When Gary Woodland last played the Masters in 2024, he was months removed from surgery to remove a brain tumor.
At that point, it may have appeared to outsiders that he'd finished his fight. Woodland, though, said he "didn't know what the future held."
Woodland, now 41, revealed in a Golf Channel sit-down last month that he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in the wake of the surgery. The tumor, which was not fully removed in surgery, was located near his amygdala, the part of the brain that controls fear and anxiety.
Not three weeks after going public about his PTSD, Woodland won the Texas Children's Houston Open, his long-awaited first victory since claiming the 2019 US Open. Even then, in the midst of his biggest on-course triumph in years, Woodland was struggling mentally.
"I had a big battle Friday of Houston," Woodland said Tuesday ahead of his Masters return. "I got hypervigilant on the ninth hole, and I battled the last 10 holes thinking people were trying to kill me. I have security with me. The Tour's been amazing.
"But I talked to Tour security that night and I told them what I was going through, and every time I looked up on the weekend, my security team was behind me. Any time I got startled on the weekend, I turned around – last year I didn't talk to Tour security. I fought this on my own. It was awful. Turning around and knowing that I'm safe, having somebody there with me, it's the only reason why I won like two weeks ago."
Woodland revealed that the PGA Tour communicated with Augusta National ahead of his arrival, and he's since met with Augusta's security team.
"I'll have, just like on tour, I'll have security with me," Woodland said. "The main deal is they were showing me where security is. The whole deal for me is it's visual, right? If I can see somebody, then I can remind myself that I'm safe constantly.
"So I have a good idea now where security is on every hole. The big deal for me, my caddie knows too. So he can constantly remind me. Like I said, I don't have control when this thing hits me, and it's tough. It can be a fan. It can be a walking score. It can be a camera guy running by me, just any startlement from behind me can trigger this pretty quickly. Knowing where the security is is a constant reminder that I'm safe."
Woodland said he hoped his win in Houston has "a bigger impact on somebody else's life," and that his message to those coping with similar adversity is to reach out and talk to somebody.
"We live in a world, as men and especially as an athlete, that you put your head down and you fight through it. I've done it my whole life," Woodland said. "This is honestly one battle that I'm not able to do on my own. I tried, and it wasn't working."
Woodland's 13th career Masters start is set to be even more emotional than his 12th.
"People ask me, ‘How was the win (in Houston)?' The one thing I know is having this brain tumor and having PTSD, it doesn't matter if I win or lose. It doesn't care," he said. "I had a tough time (that week) battling this stuff. A lot of stimulation comes with winning, stuff I hadn't seen in a long time.
"It's a big week for me this week. The fans are very close on the tee boxes. There's a lot going on. There's probably not a safer golf tournament in the world, so I'm happy for that, but it's still a battle in my head if I'm safe or not. That's a tough pill to swallow.
"I'm emotional from the standpoint I know how close I probably was to never being back here, and I'm very proud of myself for earning my way back."