The Texas Children’s Houston Open has long held a special place in the hearts of players and fans alike — and this week was a perfect reminder of why.
Heading into Sunday’s final round, Gary Woodland and Nicolai Hojgaard were set for a tough, head-to-head showdown, but it didn’t take long for Woodland to take control. Hojgaard stumbled out of the gate with a costly double on the par-3 7th that widened the gap.
Meanwhile, Woodland carded a bogey-free, four-under 31 on the front nine, a fiery push that grew his lead to six. As the back nine unfolded, Woodland’s composure never faltered and he held a five-stroke lead heading down the stretch.
After teeing off on the final hole, Woodland walked down the 18th fairway and the crowd responded in kind. What began as dull applause grew into a standing ovation from fans, and even his playing partners, Hojgaard and Min Woo Lee.
The crowd erupted again as Woodland lined up his final putt, their voices echoing across the hole: “Gary! Gary! Gary!” Woodland stayed in his routine and sank the putt. After seven years, Woodland has finally returned to the winner’s circle.
Woodland’s victory was more than a win — it was a testament to resilience, support and perseverance. After his win, Woodland spoke about the challenges he’s faced, the team who has stood by him and the fight still ahead.
“I’ll tell you what, we play an individual sport out here, but I wasn’t alone today,” he said. “I got a lot of people behind me, my team, my family and this golf world. Anybody that’s struggling with something, I hope they see me and don’t give up, just keep fighting.”
Here’s how much everyone made in Houston this week.
2026 Texas Children’s Houston Open payout for every player
1st: Gary Woodland, $1.782 million
2. Nicolai Hojgaard, $1.0791 million
T3. Johnny Keefer, $584,100
Min Woo Lee, $584,100
5. Sam Stevens, $405,900
T6. Jake Knapp, $322,987
Chris Gotterup, $322,987
Sudarshan Yellamaraju, $322,987
Jason Day, $322,987
T10. Bronson Burgoon, $259,875
Sahith Theegala, $259,875
T12. Adrien Dumont de Chassart, $220,275
Denny McCarthy, $220,275
T14. Keith Mitchell, $170,775
Pontus Nyholm, $170,775
Thorbjørn Olesen, $170,775
Jhonattan Vegas, $170,775
Michael Thorbjornsen, $170,775
T19. Max McGreevy, $136,125
Karl Vilips, $136,125
T21. Sam Burns, $96,525
Aldrich Potgieter, $96,525
Alex Smalley, $96,525
Harris English, $96,525
Beau Hossler, $96,525
Zecheng Dou, $96,525
Adam Scott, $96,525
T28. Mac Meissner, $59,625
Rasmus Højgaard, $59,625
Harry Hall, $59,625
Ben Griffin, $59,625
Vince Whaley, $59,625
Shane Lowry, $59,625
Rico Hoey, $59,625
Chad Ramey, $59,625
Jackson Suber, $59,625
Michael Brennan, $59,625
Stephan Jaeger, $59,625
T39. Jeffrey Kang, $41,085
Adrien Saddier, $41,085
Austin Eckroat, $41,085
Tony Finau, $41,085
Paul Waring, $41,085
T44. William Mouw, $32,175
Andrew Putnam, $32,175
Jordan Smith, $32,175
Ricky Castillo, $32,175
T48. Erik van Rooyen, $26,433
John Parry, $26,433
Steven Fisk, $26,433
T51. Christiaan Bezuidenhout, $23,938
Matthieu Pavon, $23,938
Matt Wallace, $23,938
Eric Cole, $23,938
Chris Kirk, $23,938
T56. Matt Kuchar, $22,770
Jimmy Stanger, $22,770
Tom Kim, $22,770
Danny Willett, $22,770
T60. Kurt Kitayama, $21,879
Sungjae Im, $21,879
Sam Ryder, $21,879
Davis Riley, $21,879
Takumi Kanaya, $21,879
T65. Kevin Roy, $21,087
Peter Malnati, $21,087
Lee Hodges, $21,087
68. Danny Walker, $20,691
T69. Garrick Higgo, $20,394
Jesper Svensson, $20,394
T71. Brice Garnett, $19,899
Tom Hoge, $19,899
Emiliano Grillo, $19,899
