Former KU golfer Gary Woodland seeks to build on 2019 U.S. Open as season intensifies
Gary Woodland joined an elite club last year when he won the U.S. Open golf tournament, and now he is enjoying the benefits.
Woodland has been getting a lot of attention since winning his first major championship last June in Pebble Beach, Calif.
“The impact of the U.S. Open was cool from a personal standpoint,” Woodland said during a recent news conference. “Obviously, it gives me a lot of confidence. I show up to golf tournaments and now I know I’m a major champion. I know I can beat the best players in the world any given week, so that’s special.”
Woodland is hoping that confidence results in a strong showing this year at the Masters, a tournament in which he has struggled previously. He’s never finished better than a tie for 24th place in the first major of the season in Augusta, Georgia, which this year is scheduled for April 9-12.
”I’m excited to get back there this year,” Woodland said. “Coming back with probably more confidence than I ever have in a major championship. Being a major winner, I know I can compete.
”I know my game can withstand that. I know the short game is good enough now, which I don’t know if it was in the past. There you can get in some spots that your short game has to bail you out, and I probably haven’t done that. I feel like right now I’m in a pretty good spot, and Augusta should be a lot better for me.”
Woodland has experienced some ups and downs so far this season on the PGA Tour.
After tying for seventh at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii to start 2020, he missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego and tied for 40th place at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. But he appears headed in the right direction after rebounding to tie for 12th place at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship and eighth at the Honda Classic.
”Getting a lot better,” Woodland said. “I played well in Hawaii, played well at the end of the year last year, and then I had a lull there, which is a little surprising. San Diego and Phoenix are two usually pretty good spots for me, and I missed the cut for the first time in San Diego, which was frustrating, and then I didn’t play great in Phoenix.”
Woodland said he may have been hurt by concentrating a lot on his short game after it was a key to his U.S. Open victory.
”I think I got so excited about the short game, I did a little bit too much short game work,” he said. “I lost my ball-striking a little bit. I’ve relied on my ball-striking my whole career, and I focused a lot after that U.S. Open on trying to be the best short game guy in the world. I need to rely on my ball-striking and have the short game save me, and I’ve gotten back to that a little bit.”
Woodland said believes that he is in for a solid stretch after getting in some work recently with his coach, Pete Cowan. He also hopes to continue to benefit from switching balls before last year’s U.S. Open. He uses a Titleist Pro V1 ball now.
”I was hitting balls on the range at Augusta, and I wasn’t getting enough spin on the irons, so we made an adjustment from that golf course that’s benefited me,” Woodland said. “It benefited me (recently) in Mexico City, and I think it’ll benefit me a ton when I get to Augusta, being able to get the ball up in the air and stop it when I need to.”
The next big event on his schedule is The Players Championship, starting March 12 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Then, bring on The Masters.
”I know I can win,” Woodland said. “That’s a huge deal. It’s one thing to say, and it’s another thing to believe it, and I’ve done it. So I know how to prepare. I know what I did that week (to win the U.S. Open), and I know what to expect, especially under the gun. ... I’ll be ready to go for The Players and Augusta.”
This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 5:00 AM.