Nearly 4 months after brain surgery, Gary Woodland to return at Sony Open

Former U.S. Open champ Gary Woodland is set to make his return to professional golf at next week’s Sony Open in Hawaii, which comes nearly four months after he underwent brain surgery.

The PGA Tour announces the field for the following week’s event on Fridays, and Woodland was among the 144 players listed for the Sony Open, the second event of the 2024 season. He has a press conference scheduled for Tuesday.

In a post to X (formerly Twitter) on Aug. 30, Woodland said he had surgery scheduled for Sept. 18 to remove a lesion that was found on his brain.

“I was diagnosed a few months ago and have been trying to treat symptoms with medication,” he said in the statement. “After consulting with multiple specialists and discussing with my family, we’ve made the decision that surgery to remove the lesion is the best course of action.

“I’m in good spirits with my family and team by my side and so thankful for the love and support of everyone.”

On Sept. 19, Woodland’s team provided a post-surgery update, saying the majority of the tumor had been removed and that the family was requesting space and privacy while Woodland recovered.

Woodland, 39, has won four times on the PGA Tour, with his biggest victory coming at the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. In 24 starts last season, Woodland made 18 cuts and finished in the top 10 twice.

Also in the Sony Open field is Will Zalatoris, who will make his first official start on the PGA Tour since March. Zalatoris had a microdiscectomy in April and returned at last month’s Hero World Challenge, an unofficial event, finishing last in the 20-player field. He also has a press conference scheduled for Tuesday.

The first round of the Sony Open starts Thursday at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Josh Berhow

Golf.com Editor

As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of the sport’s most-read news and service websites. He spends most of his days writing, editing, planning and wondering if he’ll ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and two kids. You can reach him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.

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