important skill sets at Vidanta Vallarta. He also ranks third in this entire field in birdies or better gained and first in par five scoring, which I also believe will come in handy at a wide-open resort course with four three-shotters. 

Clark is coming off a third-place finish at the Zurich Classic, where he carried the brunt of the burden alongside Beau Hossler. Prior to that, he finished sixth at the Corales Punta Cana, another long, Paspalum resort course where birdies are the name of the game. I wish there was more value in his outright number, but sometimes when all the pieces fit together so perfectly, it’s important not to over-think it.

Gary Woodland (+3000) Bet $100 to collect $3,100 Go to Pointsbet for the best Gary Woodland odds

Gary Woodland has had a frustrating existence on the PGA Tour since winning the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach back in 2019. With that being said, he’s playing some of the best golf of his career, and from a ball-striking standpoint, Woodland has proven that he’s incredibly close to crossing the finish line. The 38-year-old is coming off a 31st at the Heritage, where he gained over two strokes both off the tee and on approach. What is even more encouraging is that he gained four strokes putting, which has been the missing piece for Woodland all season. 

The Kansas native has been absolutely flushing it all season, gaining over four strokes ball-striking in four straight starts, and that is not including the 12.5 strokes ball-striking that he gained at the Genesis Invitational, which had one of the strongest fields of the season. Woodland has emerged as one of the most reliable drivers of the ball in the world, gaining over a stroke off the tee in every single start this season. The upside with the irons is there, and now he finally gets to a golf course that accentuates long iron play, a skill in which Woodland ranks first in this entire field. Most importantly, the putter appears to be finally coming around. Similar to Clark, I wish there was more value in his outright number, but in such a weak field, it’s hard to envision a more perfect scenario for the trending Woodland.

A lot has been made of the recent incident involving Brooks Koepka’s caddie Ricky Elliott, with it appearing that Elliott said the word “five” to playing partner Gary Woodland’s caddie, Brennan Little, potentially indicating the club Koepka had used.

However, after an investigation from the Competition Committee, it was determined that there hadn’t been a rules breach, with a statement reading: “Following the completion of Brooks Koepka’s round, the Committee questioned his caddie and others in the group about a possible incident on No.15. All involved were adamant that no advice was given or requested. Consequently, the Committee determined that there was no breach of the Rules.”

Now, following their second rounds, both Koepka and playing partner, Woodland, have given their views on the incident, with Woodland stating: "At the end of the day, Brooks hit his shot on 15. I asked Butchy if he saw what he hit. He said no. Luckily for us because Brooks ended up hitting 5-iron. 

"I hit 5-iron. I asked Butchy what the club was, and he said it's a choked-up perfect 5. I hit my shot. When we were walking down, I asked Brooks what he hit, and he said 5. If I would have known that, I probably would have hit 6-iron, and I would have hit 6-iron in the middle of the water. Luckily for me, I didn't know what he hit. That's the end of it."

Koepka also backed up what his fellow countryman had said, explaining the video by saying: "When I finished today's round, they were brought in -- like I said, I'm taking my glove off. The last thing I'm going to do is give it to Gary Woodland, the US Open champ. And the funny part about it is I think if he would have known we were hitting five, he would have hit six because I don't think Gary is that short and he's 10 in front of me, 12 in front of me."

He went on to add: "I think what they said was they were signaling to somebody else or he was signaling to somebody of what it was. It wasn't Butchie. Because they asked us what we hit walking down the fairway, so they had no idea."

Obviously, as is the way with most things, a lot of individuals within the golf world are divided on the matter, with Paul McGinley stating that “it’s very obvious," before adding "it’s staggering" in relation to how Koepka wasn't dealt a penalty. However, former Caddie of the Year, Craig Connelly, claimed that it "happens every single day, multiple times a round and if there's a caddy on here who says they've never done it, then they're talking s****!"

According to Woodland, he doesn't seem overly surprised with the reaction to the rules incident, with the 38-year-old saying that "they told us inside it was taking a big life. At the end of the day, I didn't hear anything or I didn't see anything. My caddie didn't hear anything or see anything either."

He went on to add: "Usually the caddies are telling the media or TV guys. The TV guys, the boom guys are out every hole, and they're usually telling them, so it's easy to pick it up from there. I don't know if there was a boom guy or not. I have no idea."

What Is Gary Woodland's Net Worth?

Gary Woodland has achieved a lot in the game of golf. A Major winner, Presidents Cup player and a multiple-time PGA Tour winner, it is actually pretty difficult to specifically work out how much his net worth is. Reports have suggested it could range from $5 million to $14 million but we cannot definitively say for certain.

Woodland has played in more than 300 PGA Tour events and has made over $30 million in official PGA Tour earnings at the moment. He has had four victories chief among which is the 2019 US Open in which he won at Pebble Beach by three strokes. With the win he earned $2,250,000, one of the highest purses in golf and it ensured his participation in many Major Championships in following years too. 

His other victories came at the 2011 Transitions Championship (now Valspar Championship), and he won $990,000. He then picked up $540,000 for winning the 2013 Reno-Tahoe Open which is now called the Barracuda Championship. 

Finally he won the 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open in a playoff over Chez Reavie. In the process he won $1,242,000.

Given his popularity Woodland seems to have a reasonable list of sponsors at the moment. Club wise, he used to be signed with Wilson but at the start of 2023 he signed with Cobra (which is owned by Puma) and it was an agreement to play the clubs, especially the driver and woods. (See Woodland's what's in the bag details here)

“I’ve been with Puma for a long time, so I’ve had that relationship. I’ve played their woods on and off for the last couple of years, and when I was able to test the product at the end of the year last year, I absolutely fell in love with the driver,” Woodland says. “The 3-wood went straight into play. I put them in play before anything else did. It was just so easy. Having the connection with Puma helped, but it was really the equipment that sold me on coming over full-steam.”

Woodland then also has an apparel partnership with Puma and has done for a number of years now. Indeed he also tends to wear the Puma apparel from the Volition collections. According to the Cobra website it says; "Gary primarily wears pieces from Puma’s Volition America Collection, a patriotic ensemble of products, to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Volition America supports the families of our military heroes through the Folds of Honor Foundation."

Woodland also has sponsorships with Security Benefit and Netjets.

Get to know Woodland's caddie Brennan Little and wife Gabby Woodland as well.

The signs are looking good for Rickie Fowler finally returning to the top of his game, and a successful Rickie Fowler would be a huge boost for the PGA Tour as one of the most popular players on the circuit.

Fowler is back at the Players Championship, the scene of his greatest victory in 2015 when he produced one of the best finishes we’ve seen at TPC Sawgrass to eventually claim the title in a playoff.

The 34-year-old was five shots back with six holes to play but totally destroyed that fearsome finish at Sawgrass, going eagle-birdie-birdie to force a play-off, before beating Kevin Kisner and Sergio Garcia to lift the Players Championship trophy.

Reaching as high as fourth in the world, the last of Fowler’s five PGA Tour wins came at the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open, and he’s endured some lean times in recent years, but he feels he’s close to getting that magic back.

“Oh, very close,” Fowler said recently. “How close I knew was being back to playing some better golf, it’s all a very fine line. I’ve got to drive it better than I have been, but it’s nice to see a lot of things improving and getting better. It’s kind of working from the green back.”

From finishing in the top five of every Major in 2014, Fowler failed to even qualify for three of them last year, but after three top 10s in his last nine and top 20 finishes in the Farmers Insurance Open, Phoenix Open and Genesis Invitational, he’s starting to appear regularly on leaderboards at big events.

And a good Rickie Fowler is great news for the PGA Tour, as Gary Woodland explains: “Rickie moves the needle.

“Obviously, he hasn’t had his best stuff the last couple years, but Rickie still gets crowds because he just has good energy around him. He’s always a positive guy and he makes time for the fans, man. He does things the right way. 

“People love him. They’re drawn to him. The way he’s playing lately, getting back to those Ryder Cups, Presidents Cups and contending in major championships, I don’t think it’s too far away.”

Good friend Justin Thomas agrees that it would be great for Fowler, for the PGA Tour, and for golf if one of the most popular players on the circuit could get back to challenging, and even winning, in big tournaments again.

“It's clearly trending that way. He's playing some really good golf, really solid consistent golf,” said Thomas ahead of the Players Championship. 

“I can just tell from playing practice rounds with him or playing with him at home, he's just, he's a different person. He's got a lot more swagger, a lot more confidence. His expectations are different.

“It's funny just what a couple tournaments or maybe one particular shot or week here and there will do. I think yeah he's definitely in that group of people that it's good for the game of golf when he's playing well.

