Gary Woodland

Gary Woodland is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.

Woodland was born in Topeka, Kansas, the son of Dan and Linda Woodland. He attended Shawnee Heights High School in the suburb of Tecumseh. After high school, he attended Washburn University on a basketball scholarship, but left after his freshman year to attend the University of Kansas on a golf scholarship. He studied Sociology while at KU. Woodland had a successful collegiate golf career, winning four tournaments before turning professional in 2007.

After turning professional, Woodland played in a handful of tournaments on the second-tier Nationwide Tour in 2007 and 2008. At the end of the 2008 season, he entered the Qualifying school for the PGA Tour, and finished in a tie for 11th, which was good enough to earn him a full card to play on the PGA Tour in 2009. However, he struggled for form in his debut season, making just eight cuts in 18 appearances before a shoulder injury cut his golfing year short in July.

In 2010, Woodland divided his time between the PGA and Nationwide Tours. He continued to struggle for his best form, not recording a single top ten finish on either tour, but he did display enough consistency to finish 92nd in the Nationwide Tour money list. Once again, he entered the season-ending qualifying school, and again he finished T-11, to secure a return to full PGA Tour status.

In his second tournament of 2011, the Bob Hope Classic, he finished in a tie for first at 27-under-par, but was edged out for the title by Jhonattan Vegas in a playoff. This was his first top-10 finish on either of the two main tours.

In March 2011, Woodland won his first PGA Tour title at the Transitions Championship by one stroke when fellow American Webb Simpson missed a par putt on the final hole. Just a few moments earlier Woodland had scrambled a fantastic par from the same position as Simpson on the last, after hitting his second shot over the back of the green. This win secured Woodland a place at the 2011 Masters Tournament and also elevated him to a career high 53rd in the Official World Golf Rankings. He later earned an invitation into the U.S. Open after moving into the Top 50. He left the tournament with an OWGR ranking of 39th. In November 2011, he won the Omega Mission Hills World Cup with Matt Kuchar. He finished 2011 ranked 17th on the PGA Tour money list and 51st in the OWGR. He had ended 2009 ranked 959th and 2010 588th.

Woodland reached the final of the 2015 WGC-Cadillac Match Play, where he lost to Rory McIlroy, and moved to a career-best 32nd in the OWGR.

In February 2018, Woodland won his third PGA Tour event, at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in a sudden-death playoff over Chez Reavie. After finishing tied at 18 under, Woodland won with a par on the first extra hole to end a five year drought on tour. Woodland moved up to fifth in the season's FedEx Cup standings.