Gary Woodland Set To Return At Sony Open Four Months After Brain Surgery

Gary Woodland will return to action at next week's Sony Open, making his first start since he underwent brain surgery in September 2023.

Woodland's last appearance came at July’s Wyndham Championship, where he recorded a T27 finish. Shortly after, the American revealed that he was set to have the operation after initially trying to solve the problem with medication. In mid-September, he underwent the procedure - successfully removing the "majority of the tumour" - and has been recuperating ever since. 

Two months later, the 39-year-old videoed himself hitting balls again and suggested he would target a return in the new year. 

"This journey has been very hard but I’m extremely thankful to be progressing and for the unconditional love and support from everyone,” Woodland added alongside the November video. “You’ve all made this process a little easier for me and my family. Thank you to everyone and I look forward to seeing you all next year.”

The Sony Open is the second tournament of the calendar year after the season-opener at The Sentry. The event is set to be held at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, with South Korea's Si Woo Kim the defending champion. 

The 2019 US Open Champion played 24 events in 2022/2023, making 18 cuts and recording two top-10 finishes as Woodland banked $2,256,535 to finish 94th in FedEx Cup points. His best finish at the Sony Open was a T3 in 2015.

Also in the field next week is fellow American Will Zalatoris, who continues his comeback after he underwent back surgery in April last year. Zalatoris made his official return to competition at last month's Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, finishing bottom of the 20-man event with a score of 11 over par.