En el Procore Championship del año pasado, poco antes de la Ryder Cup at Bethpage, Gary Woodland sintió que uno de los voluntarios que acompañaban su partido llevando los resultados se le acercó demasiado. A consecuencia de ello, se le nubló la vista y perdió durante unos instantes la noción de dónde se encontraba. Fue ahí cuando decidió que tenía que contar públicamente lo que le pasaba. Lo hizo hace tres semanas en una entrevista en Golf Channel. Woodland explicó que sufre una enfermedad que se conoce como trastorno de la conducta por estrés post-traumático. Falló el corte en el THE PLAYERS, pero acabó 14º en el Valspar y hoy ha ganado el Texas Children’s Houston Open y se ha clasificado para el Masters at Augusta
El estrés post-traumático es una consecuencia de la operación a la que se sometió en 2023 y en la que le extirparon un tumor que estaba presionando, precisamente, la zona del cerebro que controla la ansiedad y los miedos. Por ese motivo, Woodland se despertaba a veces en mitad de la noche gritando y sin saber dónde estaba exactamente. El golfista de Kansas lleva lidiando con este problema desde bastante antes de 2023. Primero pensó que era algo accidental, después trató de restarle importancia, lo achacó a otras cosas circunstanciales y tardó mucho tiempo en ponerse en manos de los especialistas que le hicieron el diagnóstico
La operación resultó un éxito, pero ahora le ha tocado manejarse con el estrés post-traumático. Es un trastorno que afecta a personas que atraviesan por una circunstancia personal muy dura. Puede ocurrir después de una guerra, un accidente, una agresión, una catástrofe o incluso tras enterarse de un trauma grave sufrido por alguien muy cercano, entre otras cosas. Woodland prefirió llevarlo en secreto, no darle mayor importancia, hasta que lo soltó hace tres semanas
“I can’t keep spending energy hiding this and I’m lucky to have so much support here on the Tour”, Woodland told Golf Channel after revealing the diagnosis. “I appreciate that affection and that support. But inside I feel like I’m dying and I feel like I’m living a lie. I want to live my dreams and have success here. But I also want to help people. Now I realise I have to help myself first and I hope this is the first step toward achieving that”. The golf results, certainly, vindicate him. The importance of verbalising and sharing things.
This is the great story Woodland has finally closed this Sunday in Houston. The victory is significant, the fifth of his career on the PGA Tour and his first since the 2019 US Open at Pebble Beach. However, the most valuable thing is that thanks to his triumph his story will be known worldwide and will very likely help people who are in a situation similar to his. That is Gary Woodland’s great victory.
The tournament looked set to be an intense head-to-head between Woodland and Nicolai Hojgaard, but it quickly tipped in favour of the American golfer. He started with a one-shot lead and after the 1st hole it was two, courtesy of a bogey by the Dane. However, the decisive moment came at the 7th, a par 3. Woodland sank a sensational birdie with a putt of about seven metres, while Nicolai stumbled to a double bogey after failing to get out of the green-side bunker first time.
Woodland’s lead grew to five shots and there was no turning back. To leave no doubt, the 41-year-old Kansas golfer added two more birdies on holes 8 and 9 and sealed the tournament. All that remained was to record the score. It seems life had in store for Woodland a stress-free victory… and so it was. Although his real victory was quite a different one.
Nicolai finished in second place and also secures his third consecutive appearance at the Masters, while Johnny Keefer, one of the quickest to break through in recent years on the PGA Tour, finished third and has already shown he is a very likely next winner. No wonder, he has been winning everything on PGA Tour Americas and on the Korn Ferry Tour. Bring on the next one. Special mention also for the third place of Min Woo Lee, the defending champion, tied with Keefer, as well as the top 10s of Chris Gotterup and Sudarshan Yellamaraju, the second almost-consecutive finish following THE PLAYERS.