“I mean, he gives more than anybody, I would say. He's more relatable. He gives more time, whether it's signing or having fan experiences. He's always been very active on social media, definitely more so pre-family. That's a reason why he's one of the most loved out here.”

Given the battle for the hearts and minds of golf fans around the globe right now, having Fowler firing on all cylinders and back in the limelight would be great news for the PGA Tour as they continue to try and fend off the advances of LIV Golf.

Last week's Honda Classic had a field filled with unfamiliar names. Some of the biggest names on the PGA Tour return to action this week as the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational is set to get underway tomorrow! The defending champion Scottie Scheffler looks to repeat as the winner at Bay Hill. Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy are the two most apparent challengers for him this week. We will see the best in the world test themselves on this major-style layout before next week's PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass.

But who should we be backing to perform this week at Bay Hill? Luckily for us, our team of golf handicappers and experts is here to give us their Arnold Palmer Invitational best bet for the weekend.

Geoff Fienberg, Brian Kirschner, Bradley Todd, Sam Eaton, Andy Lack, and Tom Jacobs look at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and break down their best bet in whichever market they decide. It could be an outright winner, it could be a top-20 finish, or it could even be a top-countryman play.

So, let's take a look at our experts' favorite Arnold Palmer Invitational bets.

Looking for the best betting offers for this week's Arnold Palmer Invitational? Then sign-up using the offers below for your chance to secure guaranteed money on your favorite PGA Tour golfers. Alternatively, claim one of our HUGE first bet offers, which will allow you to increase your stakes stress-free and allow you to win bigger on this event!

Arnold Palmer Invitational Staff Picks

Sam Eaton

Gary Woodland Top 30 (+150) (Bet $100 to collect $250) FanDuel has the best odds for this Gary Woodland bet

Going for five in a row since the Best Bets column went live on Golf Monthly! I was split between the Tom Hoge Top 30 and Gary Woodland Top 30 this week but settled on Woodland. Woodland is a better player in windier conditions, which is expected to be the case on Friday. 

Aside from his putter, Woodland's game is in good shape. He's gained 3.3 shots in approach over the last five competitions (including 9.7 at Genesis), 4.2 shots T26, and 2 shots OTT. His putter though has been -5 shots gained in two of the last three events. The good news is that Woodland gained 6.3 shots with the putter the last time he played this event. If his game remains consistent and his putter acts like it did last year, he's got a great chance of winning, let alone the top 30.

Tom Jacobs

Rickie Fowler Top 20 (+220) (Bet $100 to collect $320) FanDuel has the best odds for this Rickie Fowler bet

Rickie Fowler has now finished five of his eight starts this season and in each of his last three starts. Top 20 at Riviera was a strong result for Fowler, who has never finished better than that at that golf course, and his Top 10 at Phoenix was another sign in a strong field that his swing changes are bedding in. 

He returns to Bay Hill, where he has finished 3rd in the past and was also 5th going into the final round on just his second start. 

More recently, Fowler has been 12th (2017), 14th (2018), and 18th (2020) at this golf course. He can easily replicate those results, given his form. Ninth or better in SG Approach in each of his past four starts and trending SG Tee of Green numbers, Fowler is striking it well and is rash to contend again in Florida.

You can see the importance of ensuring you are finding the best odds regarding Rickie Fowler finishing inside the top 20. You can win as much as $320 and as little as $270 when betting $100 on him to finish inside the number this week.

Brian Kirschner

Rickie Fowler Top 40 (+100) (Bet $100 to collect $200) FanDuel has the best odds for this Rickie Fowler bet

Alright, we will play it safer in this column instead of trying to hit a +5000 First Round Leader bet. I am going with a golfer, Rickie Fowler, on a career resurgence, to the top 40 this week. it is really hard to deny Rickie’s recent form and stellar approach numbers. 

Over the past three rounds, Fowler has gained, on average, five strokes on approach, leading him to three straight top-20 finishes. It is hard to overlook how well Rickie has been hitting the ball. Rickie has also been a model of consistency at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. 

Rickie has played the API 13 times and has only missed one cut in 2014. Through the ups and downs in his career, Fowler has always had an affinity for this course on the PGA Tour rotation. 

Rickie almost won in the fall swing in Japan, is motivated to get into the top 50 in the world, and loves this course. I love the plus money and look forward to seeing Rickie atop the leaderboard come Sunday afternoon.

Bradley Todd

Tommy Fleetwood Top 20 (+240) (Bet $100 to collect $340) FanDuel has the best odds for this Tommy Fleetwood bet

I'm all in on Tommy this week! Outright, top English player, and top 20. Just by looking at his results and past interviews, you can tell he's a massive fan of Bay Hill. He's played in this event six times before missing the cut only once. He's finished inside the top 10 three times. 

Tommy missed the cut at the Phoenix Open but bounced back with a solid 20th-place finish at Riviera. He was steady tee to green, only losing strokes slightly off the tee. I think that performance sets him up nicely going into one of his favorite events on the PGA Tour calendar. The weather looks like it will play its part this week, which will only play into Tommy's hands. He's a fantastic wind player who regularly appears in tough scoring conditions. I struggle to see him finishing outside the top 20.

Geoff Fienberg

Tommy Fleetwood Top 20 (+240) (Bet $100 to collect $340) FanDuel has the best odds for this Tommy Fleetwood bet

Fleetwood comes to Bay Hill in decent form, and that's good enough for me to expect Tommy to build on his quality Florida track record, as 7 of his 21 career top tens include 3 of those at Bay Hill. He almost won the event in '19. That's a common theme for Tommy in America, as he's often been so close to his maiden PGA win. 

Tough conditions are ideal for Fleetwood backers, and many of those close calls have come at some of the tougher course condition locations on tour. International players have made it a habit of clogging up the Bay Hill leaderboard, and I expect to see Tommy right in the mix once again

As you can see from the table above, it is incredibly important to compare odds each week on the PGA Tour. Do not leave money on the table, as a $100 wager could return as much as $340 and as little as $300 when betting on a Tommy Fleetwood Top 20 this week.

Andy Lack

Cameron Young Top 10 (+330) (Bet $100 to collect $430) DraftKings has the best odds for this Cameron Young bet

I have been surprised to see Cameron Young begin to slide quickly in the betting markets, despite nearly winning two majors last year and emerging as the best player in the world without a PGA Tour victory. If I were designing a golf course specifically for Cameron Young’s skill set, it would look a lot like Bay Hill, as the 26-year-old remains one of the most dominant drivers of the ball in the world and an excellent long iron player well. 

I love that he is now traveling to a course that will put less pressure on his putter, and I expect him to build upon his 13th-place finish last year at the iconic Dick Wilson venue.

Always known for its raucous atmosphere, the PGA Tour travels south to Scottsdale, Arizona for the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The most notable change this year in the desert is the event’s promotion to an elevated status tournament. The field of 132 will now be competing for a $20-million dollar purse, with a whopping $3.6 million going to the winner.

While this tournament always delivers a strong field, this year features its best yet as 22 of the top-25 players in the world will be in attendance at TPC Scottsdale on Super Bowl weekend. Scottie Scheffler returns to defend his title, and he is joined by the likes of Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, Tom Kim, Collin Morikawa, Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa, Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland, and Matt Fitzpatrick, among others. The Waste Management Phoenix Open is the first full-field event of the year where we have all of game’s best competing in the same tournament, and it is sure to provide plenty of fireworks.

Waste Management Phoenix Open Course Preview

TPC Scottsdale

While TPC Scottsdale is most known for a singular hole, the par-three stadium-style 16th, the entire course provides plenty of drama at every turn. Designed in 1986 by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish, TPC Scottsdale plays as a par 71, tipping out to 7,261 yards on the scorecard. Situated at an approximate elevation of 1,530 feet above sea level, the course plays far shorter than the scorecard suggests.

Last year, players averaged 311.3 yards off the tee, good for the longest driving distance on par fours and par fives on the entire PGA Tour. Despite featuring its fair share of trouble off the tee, aggressive play is rewarded here, and we will see players bomb away with driver often. It should not come as a surprise that elite drivers of the ball, such as Scottie Scheffler, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, Gary Woodland, and Bubba Watson, among others, have experienced so much success at the Weiskopf and Morrish design.

While power always helps, accuracy is of far more importance at TPC Scottsdale, and it will be essential to keep the ball in play off the tee at a course that ranked fifth out of 38 courses last year in penalty strokes per round. A ball-striker’s track through and through, I will be looking to identify elite drivers of the ball, who can generate scoring opportunities at a high clip and have experienced their fair share of success at other TPC style venues.

