Jack Nicklaus Voices Support As Gary Woodland’s $9.9M Win Stuns Golf World

Jack Nicklaus previously praised Gary Woodland for his iconic pitch shot at the 17th hole at Pebble Beach during the 2019 U.S. Open. It was the pitch that ended up 90 feet away from the hole, forcing Woodland to shoot a wedge and hold on to his two-shot lead. So, it was only a matter of time before Nicklaus praised Woodland for his $9.9 million Houston Open win.

“I think the whole world was rooting this weekend for @gary.woodland, starting with my family and me. There was not a single person I talked to over the last few days who was not in Gary’s corner, cheering him on,” Jack Nicklaus wrote. 

“For all that Gary has been through the last few years—from the brain surgery to opening his heart and soul to the world about his recent challenges—and then to show such resilience and mental toughness while playing great golf made for an incredible win and moment. It was not just a great win for Gary and his family but a great victory for the game of golf.”

Nicklaus shared a picture of Woodland hugging his wife, Gaby, in an emotional moment right after his win at Memorial Park. The text right beside the picture highlighted the troubles that Woodland has been battling for the last few years, including a brain surgery and the PTSD that followed. 

Gary Woodland underwent a craniotomy to remove a benign tumor growing on his amygdala. That’s the gland that controls emotions, especially fear and anxiety. But since the entire amygdala can’t be removed without compromising the limbic system, a small part of the gland remains to maintain its functions. 

With the amygdala’s partial removal, Woodland began experiencing PTSD. He has become hypervigilant and gets startled even by an approaching crowd, as he did in the second round of the 2026 Houston Open. 

With such conditions, the doctors usually suggest that the patients refrain from stressful activities like participating in competitions. But Woodland decided to rise above that and continued to strive for victory.

He returned from the surgery in early 2024. And ever since then, he has been fighting his inner demons while trying his best to return to his former self. Winning the $9.9M event proved that he’s still capable of excelling on the golf course. 

And Jack Nicklaus could actually relate to that. He didn’t undergo a major surgery as Woodland did, but Nicklaus has been battling aging. Nicklaus competed at the top level across decades while dealing with an aging body, evolving competition, and the expectation of a legacy. He certainly understands the toll it takes to stay mentally sharp while the physical baseline shifts adversely. 

But Nicklaus had already predicted an important aspect of Woodland’s future seven years ago.

Jack Nicklaus once predicted that Gary Woodland’s life would change

Following Woodland’s fourth PGA Tour win (2019 U.S. Open), Nicklaus declared, “His whole life will change. All of a sudden, he’ll walk into a club, and they’ll say, ‘Hi Mr. Woodland.’ He used to walk in, and they’d say, ‘What’s your number? Sixty-four? Sixty-four, your locker is over there.’”

And it was true! No conversation about the major championships was complete without talking about Gary Woodland’s U.S. Open victory for the entire season. Of course, Woodland didn’t push the likes of Nicklaus and Tiger Woods out of discussions. But he became an integral part of the elites.

“Nobody wanted to talk to him before. He’s always been a good golfer and is a super-nice guy, but his life will just change dramatically. The demand on his time, the people that want to see him, the people that want to invite him to do things, be part of this, part of that,” Nicklaus continued.

Woodland earned $2 million from it, and the win pushed him to number 12 on the OWGR list and fifth in the FedEx Cup standings. And now, he seems to be on the same path once again.

Winning the Texas Children’s Houston Open was just one step towards Woodland’s comeback. 

The post Jack Nicklaus Voices Support As Gary Woodland’s $9.9M Win Stuns Golf World appeared first on EssentiallySports.