HOUSTON — Gary Woodland had to play hard. stay in front At the Houston Open on Saturday, he added two birdies late in the round to score a 5-under 65, trailing Nikolai Hujgaard by one shot and aiming for his first victory since the 2019 US Open.
Woodland and Hoygaard, 63, were perfect in the final hour at Memorial Park, creating some kind of lead heading into Sunday, with no one else coming within five strokes.
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Woodland became a popular figure in the golf world for his approach to the game. recovery from brain surgery September 2023 and start his activities early this month struggling with post-traumatic syndrome During an emotional interview at The Players Championship.
His golf looked as great as ever, with full control of his swing and full use of his athleticism.
“I just have to take a deep breath,” Woodland said. “Take it easy tonight, recover and rest. Don’t get ahead of yourself tomorrow. I’m here. I put myself in this position for a reason, so take a deep breath and keep doing what you’re doing.”
Woodland finished at 18-under 192 and held a 54-hole lead for the first time since his major title at Pebble Beach in 2019. He was helped by changing the shafts of his irons and noticed he was losing a bit of control as his speed started to come back.
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He was especially strong in the second half and had to be with Heugaard chasing him. Woodland hit a 2-iron from Ikegami to the green on the par-5 16th hole, and was one of only five players to hit the green in 2 for a two-putt birdie.
His drive on the reachable par-4 17th hit the bunker with such force that it popped into the collar, then pitched down another 5 feet for another birdie.
Huygaard was right there, hitting a nice chip for a birdie on the 16th, and another birdie on the 17th with an up-and-down from the bunker. The Dane returned to form on Friday with a 62 and was equally effective on Saturday with a 63. He has 15 birdies and one eagle over the last two rounds.
Defending champion Lee Min-woo (67) and Michael Thorbjornsen (66) were five strokes apart. Sunday is a big day for Thorbjornsen, ranked 56th in the world. The top 50 finishers at the end of this week will earn invitations to the Masters, but the Massachusetts native won’t need to finish higher than eighth.
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Heigaard hasn’t played in the Masters yet, but at No. 47 he’s virtually guaranteed to remain in the top 50, barring a strange turn of events at Memorial Park.
Woodland needs nothing more than a win to return to the Masters, but given what he’s been through, those perks are secondary.
The surgery removed most of the lesions that had caused unfounded fears of death. He returned to the PGA Tour in early 2024, but only recently spoke out about his struggles with PTSD, including starting to cry mid-round and sometimes hiding in the bathroom.
Sharing that publicly was a huge relief for Woodland, who said earlier this week that he felt “1,000 pounds lighter.”
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The focus now is on winning in Houston, where they were a close runner-up last year. Woodland led the field in approaches to the green and was second in putting. A slightly newer putter is helping with alignment.
He will be facing Hoygaard, who made his Ryder Cup debut for Europe in 2023. His identical twin, Rasmus, has already qualified for the Masters.
The 25-year-old Dane has three wins on the European Tour, including the DP World Tour Championship at the end of 2023, but is yet to win on the PGA Tour.
“You know it’s going to be a tough match and you know it could come down to the last few holes anyway,” he said. “So you just stay in the fight, do your best, do your best, and see where we end up.”