Waste Management Phoenix Open Key Stats

• Opportunities Gained
• Good Drive Percentage
• Strokes Gained Total: TPC Scottsdale (Course History) list

Waste Management Phoenix Open Picks and Predictions: Outright Winner

Tony Finau (+2500) (Bet $100 to collect $2,600) Back Tony Finau at DraftKings now to get the best odds

I was extremely surprised to see Tony Finau open up at such a high number given his recent play. The World No. 12 will be going for his fourth win in 10 starts. Finau rates out as the No. 1 overall player in this field in the key metrics that I am looking at.

Pound for pound, he remains one of the best drivers of the ball in the world, and I trust his ability to keep the ball out of the desert. His iron play is just as strong, as the 33-year-old ranks sixth in this field in strokes gained approach across his last 36 rounds of play. Coming off a 9th-place finish at the Farmers Insurance Open where he gained 3.6 strokes both off the tee and on approach through three rounds at Torrey Pines South Course, I expect the six-time PGA Tour winner to find himself firmly in the mix come Super Bowl Sunday in Scottsdale.

Sungjae Im (+3500) (Bet $100 to collect $3,600) Follow this WM Phoenix Open pick and get the best odds at DraftKings

Despite failing to find the winner’s circle, Sungjae Im is playing some of the best golf of his young career. The World No. 18 is coming off a fourth-place finish at the Farmers Insurance Open where he gained seven strokes on approach, two strokes around the green, and 5.5 strokes with the flat-stick through 3 rounds at Torrey Pines South Course. This was the best approach week of Im’s career, and he now travels to a course where he has already recorded two top-20 finishes in three starts.

While the sample size is limited, the 24-year-old has never gained less than 1.5 strokes ball-striking, nor lost strokes putting at TPC Scottsdale. The two-time PGA Tour winner features the exact well-rounded skillset that I am looking for this week, and his most recent PGA Tour victory came at another desert TPC course where keeping the ball in play off the tee and short to middle iron play is of great importance. This will be the week that Im announces himself as one of the best players in the world.

Xander Schauffele makes his 2023 debut this week at the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua and he's doing so with some new equipment that has been very interestingly tweaked.

The World No.6 has the brand new Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond driver in the bag for the event and made some tweaks himself by adding some white sharpie lines to give the look of grooves. GolfWRX is on-site this week in Hawaii and revealed that Schauffele's caddie said: "Xander likes to see the face so he added sharpie lines (it’s not paint!)"

Hideki Matsuyama was disqualified from the Memorial Tournament for adding similar lines to his club face, although his markings were not made with a sharpie pen.

"Those markings were placed there by his club guy to help with alignment. Assistance with alignment by placing a small Sharpie mark on the face or small Sharpie line on the face is certainly allowed," PGA Tour Senior Tournament Director, Steve Rintoul, said at the time.

"But what was done there with that substance which is very much like a whiteout substance we would use at home, was a coating that was not only in the grooves but was very thick along the face, and now he's applied a substance to the face, which renders the club non-conforming. Under 4.1a under the rules of golf, a player is disqualified if he uses a non-conforming club."

A number of new Callaway Paradym driver heads recently appeared on the USGA Conforming Club list, with players set to use them in competition this week.

The event comes with an elevated $15m purse and a field that includes 17 of the world's top 20 players. Xander Schauffele won the event in 2019, where he shot a final round 11-under-par 62 to beat Gary Woodland by one. He has won seven PGA Tour titles and captured the Olympic gold medal at Tokyo 2020.

- Tour Gear Round Up - New Drivers and Player Signings

Gary Woodland What's In The Bag?

A few years ago Gary Woodland signed with Wilson which we believe was a contract to play ten clubs made by the brand, but he appeared to switch to a Cobra contract in 2023. 

“My first set of clubs I ever got as a kid was a Cobra set,” Woodland said Wednesday at the Sony Open in Hawaii. “My first couple of clubs were cut-downs from my mom, but my first junior set of clubs was a Cobra set, so it’s kind of a dream to actually play them out on Tour. It’s pretty cool.” 

Driver

What Driver Does Gary Woodland Use?

Woodland is playing the new Cobra Darkspeed LS driver in the 9˚ head. As a really strong swinger of the club, Woodland uses a very strong shaft the Mitsubishi Diamana WB 73 in TX Flex.

We were really impressed with the Darkspeed LS in testing, particularly the aggressive spin numbers and (not that Woodland is worried about this) the exceptional value on offer. It definitely sits amongst the best drivers of 2024.

Fairways

What Fairway Woods Does Gary Woodland Use?

Woodland is currently gaming the Cobra Darkspeed LS 3 wood in 14.5˚ with a Mitsubishi Diamana WB 83 TX shaft, whilst his five-wood is the slightly older Cobra LTDx LS design with around 19 degrees of loft. His 5 wood is fitted with a UST Mamiya LINQ shaft.

Irons

What Irons Does Gary Woodland Use?

His irons, from four-iron down to pitching wedge, are Cobra King MB blades with Project X 6.5 shafts.

“I’m switching to the Cobra muscleback (irons),” Woodland said early in 2023. “I liked where I was at (using Wilson irons), and I’m equally excited about where I’m going. There’s a little less offset, which I like looking down at. It’s a very traditional blade, but the interaction with the turf has been amazing. I literally had no changes made to them; literally right off the rack and I put them in play.”

Wedges

What Wedges Does Gary Woodland Use?

In his wedges, Woodland has a mixture of Cobra and Vokey wedges. He uses a 48˚ Cobra SB wedge, before transitioning into two Titleist Vokey SM9 wedges (52-08F, 56-14F). For his lob wedge he goes back to Cobra, using the Cobra King 60˚.

The 48˚ is fitted with the same Project X 6.5 shafts as his irons, but the rest of the wedges have KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 125 S shafts in them, which are a little softer.

Putter

What Putter Does Gary Woodland Use?

Woodland seemed to be experimenting with his putter back in 2022. Previously a Scotty Cameron blade user, we did see him experiment with a Scotty Cameron Phantom X T5.5 with a plumbers neck design however it looks like he has now gone to a Scotty Cameron T-5 Prototype.

Ball

What Ball Does Gary Woodland Use?

Woodland had previousl played the Bridgestone Tour B X golf ball - the same model used by Tiger Woods - although he has now put the Titleist Pro V1x in play. One of the best golf balls money can buy, the Pro V1x got five stars in our review and it is easy to see why. It provides superb all-round performance with impressive distance in the long game, excellent control into the greens and high levels of consistency throughout with a soft feel. It was also particularly impressive when playing in the wind.

Gary Woodland WITB: Full Specs

Driver: Cobra Darkspeed LS 9˚ with a Mitsubishi Diamana WB 73 TX shaft

3-wood: Cobra Darkspeed LS 14.5˚ with a Mitsubishi Diamana WB 83 TX shaft

5-wood: Cobra LTDx LS (20.5 degrees at 19) with UST Mamiya LINQ shaft

Irons: (4-PW): Cobra King MB with Project X 6.5 shafts

Wedges: Cobra SB (48˚), Titleist Vokey SM9 (52-08F and 56-14F) and Cobra King 60˚

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

There’s an $18million payday awaiting the winner of this week’s Tour Championship, and while there are plenty of big names set to do battle after the East Lake field was confirmed, there’s plenty of stars who will be watching from the sidelines for one reason or another.

Injury has ruled out some, while loss of form has seen others fail to qualify. And of course, those that have signed to LIV Golf have been deemed ineligible and will not be playing. The top 125 finishers in the FedEx eligibility list, which replaced the Fedex standings and removed all LIV players, qualified for the St Jude Championship. The top 70 after that headed to last week’s BMW Championship, with the top 30 making it to the Tour Championship.

A whole raft of Major winners will be missing from the field. In the five years from 2016-2020, there were 15 Majors played, but only three of the winners will play this week at East Lake. Those that have qualified are guaranteed $500,000, even if they finish 30th this week, making it even more painful for those on the outside looking in.

1. Tiger Woods

The biggest name in golf for more than 20 years, and while he’s not quite the force he once was, Tiger Woods is still a name golf fans like to see in any event. He is one of those recent Major winners not playing, the 2019 Masters being the last of his 15 Major wins. Tiger has struggled to regain full fitness following his serious car crash last February, and lack of playing time saw him finish way down in 213th on the FedEx eligibility list.

