Gary Woodland putts on the ninth green during the first round of the Texas Children's Houston Open golf tournament Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

By The Canadian Press

Woodland stays in front in Houston, shooting for first win since U.S. Open

Mar 28, 2026 | 5:07 PM

HOUSTON (AP) — Gary Woodland had to play hard to stay in front Saturday in the Houston Open and he added a pair of birdies late in his round for a 5-under 65 that gave him a one-shot lead over Nicolai Højgaard as he goes for his first win since the 2019 U.S. Open.

Woodland and Højgaard (63) were flawless in the final hour at Memorial Park and created some separation going into Sunday, with no one else closer than five shots.

Woodland has become a popular figure in golf for the way he has handled his recovery from brain surgery in September 2023, and earlier this month opening up on his struggles with post-traumatic syndrome disorder during an emotional interview at The Players Championship.

His golf has looked as good as ever, with full control of his swing and full use of his athletic power.

“I’ve just got to take a deep breath,” Woodland said. “I’ll have a good night ahead of me tonight to recover and rest, and tomorrow just don’t get ahead of yourself. I’m here, I put myself in this position for a reason, so take a deep breath and maintain what I’m doing.”

World

'No Kings' rallies draw crowds across US, in Europe. Springsteen headlines Minnesota demonstration

12h ago

Turbulent times

'Neighbours hating each other': Proposed wind farm divides Southern Sask. community

12h ago

Education

Sask. distance learning looking to build AI platform for teachers, students

14h ago

Woodland was at 18-under 192, the first time he has held the 54-hole lead since that 2019 major title at Pebble Beach. He has been helped by a change in shafts in his irons, noticing he was losing a little control as his speed began to return.

He was particularly strong down the stretch, and he had to be with Højgaard chasing him. Woodland drilled a 2-iron over the water an onto the green at the par-5 16th — one of only five players to hit the green in two — for a two-putt birdie.

His drive on the reachable par-4 17th hit the bunker with such force that it hopped out onto the collar, and he pitched down to five feet for another birdie.

Højgaard was right there with him, hitting a nice chip on the 16th for a birdie and getting up-and-down from a bunker on the 17th for another one. The Dane got back into the mix with a 62 on Friday, and he was equally effective on Saturday with his 63. He has made 15 birdies and one eagle the last two rounds.

Defending champion Min Woo Lee (67) and Michael Thorbjornsen (66) were five shots behind. Sunday is big for Thorbjornsen, who is No. 56 in the world. The top 50 after this week earn Masters invitations, and the Massachusetts native likely needs no better than eighth place.

Højgaard is still not in the Masters, though at No. 47 he is virtually a lock to stay in the top 50 barring a curious chain of events at Memorial Park.

Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont., is in a three-way tie for seventh at 10 under — eight shots back of the leader. He was the only Canadian to make the weekend cut.

Woodland would need nothing short of a victory to get back to the Masters, even a perk such as that is secondary considering all he has gone through.

The surgery was to remove a big part of a lesion that was producing unfounded fears of dying. He returned to the PGA Tour at the start of 2024, but only recently did he share struggles with PTSD, how he would begin crying in the middle of the round and sometimes hide in the bathroom.

To share that publicly was an enormous relief for Woodland, who said earlier this week he felt “1,000 pounds lighter.”

Now the focus turns toward winning the Houston, where he came close last year as a runner-up. Woodland leads the field in approach to the green, and he is second in putting — a slightly new putter has helped with alignment.

Facing him will be Højgaard, who made his Ryder Cup debut in 2023 for Europe. His identical twin, Rasmus, already has 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. He has yet to win on the PGA Tour.

“You know it’s going to be a grind, you know it’s going to come down to potentially the last few holes anyway,” he said. “So you’ve just got to stay in the fight and play your best and do your best and then let’s see where we end up.”

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

The Associated Press