Former KU golfer Gary Woodland to be inducted into Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame
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- Gary Woodland will enter the Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 19, 2025
- Woodland won the 2019 U.S. Open and joined the PGA Tour after KU in 2009
- He earned the 2025 PGA TOUR Courage Award after overcoming brain surgery
University of Kansas graduate and 2019 U.S. Open Champion Gary Woodland will be inducted into the Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame, KU Athletics announced Thursday.
The ceremony will take place on Friday, Sept. 19 at The Jayhawk Club in Lawrence.
“Gary represents everything we want our student-athletes to be,” KU athletic director Travis Goff said in a news release. “He is an amazing person who has tremendous pride in being a Jayhawk. He excelled during his time in Lawrence, rewriting the record books throughout his career. He then embarked on a professional career that culminated with a U.S. Open championship that KU fans everywhere will remember forever.
“He is an inspiring story of courage and perseverance, recently overcoming incredible adversity with his personal health challenges. There is no easier Jayhawk to root for than Gary, and we are so proud he is taking his rightful place in the Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame.”
A Topeka native, Woodland had a decorated college golf career. He competed at Kansas from 2004-07 before turning pro on the PGA Tour.
He was a two-time All-Big 12 selection and also earned an All-Big 12 Tournament selection in 2006.
Woodland competed in a total of 50 events with the Jayhawks. He played to individual wins at the 2005 Cleveland State Invitational, 2006 Kansas Invitational, 2007 All-American Golf Classic and 2007 Louisiana Classic. He ranks second in program history in career wins.
Woodland played 145 rounds as a Jayhawk, according to KU’s news release, shooting even-par or better 59 times on his way to a 73.33 career stroke average.
After turning pro in 2007, Woodland joined the PGA Tour in 2009. He is a four-time winner with 30 top-five finishes and 56 top-10s in 286 career starts. His most famous victory is still the 2019 U.S. Open title he won at Pebble Beach at 13-under par.
His other wins on the PGA Tour include the 2011 Transitions Championship, the 2013 Reno-Tahoe Open and the 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open.
He was also the recipient of the 2025 PGA TOUR Courage Award, presented to one who, through courage and perseverance, has overcome extraordinary adversity — such as personal tragedy or debilitating injury or illness — to make a significant and meaningful contribution to the game of golf.
In 2023, Woodland was diagnosed with a lesion on the part of the brain that controls fear and anxiety. He underwent surgery and returned to competition in January 2024.
Between his story and accomplishments, he’s earned the respect of many in the golf world, including KU golf head coach Jamie Bermel.
“Gary has been an incredible fan, supporter and friend to the Kansas golf team. He is always willing to give his time to the team, and he has been a donor for many years,” Bermel said. “Gary Woodland is the standard for Kansas golf. Not only is he a great golfer, but more importantly he is an incredible person, friend, husband and father.”
Woodland was honored to receive the nomination for the Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame.
“Playing golf at KU was the opportunity of a lifetime,” Woodland said in the release. “It laid the foundation for me to chase my dreams of being a professional athlete. Getting inducted into the University of Kansas Hall of Fame is beyond my wildest dreams and I couldn’t be more grateful to be part of such incredible company. Rock Chalk!”