2. Will Zalatoris

After a stellar season, Zalatoris was set to start to start the Tour Championship in third place at 7-under-par, but injury has forced him to pull out. He was actually leading the standings going into the BMW Championship, having won his maiden PGA Tour event a week earlier, the FedEx St Jude Championship, but he had to retire from that event and has confirmed his absence from the Tour Championship and Presidents Cup with herniated discs. 

3. Shane Lowry

The 2019 Open champion missed out on an invite to East Lake by the slenderest of margins, finishing in 31st on the list, one short of the qualification places. In fact, as Adam Scott found the greenside bunker on the 18th green needing a par to deny the Irishman, Lowry will have fancied his chances, but Scott held it together to get up and down and Lowry was left languishing. Even the withdrawal of Zalatoris didn’t benefit him, with no replacements called up. 

4. Gary Woodland

Another 2019 Major winner who didn’t qualify, although Woodland was a long way short compared to Lowry. He finished 75th on the eligibility list and bowed out after the St Jude Championship. The former US Open winner has had a down year, with only a couple of tied 5th finishes to show for his efforts. 

5. Danny Willett

The 2016 Masters champion will not tee it up at East Lake. He missed the whole of the FedEx playoffs, having finished 130th on the eligibility list. He’s had only one top 10 finish on the PGA Tour this season and won less than $1million there. 

6. Tommy Fleetwood

Tommy has not played since his tied-4th place finish at the Open in mid-July. He decided to take some time to be with his family following the passing of his mother and sat out the playoffs. He had qualified in 47th place, which meant he could have played both the St Jude and BMW Championships and would have had a decent shot at making the top 30 and the Tour Championship. He has confirmed he will be in the field for the ZOZO Championship in October. 

7. Justin Rose

The 2013 US Open winner needed a strong showing at the St Jude Championship if he was to progress in the playoffs, but a disastrous 75 followed his opening 71, meaning he missed the cut at 6-over, finishing with only Stewart Cink below him. That pulled the plug on any dreams the former World No.1 had of making the Tour Championship. 

8. Francesco Molinari

The 2017 Open champions is another recent Major winner who misses out. The Italian was not involved in the playoffs at all, finishing 137th on the eligibility list. He’s had only one top 10 on the PGA Tour this season, earning just over $800k. 

9. Jimmy Walker

The 2016 PGA Championship winner, Walker finished 189th on the eligibility list, way outside the 125 playoff positions, and is another who will be watching the Tour Championship on TV. He’s had no top 10s this season, with a best finish of joint-24th, and has earned only $210k on Tour. 

10. Jason Day

Another former World No.1 who won’t be at East Lake, Day started the playoffs in fine form, opening at the St Jude Championship with a five-under-par 65. It all went wrong the next day however, when he posted a 74, nine shots worse than his opening round, missing the cut by one. That was end of his hopes of making the BMW Championship and ultimately the Tour Championship. 

11. Rickie Fowler

The nearly man of golf, who has finished in the top three of all four Majors without winning one, just scraped into the top 125 and therefore needed a strong showing at the St Jude to stand a chance of making the BMW Championship. He started well, and was at 7-under-par and set to challenge for the top-10 finish required as he approached the last hole of his third round. However, a disastrous quintuple bogey at the final hole, which saw him find the water twice, ruined the round, tournament and any chances of continuing in the playoffs. 

12. Kevin Kisner

Kisner had a chance of making the Tour Championship, but needed a big result in the BMW Championship, and he never really got going. He ended up 38th in the eligibility list after a T48 finish at Wilmington Country Club, ending at level par. While others seized their opportunity and played their way in, a frustrated Kisner could only watch as the likes of Adam Scott and Scott Stallings flew up the standings while he dropped from 28th out of the qualifying spots.

PGA Tour pro, Gary Woodland has been on tour since 2007 and has employed a number of caddies during his six-win career so far.

But, his most recent on-course partnership is also his longest and most successful, turning to the highly-successful Brennan Little towards the end of 2016 and remaining with him ever since.

Little - born in Ontario, Canada but now living in Plano, Texas - has been a pro caddie since 1999 and worked with the likes of Mike Weir, Sean O'Hair and Camillo Villegas along the way.

His career highlights include helping Weir to victory at the 2003 Masters and then guiding Woodland to the 2019 US Open title at Pebble Beach, plus several other wins on tour and six Presidents Cup appearances.

While obviously an excellent caddie, Little is also quite the player, too. He revealed during a 2019 interview with the Caddie Network that he held a Handicap Index of two at the time and used to play collegiate golf at New Mexico State.

According to his profile on the PGA of America, Little has won seven Northern Texas Section titles throughout his career - including three in five starts during 2024. The pro bagman was also set to make his Senior Major debut in 2025 after qualifying for the Senior PGA Championship - at which Woodland was slated to reverse roles and caddie.

Explaining how the move came about, Little said: "[Gary] told me that when I turn 50, if I qualify for a Major, he'd caddie for me. I qualified through my section and went to the National Club Pro out in Oregon. I got him panicked there for a while and almost blew it, but I ended up making it so I'm holding him to it."

The Canadian's favorite golfer growing up was Greg Norman and his favorite golf course to caddie at is Augusta National. That being said, Little admitted he has a lot of time for Colonial due to knowing the golf course really well and it being close to his home in northern Texas.

As far as personal interests go, Little loves playing and watching ice hockey with his dream alternate career being the general manager of a hockey team. He supports Dallas Stars (NHL), Washington Commanders (NFL) and Toronto Blue Jays (MLB).

Having grown up playing football through high school and still playing pick-up hockey games now, his other hobbies include real estate, keeping an eye on the stock market and going fishing. The caddie says he always carries his fishing rod when he's on the road and tries to get out as much as he can.

Little's dream fourball would include his father, former MLB star Josh Donaldson and Dallas Stars captain, Jamie Benn. Outside of golf, Little volunteers at the Boys and Girls Club in Plano/Frisco.

Gary Woodland wrote his name into the history books in 2019 when he won the US Open at Pebble Beach, holding off Brooks Koepka down the stretch to become a Major champion.

The American is a multiple winner on the PGA Tour and one of the tour's most respected and well liked players.

Get to know Gary Woodland better with these 25 facts:

Gary Woodland Facts:

1. Woodland was born in Topeka, Kansas on the 21st of May, 1984.

2. After high school, Woodland attended Washburn University on a basketball scholarship but left after one year. He then attended Kansas University on a golf scholarship. Whilst there he studied sociology and had a successful collegiate career winning four tournaments.

3. He gave up on his basketball career after playing against Kansas University. He said to TaylorMade; "They were so much bigger and faster then we were. I quickly realised I wasn't going to be able to play basketball as a professional - I probably could've gone overseas and played, but I wasn't going to be able to do it as a career."

4. In golf, Woodland turned professional in 2007.

5. Four years later he won his first event on the PGA Tour at the Transitions Championship. This came just weeks after he lost in a playoff at the Bob Hope Classic to Jhonattan Vegas.

6. Alongside Matt Kuchar, Woodland helped win the World Cup of Golf with the United States.

7. During the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open, Woodland surprised Amy Bockerstette from Special Olympics Arizona to play the iconic 16th hole with him. The moment went viral online and in the world of sport, and the two have remained in touch since.

8. His best world ranking position is 12th following his 2019 US Open win.

9. He is quite the table tennis player. After injuring his shoulder during his rookie season on the PGA Tour he had nine months out and couldn't really move his left shoulder so he took to table-tennis to keep busy.

10. He marks his ball with a 1984 half-dollar coin given to him by his mother. The year 1984 signifies the year he was born.

11. Back in 2017, Woodland and his partner Gabby had their son Jaxson who was born 10 weeks prematurely. They were expecting twins but sadly their daughter was lost during the pregnancy. They then had two twin girls together in 2019 after two miscarriages.

12. He has made over $33m on the PGA Tour.

13. Woodland's caddie is Brennan Little, a veteran looper who has been on tour since 1999 and by Woodland's side for many years, including at the victorious 2019 US Open.

14. He has ten runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour, where he has made over 250 cuts from over 340 starts.

15. In September 2023, he underwent brain surgery to remove a benign tumor. Leading up to the surgery, he had anxiety and was worried about death.

16. He is a Cobra-Puma ambassador.

17. He made a hole-in-one on the 14th hole in round two of the 2015 AT&T Byron Nelson. He also made an ace at the 2018 QBE Shootout.

18. He lives in Delray Beach, Florida.

19. He is a member of Pine Tree Golf Club.

20. His home club as a junior was Topeka Country Club in Kansas.

21. He played in the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, where Tiger Woods' Team USA beat the Internationals in a tight contest.

