It’s been nearly seven years since Gary Woodland last won the 2019 U.S. Open, but the 41-year-old is in prime position heading into the weekend in Houston. Woodland shot a 7-under 63 on Friday at Memorial Park Golf Course to reach a total of 13 under and holds a three-shot lead heading into Moving Day at the 2026 Houston Open.
It’s a remarkable story considering everything Woodland has been through in recent years. In 2023, Woodland underwent brain surgery to remove a tumor, and recently revealed that she had been battling post-traumatic stress disorder for several years. Speaking publicly about these challenges seems to have taken a huge weight off Woodland’s shoulders, allowing him to play some of his best golf in a while.
After a season-best T14 finish at last week’s Valspar Championship, Woodland was incredible in the first two rounds in Houston, carding 64 and 63 to take the sole 36-hole lead. Memorial Park provides a positive atmosphere for Woodland. Woodland finished runner-up to Lee Min-woo alongside Scottie Scheffler last year, Woodland’s best finish on the PGA Tour since 2019.
Now, he’s running the two most important parts of his game on all cylinders as he looks to do even better and earn his fifth career PGA Tour win. Woodland leads in strokes gained on approach and strokes gained on putting, a combination that consistently produces a lot of birdies.
Woodland birdied his final three holes on Friday and entered the clubhouse with a significant advantage as the afternoon wave began, capping off an eventful round for the second consecutive day. By the end of Friday, the closest players to Woodland were Nicolai Hojgaard and Jackson Suber, who both shot 62s to reach 10 under and stay within reach of Woodland.
Regardless of what happens this weekend, Woodland’s recent turnaround has been impressive as he is one of the most popular and respected players on the PGA Tour. He will have plenty of support going into the weekend, but Cream, who shot to the top of the leaderboard in Friday’s second round, will have to fend off a strong group of contenders.
leader
1. Gary Woodland (-13): Woodland will face the stress of a weekend battle for the first time in a while, having posted a 62 in his T2 finish a year ago Sunday, a fast number for the rest of the field to chase. It remains to be seen how he will respond in that position, but the way he has played over the past six rounds, including a strong performance on a tough golf course last week, should give him plenty of confidence moving forward. That confidence, combined with the lightening of his burden after opening up about his battle with PTSD and the strong support from the Houston gallery, should help buoy him as he tries to thwart any subsequent pursuit.
contestants
T2. Nicolai Hojgaard, Jackson Suber (-10)
T4. Lee Min Woo, Jason Day (-9)
6. Michael Thorbjornsen, Sam Stevens (-8)
T8. Adam Scott, Carl Willips, Zecheng Dou (-7)
T11. Jake Knapp, Sahit Segala, and 7 others (-6)
Heigaard has continued to play well to start the season, appearing in all seven games and already has two top-10 finishes. His Friday 62 tied the course record, but in the day’s low round later in the afternoon, he was tied with Suber, a young player looking to make his mark on the PGA Tour. As he proved Friday, he can stay down low. Suber is looking for his fourth top-10 finish of his young career, and possibly his first win.
Defending champion Lee also made a big move on Friday, shooting a 63 to move into the top five as he looks to win back-to-back titles at Memorial Park. He joins two Australians and PGA Tour veterans, Jason Day and Adam Scott, on page one of the leaderboard. They are looking to break winless droughts of three and six years, respectively.
Thorbjornsen has been a regular on the leaderboard all season, and the rising star will be in contention again this week with experience. Others lurking are Knapp and Seagulla, both of whom are off to a solid start heading into 2026, but will need to push harder this weekend as they look to make a real breakthrough this week.
Notable players who missed out
- Marco Money(-1)
- Rickie Fowler (E)
- Nico Echavarria (+1)
- Ryan Gerard (+1)
- Ryan Fox (+1)
- Wyndham Clark (+2)
- Brooks Koepka (+4)
Penge was a popular pick coming into this week after finishing 4th place last week, but missed out by one stroke. Fowler entered the conversation Thursday with a 67, but finished the week struggling with a 73 on Friday, severely denting his Masters hopes. Echavarria and Gerrard entered the week in the top 15 of the FedEx Cup standings, but ultimately missed the weekend. Koepka seemed to be heading in the right direction with his game, but he was completely out of whack when it came to hitting the course.
Updated Houston Open odds and picks
Via Odds fan duel
- Gary Woodland (2-1)
- Lee Min Woo (5/24)
- Nikolai Hojgaard (24/5)
- Jason Day (12-1)
- Michael Thorbjornsen (12-1)
- Sam Stevens (18-1)
- Jackson Suber (25-1)
There are a lot of potentially great stories on the leaderboard, but none quite like Woodland. Lee was the pre-tournament favorite after Scheffler withdrew and could still show some value. Thorbjornsen, who is 12-1, has also played solidly and continues to put himself in position to compete, and it feels like he will win one of them sooner rather than later.
