It’s 2019 and Gary Woodman is lifting is the US Open trophy at Pebble Beach and looking good for more of the majors.  Little did anyone know at the time the immense trauma that was about to unfold for him. 

Men’s mental health has been in the media for a while now as under-reported or not understood, but even yet many either don’t feel it exists or that men should just “get on with in and be a man” about any issues they have. It’s even going into politics with the right parties attacking the welfare system believing (or pretending to believe) it’s “just pressure” and is something that people “should get on with”.

As a sufferer of extreme anxiety myself, I can tell you it is very real. A simple trip to Tesco at the wrong time or falling off the beaten track somewhere you are not prepared for is enough to trigger such powerful feelings of fear, insecurity and lead into to attacks that can ultimately leave you not being able to breath.  You can’t see in focus. Your fingers scrunch together like they are being squeezed by a playground bully. Your lips tingle, go numb, and the fear flowing through you body is indeed, very, very real.

And this is just the anxiety bit.  What Gary Woodman went though goes up another level.  The PTSD symptoms he experienced after that 2019 win make this round, seven years later, all the more special.  Coming out of major brain surgery, this comeback was never going to happen.

Going into the final back nine, five shots up, the pressure must have been incredible.  But calm as you like, teed off at the ninth like he’d been doing it hand in glove without issues all his life. Visibly, you can see his body language using the techniques even the slightest anxious suffer goes through, the grounding, and the breathing.  A clean drive, chip and putt puts him at -22, still five shots up after Holgaards equally impressive birdie.  The next three holes pass with a calm, steady rhythm, another birdie and Holgaard drops one and the lead is now 7. With six holes to go a calmly played end is enough to take the title. 

On the 12^th, Woodland with an 8 foot par putt addresses the ball, one hand on the club, one hand on the heart, another visible sign of coping with anxiety.  He takes his time and finds the middle of the cup keeping his 7 shot lead.   Lee, and Holgaard faulter at the 13^th, both misjudged scrambling as Woodland continues to control the tournament. At 4 under for the day and -22, an almost unthinkable first win for seven years is within his grasp.  A bogey at 14 and Holgaard picks up a birdie and the lead is down to five. Woodland isn’t fussed, or his demeanour doesn’t show it. The 17^th gets a bit bizarre. Holgaard and Lee both somehow drive off the tee straight into a course-side café garden and Woodland finds the centre of the fairway.  Its now a parade, hankies at the ready waiting for him to secure his victory – and not a soul will deny this one of the most emotional moments we will ever see on a golf course.

On the 18^th tee is some surreal, incredible moment. His drive is safe and dry if a little off the fairway but fine. His four shot cushion ensures this is a mere formality before collecting his first title since that amazing round in 2019.  At this point we all wonder how this incredible man is dealing with this moment. For anxiety sufferers one of the worst feelings is knowing others can see you during a moment of stress, so the prospect of having all those fans and press awaiting him on the 18^th green will a real test.  In his words “I’m not going to let this thing win”, and he certainly hasn’t.  On the final green chant of “Gary Gary Gary” greet him before holing out.

He immediately bursts into tears greeted by his wife before the formalities of greeting his competitors and caddie “Butch”.  Not only did he take the championship but did it in a record -21 under par. Struggling to find the words at first, it speaks to the NBC anchor,  “I hope that anyone who is struggling sees me and know, they can heal, keep on fighting.

An incredible performance over the four days by the golfer and an inspirational battle won by the man.