22. His favorite college team is the Kansas Jayhawks and the professional team he supports is the Kansas City Chiefs.

23. The golf complex at the University of Kansas is named after him.

24. He has a ball deal with Titleist and plays the Pro V1x.

25. He has previously worked with Butch Harman. His current coach is Mark Blackburn, while he also works putting guru Phil Kenyon.

Gary Woodland earnings

Gary Woodland has earned over $33m on the PGA Tour. His biggest check came after his 2019 US Open win, where he earned $2.5m.

He also has sponsorship deals with Cobra-Puma Golf, Titleist, Security Benefit, NetJets and Troon Golf.

Gary Woodland driving distance

Woodland is a powerful player and has averaged over 300 yards in every season he's played on the PGA Tour. His longest hitting season was 2022-23, where he had an average drive of 313.8 yards.

Gary Woodland brain tumor

Woodland underwent surgery in September 2023 for a benign brain tumor. It led to him taking four months away from the game, returning in January 2024.

He opened up about the anxiety and fear of death he experienced leading up to the surgery.

"The doctors kept telling me I was OK, but this thing which was pushing on the part of my brain which controls fear and anxiety... it didn't matter if I was driving a car or on an airplane - I'd be thinking the bin is going to fall on me - I just thought everything was going to kill me," he said.

"So, you can imagine - leading up to surgery - what I felt like about the thought of having my head cut open and my brain operated on. The fear going into that was awful.

"When I woke up and realized I was OK, I was filled with thankfulness and love, and that replaced the fear. It was emotional, very emotional, because I'd gone four-and-a-half months of every day really thinking I was going to die."

Who Is Gary Woodland's Wife?

A multiple time PGA Tour winner, Gary Woodland's biggest victory came at Pebble Beach in 2019 where, after a two-under-par final round, he claimed the US Open, his first, and currently only, Major success.

As well as the individual successes, he is also a former Presidents Cup player and secured the World Cup with Matt Kuchar in 2011. In this piece, we take a look at someone who has been by his side throughout the victories, his wife, Gabby Woodland.

Gabby Woodland, formally Gabby Granado, has been married to her husband, Gary, since 2016, with the ceremony taking place on a beach in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Unfortunately, just a year on from their wedding, the couple were dealt with tragedy after they sadly lost one of their twins in utero. The other twin, Jaxson, was born prematurely, but has gone from strength to strength over the last few years.

Two years later, in 2019, not only did Gary claim his first career Major title at Pebble Beach in the US Open, but the family also welcomed twin girls Maddox and Lennox into the world as well.

“I do want to thank a couple special people in my life that are here tonight and have really helped me get to where I’m at today, and that starts with my wife who is my rock,” Woodland said at his induction in the Topeka Hall of Fame in June of 2017.

“She has the responsibility now of dealing with me on a daily basis; she has to deal with my good rounds and when I’m happy and when I’m power-pouting after my bad rounds. She has to deal with that roller coaster. I can’t thank her enough; I love her to death."

For more content on the American, take a look at our posts on his caddie Brennan Little, and Gary Woodland's what's in the bag information.

Take a look at the apparel Gary Woodland is wearing at the PGA Championship.

What Is Gary Woodland Wearing?

2019 US Open winner Gary Woodland first signed with Puma back in 2017 and has since signed a contract extension in 2020 so he continues to wear garments and shoes from the brand.

Woodland's outfits do always stand out too because he plays a big part in using Puma's Volition America Collection which combines cutting-edge apparel and footwear with Volition America’s focus on patriotism.

Related: Gary Woodland What's In The Bag?

Here we have taken a look at what the American will wear during the PGA Championship.

What Is Gary Woodland Wearing?

Above is Woodland's scripting for the week and we have gone into specifics below in case you want to get the look.

Let's go into Woodland's polos for the week. On Thursday he will go for the MATTR Roar polo in a colour Puma calls Blue Glow. Of course the first thing to talk about here is the all over cat print which offers a unique look to say the least. It is also made from Puma's MATTR (Materials, Technology & Research) fabric which is the performance fabric designed for the highest level of comfort no matter the climate condition.

It is a moisture-wicking, fast-drying fabric that has a breathable, stretchy and lightweight feel to it so you can play your best. It also has UPF 50+ protection to guard you against the sun's harmful rays.

•  Read our full Puma MATTR Roar Polo review  

Moving onto Friday he will go for a white Palmetto Polo which is part of the new line for the PGA Championship week. The shirt pays homage to the classic style of the South and uses the state tree of South Carolina as design inspiration for a couple of nice flourishes like the blue accents in the collar for example.

•  Read our full Puma Tech Pique Palmetto Polo review  

Over the weekend Woodland will opt for a couple of Puma Volition designs. Woodland has been linked with the Volition line for a while now which is a patriotic ensemble of products designed in a red, white and blue colour palette. The all over print is of clubs, greens, eagles, freedom, flags and other symbols.

The Volition line is also important because it is part of Ouma Golf's support of the Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides educational scholarships to spouses and children of America's fallen and disabled service-members.

•  Read our full Puma Volition BBQ Polo review  

His final polo for the week, provided he makes the cut, it the Volition Ghillie. The stripe design is available in a couple of colours and has the camo finish which is all the rage these days. Performance comes from the moisture-wicking, stretchy and UV resistant fabric.

•  Read our full Puma Volition Ghillie Polo review  

Throughout the week Woodland will go for Jackpot pants in high rise, quarry, navy and white colours.

•  Read our full Puma Jackpot Pants review  

As usual Woodland will opt for the Pwradapt Caged shoes in a couple of different colours throughout the week.

One of the best spiked golf shoes available right now, the shoe is said to deliver the optimum blend of comfort, style, and locked-in stability no matter how hard a golfer swings. It has a sporty sneaker style look to it which we really like and you’ll notice the underfoot cushioning from the Ignite foam providing a spring in your step while also letting you feel relatively low to the ground.

Puma Ignite Pwradapt Caged Shoes Review

•  Read our full Puma Ignite Pwradapt Caged Shoes Review

Paired with the pants will be the Ultralite Stretch belt from Puma.

•  Read our full Puma Ultralite Stretch Belt review  

Woodland also opts for the Wilson Staff Model glove. It is a premium golf glove which has been cut to tour-player specification for a precise fit and optimum feel, and is constructed from ultra-thin Cabretta leather.

•  Read our full Wilson Staff Model Glove review  

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We take a look at what technology Tour players use and look at what amateur players can learn from their use of technology.

What Technology Do Tour Players Use?

You’ll be hard pressed to find Bryson Dechambeau without some kind of device on his person in the days leading up to a PGA Tour event.

Gone are the days where players doing data-driven practice were ridiculed and Bryson has certainly popularised its use on Tour.

His success has affirmed the fact that technology, and using data in the right way, helps elite golfers get the added edge over their opponents.

Technology in golf has now become more accessible to the masses over the last decade and now it's not just Tour pros who can benefit from what technology and data can do for the game of golf.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at what the best players on Tour are using right now, how it helps them play their best game and how it could also help you play some of your best golf.

GCQuad Launch Monitor 

You may have spotted these devices positioned next to the Tour players up and down the practice range before a round. The GCQuad has spiked in popularity on Tour and is one of the go-to devices for shot analysis.

Made by Foresight Sports, the GCQuad gives players a complete picture of what the club and the ball did at the moment of impact. It is portable, incredibly accurate and provides instant results for the players to see a multitude of statistics.

Four cameras pick up a 3-D image of the interaction between the clubhead and the ball and accurately presents the players with information such as yardage, ball speed, launch angle, clubhead speed, clubhead impact and a whole host of other data points that would take too long to list.

Each shot is recorded on the Cloud and allows players, whether after a range session or practice round, to go back and analyse each individual shot to see where gains can be made or where shots are going wrong.

The likes of Rickie Fowler, Gary Woodland and Russell Knox have all been using the GC Quad to help their game and, of course, Bryson Dechambeau is a serial user of the device.

For the handicap player, the GC Quad is probably even more useful than it is to these Tour players. Fowler, Woodland and Dechambeau already know their games inside out and use technology to refine their skills and gain tiny percentages against the competitive PGA Tour field.

For amateurs who have much less understanding of their game, the data that comes from the GC Quad can be even more beneficial as there are parts of our game we simply don’t know about unless we use the right technology.

Learning where the bad shot off the tee goes most often, knowing your precise wedge yardages and understanding how much your 7-iron spins can be the difference between shooting a high score or breaking 80 for the first time. Yes, Tour players are playing the game on a totally different level to handicap golfers, but why shouldn’t we use the same data they do to help improve our game?

UK Buy Now the GCQuad Home Studio at American Golf 

Trackman Launch Monitor 

Using much of the same technology and concepts at the GC Quad, Trackman is another device used widely on the PGA Tour and you’ll see it dotted across professional and amateur ranges across the world helping golfers analyse their game.

Just like GC Quad, Trackman sits by ball to track shots and give players a multitude of different numbers regarding their golf shots. It's interesting to note that Bryson uses both GCQuad and Trackman interchangeably and he says this is to get as much accurate data as possible using both devices.

Related: Best Golf Launch Monitors

Trackman is another staple Tour device used by most players to gather data on their shots and give themselves as much relevant information as possible before a round.

Relevant information is the key point here. Indeed, there is so much information provided by Trackman that it can be overwhelming.

When Jon Rahm uses Trackman, he only looks at two specific elements: carry distance and angle of attack. He says if the attack angle is plus 2 or plus 3 with his driver, he knows he’s hitting it well.

This is a great lesson for amateurs when using technology. Whether using your own Trackman or even tracking technology now installed at some driving ranges, focus on a few numbers you understand and think will help your game the most.

It's interesting to see that even Tour pros don’t use all the data provided to them, but just the most significant and telling numbers available to them.

Rangefinders

Away from shot tracking and data analysis, rangefinders are a vital piece of technology used by pretty much all Tour players.

Currently, they are only allowed to be used in practice rounds to gather yardage information which is then recorded in a yardage book for later reference. However, earlier this year the PGA Tour announced they would be permitted to be used in play at this year’s PGA championship at Kiawah Island, sparking up some fairly intense debate about their usage on Tour.

Bushnell is an overwhelmingly popular device on Tour and has been for over a decade. Indeed, 99% of Tour pros and caddies use a Bushnell and they seem to have a total monopoly of the Tour pro market.

The Bushnell Pro XE is the most popular choice for Tour players, but the new V5 Slim rangefinder has been spotted on Tour and is a great option for amateur players looking to invest in a rangefinder.

Related: Best Golf Laser Rangefinders

For amateurs, rangefinders can be used in competitions providing any slope measuring technology is turned off. They are fantastic at finding precise yardage to pins and carry distances over hazards, but are also effective at helping find lay-up points on the fairway or knowing the exact yardage to the front or back of a green.

There is also a wide-range of choice away from Bushnell, with manufacturers  like Motocaddy, GolfBuddy and Volvik making rangefinders to compete with Bushnell.

Buy Now UK Bushnell Tour V5 Slim Laser Rangefinder from The Golf Shop Online for £299

Arccos Caddie

Whilst this device isn’t used by Tour players, it is in this list thanks to the Tour-style analysis it provides amateur golfers.

Arccos Caddie consists of 14 smart sensors that screw into the top of your club that, when activated, record every shot you hit out on the golf course.

After a few rounds, the technology learns how you hit the ball - the sort of shot shape you hit and yardage you hit with each club - and, via the app, recommends what club to hit out on the course.

Related: Arccos Caddie Review

But it is the post round data that is most useful feature of Arccos Caddie and provides Tour-level analysis of every round logged

Last year, Arccos introduced Strokes Gained Analysis (SGA) as part of the Arccos Caddie app, allowing golfers to select a target handicap and and measure performance against that goal across every facet of their game.

If you’re looking to help your game by investing in some of the great technology now available, this is an affordable and easy way of accessing Tour-level data to help bring your handicap down.

UK Buy Now at Apple for £169.95

US Buy Now at Apple for $179.95

Hit the virtual links with the PGA Tour 2K21 official video game

PGA Tour 2K21 Game - What You Need To Know

PGA Tour 2K21 marks the first official PGA Tour video game since 2015.

Golf fans and gamers have been crying out for an official PGA Tour video game and it is finally being delivered by 2K Games and HB Studios.

Gamers will create their MyPlayer and take on the challenge of earning their Korn Ferry Tour card before progressing to the main tour with the goal of lifting the FedEx Cup at the Tour Championship.

Along the way, you'll encounter 15 officially-licensed courses and be able to personalise your MyPlayer with selected apparel and clubs, featuring brands like adidas, Polo Ralph Lauren, Callaway, TaylorMade and Bridgestone.

The PGA Tour season will feature 30 tournaments and you'll earn sponsorships with brands and be faced with rivalries up against real-life PGA Tour pros.

Commentary will come from Australian Luke Elvy and 2002 PGA Champion Rich Beem, well known to UK viewers through his Sky Sports broadcasting role.

As well as the single player career mode, the game will also feature extensive online options for players to tee it up with friends and others with formats including alternate-shot, stroke play, skins and four-player scramble.

On top of that, Online Societies will encourage players to invite their friends to play full seasons and tournaments with unique entry rules and requirements, as well as handicap and event settings.

PGA Tour 2K21 - Confirmed Courses

• Atlantic Beach Country Club
• Copperhead Course, Innisbrook - Valspar Championship
• East Lake Golf Club, Tour Championship
• Quail Hollow Club, Wells Fargo Championship
• Riviera Country Club, Genesis Invitational
• TPC Boston, The Northern Trust
• TPC Deere Run, John Deere Classic
• TPC Louisiana, Zurich Classic
• TPC River Highlands, Travelers Championship
• TPC San Antonio, Valero Texas Open
• TPC Sawgrass, The Players Championship
• TPC Scottsdale, Waste Management Phoenix Open
• TPC Southwind, WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational
• TPC Summerlin, Shriners Open
• TPC Twin Cities, 3M Open

Each course takes several months for the developers at HB Studios to build, and it starts by partnering with Terra Imaging to capture and process detailed aerial drone footage of each one to ensure the green complexes and course undulations are as life-like as possible.

The drones to capture nearly every real-life detail of the courses, down to 1cm of accuracy, and then convert the data to 3D images for HB Studios developers to recreate in-game.

As well as the official licensed courses, gamers will also be able to create their own course via the PGA Tour 2K21 Course Designer. Check out the trailer below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nzl6Y4A4rI&feature=youtu.be

PGA Tour 2K21 - Confirmed Golfers

The video game will feature 12 real-life professional golfers, headlined by 2017 PGA Champion and former World No.1 Justin Thomas.

• Justin Thomas
• Cameron Champ
• Bryson DeChambeau
• Matt Kuchar
• Kevin Kisner
• Gary Woodland
• Billy Horschel
• Ian Poulter
• Tony Finau
• Jim Furyk
• Sergio Garcia
• Patrick Cantlay

PGA Tour 2K21 comes out on PC, PS4 and Xbox One on Friday 21st August.

For all the latest golf news, check the Golf Monthly website and follow our social media channels @golfmonthlymagazine on Facebook and @golfmonthly on Twitter and Instagram

We get to know American professional golfer Chez Reavie better with these 10 facts.

10 Things You Didn't Know About Chez Reavie

How well do you know American Chez Reavie? Take a look at these 10 facts on him.

10 Things You Didn't Know About Chez Reavie

1. His full name is William Chesney Reavie.

2. He was born in Wichita, Kansas on the 12th of November 1981.

3. Reavie has been in two playoffs in PGA Tour events, and he has lost them both. One came against Webb Simpson and the other Gary Woodland.

Related: Chez Reavie What's In The Bag?

4. He played in his first Masters in 2002 after winning the 2001 U.S. Public Links.

5. Reavie's rookie season on the PGA Tour came in 2008 and it did not take him long to make some noise as he won the RBC Canadian Open by three strokes from Billy Mayfair.

6. It would take him over 10 years to get back in the winner's circle and collect his second PGA Tour victory. This came at the 2019 Traveler's Championship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUQFF6nwKRM

7. His best finish at a Major Championship came at the 2019 US Open at Pebble Beach. He finished in a tie for 3rd alongside Jon Rahm, Justin Rose and Xander Schauffele.

8. Reavie attended Arizona State University from 2000-04, but returned years later to complete his B.I.S. in Political Science/Sociology in 2010.

9. Chez is married to Amanda Henrichs. The pair tied the knot in 200 in Scottsdale, Arizona. It has been reported they met in high-school and in an interview with Golf.com, Reavie said that Amanda only allows him 30 minutes to be annoyed at a round. “Thirty minutes to kind of be pissed off about this, and after that I’m not allowed to be pissed anymore,” he said.

10. His best world ranking in his career to date is 26th.

For all the latest golf news, check the Golf Monthly website and follow our social media channels @golfmonthlymagazine on Facebook and @golfmonthly on Twitter and Instagram

We take a look at who coaches the American Gary Woodland.

Who Is Gary Woodland's Coach?

Who currently coaches the 2019 US Open Major winning American Gary Woodland? We take a look below.

Who Is Gary Woodland's Coach?

Gary Woodland's current coach is Pete Cowen after having worked with Butch Harmon for a long time. The partnership clearly worked too as he managed to secure his first Major title at the US Open hosted at Pebble Beach.

After the victory, Woodland lauded the work he and Cowen had done.

“Pete’s been amazing for me,” Woodland said. “I worked with Butch for a long time and Butch is the one that recommended me to go to Pete a year and a half ago for the short game. When Butch decided to retire, it was an easy transition for me to do everything with Pete."

Related: Gary Woodland What’s In The Bag?

“Pete to me is like a coach. He’s not really a teacher, he’s a coach. He tells you this is the game plan, this is what we’re going to do, and then it’s up to me to go out and do it.

“But like Butch, he knows what to say and when to say it. He sent me an unbelievable text this morning (Sunday) that had nothing to do with my golf swing or technique.

“He said ‘Every man dies, but not every man lives, and you live for this moment.‘ I thought about that a lot and he’s been great for me. But I think we’re only on the tip of the iceberg."

Related: 12 Things You Didn’t Know About Gary Woodland

Woodland has also worked with Phil Kenyon on his putting too.

Related: Who Is Gary Woodland's Wife?

For all the latest golf news, check the Golf Monthly website and follow our social media channels @golfmonthlymagazine on Facebook and @golfmonthly on Twitter and Instagram

We rank the 10 best golfers of this year...

Top 10 Golfers Of 2019 - Who Had The Best Year?

The 2019 golfing year has been one to remember with highlights including Tiger Woods winning his 15th Major, the Open Championship taking place in Northern Ireland for the first time in 68 years and Europe winning back the Solheim Cup.

Below, we pick out our 10 best players of the year...

10. Tommy Fleetwood

The Englishman ended his 22-month win drought at the Nedbank Golf Challenge with a playoff victory over Marcus Kinhult after shooting a 65 with three eagles on Sunday.

Fleetwood was then 2nd at the DP World Tour Championship the following week to finish 2nd in the final Race to Dubai standings.

He was also 2nd to Shane Lowry at the Open Championship, T5th at the Players Championship and didn't miss a single cut all year!

9. Hannah Green

Green won her maiden Major and maiden LPGA Tour title at the Women's PGA Championship at Hazeltine, beating defending champion Sung Hyun-Park by one after a clutch sand-save on the 72nd hole.

The Aussie then won her second LPGA Tour title in September at the Cambia Portland Classic and saw her world ranking rise as high as 18 having been as low as 147th earlier in the year.

8. Gary Woodland

Woodland captured his maiden Major Championship at the US Open at Pebble Beach in June.

The American held off challenges from World No.1 Brooks Koepka and No.4 Justin Rose with a two-under-par 69 on Sunday.

Woodland also had a 2nd at the Tournament of Champions, a 3rd at the CJ Cup and was T8th at the USPGA Championship.

His good play also earned him a wildcard pick for Tiger Woods' USA Presidents Cup team.

7. Hinako Shibuno

The young Japanese sensation had never won a professional title before 2019 but is now a five-time winner.

The 21-year-old, known as the 'Smiling Cinderella', won in her first ever Major championship appearance at the Women's British Open.

She birdied the 72nd hole to beat Lizette Salas by one in what was, incredibly, her first ever time playing golf outside of her homeland.

As well as that phenomenal win, Shibuno also won four times on the LPGA of Japan Tour including a Major there too.

6. Jon Rahm

Jon Rahm became the second Spaniard to win the Race to Dubai (or Order of Merit title) after winning the DP World Tour Championship for his 10th pro title in just three years.

The Spaniard also successfully defended both the Irish and Spanish Opens this year and had another 13 top-10s including a 2nd at the BMW PGA and a T3rd at the US Open.

He rose to 3rd in the world.

5. Shane Lowry

Lowry may have thought winning the Irish Open in 2009 whilst still an amateur would never be topped but he certainly did that this year by winning his maiden Major at the Open Championship in Portrush.

The Irishman dominated to win by six in what turned out to be a festival-style atmosphere with golf bringing together the isle of Ireland.

Lowry's 63 on Saturday was arguably the round of the year and he was so composed on Sunday to shoot +1 in absolutely brutal conditions to ease to victory.

He also won a Rolex Series event at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship where he hit a stunning fairway wood into the 72nd green to set up a winning birdie.

4. Rory McIlroy

McIlroy undoubtedly played the most consistent golf of anyone in 2019 with 19 top-10s from 24 starts including four victories.

He won the Players Championship, RBC Canadian Open, Tour Championship (and FedEx Cup) and the WGC-HSBC Champions.

Rory was voted PGA Tour Player of the Year and saw his world ranking rise from 8th to 2nd.

3. Brooks Koepka

The World No.1 had one of the best Major seasons of all time with top-4 finishes in all four.

Koepka won his fourth Major with a successful defence of his USPGA Championship at Bethpage Black and was T2nd at the Masters, 2nd at the US Open and T4th at the Open.

The American also won the WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational.

2. Jin Young Ko

The young Korean has dominated the women's game this year, ending 2019 almost three points clear atop the world rankings.

Ko won two Majors at the ANA Inspiration and Evian Championship as well as two LPGA Tour events and one on the LPGA Tour of Korea.

She also won the Rolex Annika Major Award, Vare Trophy and the Rolex Player of the Year.

As well as all of those trophies, she also beat Tiger Woods' 110-hole bogey-free record dating back to 2000 by going 114 holes without dropping a shot.

1. Tiger Woods

The year belongs to Tiger Woods who did the unthinkable by winning his 15th Major Championship at the Masters.

The American won his first Major in 11 years with his fifth Green Jacket after a superb final day display, beating the likes of Francesco Molinari, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele.

Woods then received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump, the highest US Civilian honour available, before a quiet summer.

He came back in scintillating fashion, winning the Zozo Championship in Japan wire-to-wire and seemingly from out of nowhere.

The 43-year-old shot 19 under par for the week to beat in-form home favourite Hideki Matsuyama by three and wrap up his 82nd PGA Tour title, matching Sam Snead's record.

He then captained the US Presidents Cup side to a comeback victory where he won all three of his matches.

Other notables -

Bernd Wiesberger - Three European Tour titles, 3rd on Race to Dubai

Shugo Imahira - Two Japan Golf Tour titles, five runners-up finishes

Xander Schauffele - Won Tournament of Champions, 2nd in Masters, FedEx Cup and WGC-HSBC Champions, T3rd in US Open

Dustin Johnson - Won Saudi International and WGC-Mexico Championship, 2nd at Masters and USPGA

Jazz Janewattananond - Two wins, three third-places and 10 other top-1os, Asian Tour Order of Merit winner

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Woodland surprised his friend Amy Bockerstette on the Today Show by letting her hold the US Open trophy

WATCH: Gary Woodland Surprises Amy On The Today Show

Cast your mind back to the Waste Management Phoenix Open when Gary Woodland played the 16th hole with Special Olympian Amy Bockerstette.

The American encouraged her to play the hole and the video went viral, and the pair have stayed in touch since.

Soon after his win at Pebble Beach, Woodland spoke to Amy, who has down syndrome, in a video call, and then the very next day he went on national TV to surprise her and show her the US Open trophy.

"We won that together, huh?

"We had a special day there in Phoenix and it's blossomed from there but the world needs a lot more of Amy in it, her attitude, her energy.

"It was contagious, I thought a lot about you on Sunday but I think a lot about you every day so thank you."

Watch the clip below:

Watch - Woodland video calls Amy after his US Open victory 

Watch - Amy plays the 16th at the Waste Management Phoenix Open

Gary Woodland won his first Major at Pebble Beach with a three stroke victory over Brooks Koepka.

The 35-year-old subsequently moved up to a career-high 12th in the world and has now won four times on the PGA Tour.

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Gary Woodland Wins US Open At Pebble Beach

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For all the latest golf news, check the Golf Monthly website and follow our social media channels

We take a look how social media reacted to the American's first Major championship victory.

How Social Media Reacted To Gary Woodland's US Open Win

Gary Woodland shot a final round 69 and held off the likes of Brooks Koepka, Justin Rose and several other big names to collect his first Major championship victory. Previously Woodland had been renowned for getting into 54-hole leads and not closing the victory out - he had failed to do so on seven previous occasions.

However, at Pebble Beach he proved unflappable as he birdied the par-5 14th and 18th to win by three strokes.

In this piece we have taken a look at how social media reacted to the momentous win.

President Donald Trump was quick to take to Twitter to congratulate Woodland;

American sports site Bleacher Report tweeted out a famous video of Woodland shooting a basketball with brilliant accuracy with the caption; "US Open champion Gary Woodland is a problem on the golf course and the hardwood".

From the world of golf, several professionals tweeted out their congratulations to the 35-year-old. For example Justin Thomas, who happened to miss the cut, posted;

Fellow American Billy Horschel said;

Justin Rose, who battled Woodland all day in the final group acknowledged how good it was to see his friend Woodland win;

Another Englishman Luke Donald said;

Thomas Pieters congratulated Woodland in good humour as he said he would give him an invite to his Belgian Knockout tournament next year, but his appearance fee would be in waffles!

The Golden Bear Jack Nicklaus, who has had his fair share of good and bad luck at Pebble Beach, tweeted his congratulations;

The victory earned Woodland a cool $2,250,000 winners cheque and got him to his best ever world ranking of 12th as well.

Expand Gary Woodland What’s In The Bag?

Gary Woodland What’s In The Bag?

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12 Things You Didn’t Know About Gary Woodland

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Expand Gary Woodland Wins US Open At Pebble Beach

Gary Woodland Wins US Open At Pebble Beach

The American won his maiden Major by three…

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The American won his maiden Major by three strokes after a huge birdie putt on the 18th

Gary Woodland Wins US Open At Pebble Beach

Gary Woodland captured his first Major title at the US Open with a three stroke victory over Brooks Koepka.

Woodland led from the front on the weekend, and his two under par 69 was enough to take the title.

He holed from some 40ft on the 18th green in what was a sensational finish after an excellent week on the California coastline.

Watch - Woodland's winning putt

The American had never converted a 54-hole lead in his career from seven goes, but he came of age on Sunday with a nerveless display.

The 35-year-old got off to the perfect start with birdies at the 2nd and 3rd and that must have settled him down, but trouble came at the short 7th where he missed the green long on the par-3.

A six footer saved his par and from then on he really never looked back.

The difficult stretch at Pebble Beach comes after the 7th and he dropped a shot at the 9th and the 12th, but the winning shot came on the par-5 14th where he carried his 3 wood some 270+ yards to leave his ball greenside in two.

A deft chip gave him a short birdie chance which he converted before pars at 15 and 16.

The only real nervy swing of the day came on the 17th, where he found the green but the complete wrong portion, miles to the right.

He was so far that he couldn't putt it due to the contours so elected to chip from the green and hit it to within a couple of feet.

That was undoubtedly the shot of a champion.

He took a two-stroke margin to the famous 18th and played it both conservatively and perfectly to set up a long birdie putt which he holed for the title.

This is Woodland's fourth victory on the PGA Tour and he now moves up to a career-high 12th in the world.

Related: Gary Woodland What's in the bag?

Brooks Koepka came as close as anybody in his quest for a third-straight US Open title, but he couldn't quite hole the putts on the back nine to challenge his countryman.

Koepka got off to an incredible start with a birdie on the 1st and then a miraculous par on the 2nd, before birdies at three, four and five to take him to four under for the day.

He could only par the par-5 6th and then played his last 11 holes in one over.

The four-time Major champion, who was seeking to become the first man in over 100 years to win the US Open three years in a row, knew he needed a birdie on the 18th to challenge Woodland but his birdie putt somehow slipped by on the low side.

He has become the first player to shoot four rounds in the 60s and not win the US Open.

Justin Rose got through the first seven holes in one under par but from then on the wheels began to fall off, and his hot putter cooled down on the back nine.

Rose bogeyed the 8th and then three bogeys in four holes at the 12th, 13th and 15th took him out of title contention.

US Open leaderboard -

1 Gary Woodland -12

2 Brooks Koepka -10

T3 Xander Schauffele -7

T3 Chez Reavie -7

T3 Jon Rahm -7

T3 Justin Rose -7

T7 Adam Scott -6

T7 Louis Oosthuizen -6

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12 Things You Didn’t Know About Gary Woodland

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For all the latest golf news, check the Golf Monthly website and follow our social media channels

Butch Harmon took a break from his TV commitments at The Open to explain to Golf Monthly how Thousand Dollar No Bogey works. It’s one of the toughest bets on tour

Butch Harmon, the renowned tour coach and TV commentator, explained to us a bet that tour golfers sometimes make in practice rounds at The Open, called Thousand Dollar No Bogey.

“Thousand dollar no-bogey means that if you can play 18 holes without a bogey you’ll collect $1,000 off each of the other players in your group,” says Harmon, although he stopped short of mentioning names or outcomes.

“Very seldom do these guys get past the sixth or seventh hole before they have made a bogey. That is how hard it is.

“Here at The Open are the best players in the world and they find it tough to get around here without carding a bogey, so what chance have the rest of us got?”

In The Open field this week are four American golfers who currently work with Harmon: world number one Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Jimmy Walker and Gary Woodland. Harmon has also worked in the past with Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott and more. He is golf’s unrivalled kingmaker.

“When you play in this championship, it does not matter which links course you are playing, the challenge gets to you mentally more than it does physically,” adds Harmon, speaking at the hospitality unit of Mercedes-Benz, the official car of The Open. “It is hard out there. The wind is hard to judge. A player might take a two iron to lay-up short of a bunker but if it gets the wrong bounce it can shoot forward and straight in it goes. That is part of the mental challenge of The Open.

“At the end of the day the players are not just physically drained, they are mentally drained, because you have got to stay on top of everything on every single shot, even if it is just a one-foot putt with wind blowing across. On links greens like these you have to factor the wind speed and direction into every putt you hit. Mentally, it wears you out.

“Birkdale is my favourite of the Open courses in England but it is very hard. On the other hand, the rain has made the greens a little more receptive. This is a great golf course but if you are not playing well it will beat the heck out of you.

“For club golfers coming to play at Birkdale, come here to play for fun because if your game is not 100 percent, courses like this are going to beat you every time. Sometimes it is better not to worry about a score, just enjoy it.”

Gary Woodland of the USA played a rollercoaster final round of 67 to win the Transitions Championship at Innisbrook by a single shot from his countryman Webb Simpson. It was his first PGA Tour victory.

Woodland began the day two adrift of Justin Rose but the Englishman played himself out of the running as he made four straight bogeys around the turn. He finished up with a three-over-par 74 and dropped back into a tie for fifth.

Woodland played the front nine solidly, picking up two birdies and with no dropped shots. Things really started to get interesting after the turn though. The former basketball player made a birdie at the 10th before giving the shot straight back at the next. He then reeled off three consecutive birdies, bogeyed the 15th and 16th then played a great tee shot at the par-3 17th to set up yet another birdie.

In fact, the only par Woodland made on the back nine was on the 18th hole and that was a fight. He played his second through the green and faced a treacherous up-and-down. He got his pitch within 15 feet of the cup then rolled in the putt to post a clubhouse total of 15-under-par that would not be matched. Woodland had just 23 putts in his final round.

"It was the putter that helped me today," he said. "Luckily it won me a golf tournament."

Webb Simpson had looked to be in a strong position to secure his first PGA Tour title as he reached the turn at 15-under-par. Simpson kept his hopes alive with an excellent sand save at the 17th to remain in a tie for the lead but a bogey at the closing hole meant the championship went to Woodland who earned a start at the US Masters with the win.

World Number 1 Martin Kaymer closed with a 69 to finish the week in a tie for 20th.

Transitions Championship Innisbrook, Tampa Bay, Florida Mar 17-20, purse $5,500,000, par 71 1   Gary Woodland (USA)   67   68   67   67   269   $990,000 2   Webb Simpson (USA)   67   67   67   69   270   $594,000 3   Scott Stallings (USA)   66   70   66   70   272   $374,000 4   Brandt Snedeker (USA)   72   64   67   70   273   $264,000 T5   Chris Couch (USA)   69   64   70   71   274   $180,125 T5   Brendon de Jonge (RSA) 69   66   66   73   274   $180,125 T5   Martin Laird (Sco)   66   70   68   70   274   $180,125 T5   Justin Rose (Eng)      70   65   65   74   274   $180,125 T5   Roland Thatcher (USA)   68   67   69   70   274   $180,125 T5   Marc Turnesa (USA)   68   67   73   67   274   $180,125

Note: Player in bold signifies Titleist ball usage only