Gary Woodland Shoots 63 to Take 3-Shot Lead at the Houston Open and I'm Not Crying, You're Crying
Woodland fires back-to-back rounds of 64-63 at Memorial Park to lead the Houston Open by three. Koepka and Fowler miss the cut. The Masters is two weeks away.
Kyle Reierson 
Gary Woodland is 13-under par through 36 holes at the Houston Open, and if you’re not rooting for this man, I genuinely don’t know what’s wrong with you.
The 41-year-old — who had brain surgery in 2023 to remove a tumor, then spent years battling PTSD he only recently started talking about publicly — just shot rounds of 64 and 63 at Memorial Park to take a three-shot lead into the weekend. He hasn’t won since the 2019 U.S. Open. That’s nearly seven years.
And he closed Friday’s round the same way he closed Thursday’s: birdieing his last three holes. That’s the kind of thing that makes you believe the golf gods are paying attention.
The Leaderboard After Round 2
Here’s where things stand heading into Saturday:
- Gary Woodland: -13 (64-63)
- T2: Nicolai Højgaard, Jackson Suber: -10
- T4: Min Woo Lee, Jason Day: -9
- T6: Michael Thorbjornsen, Sam Stevens: -8
- T8: Adam Scott, Karl Vilips, Zecheng Dou: -7
- T11: Jake Knapp, Sahith Theegala and others: -6
Woodland leads the field in strokes gained on approach AND strokes gained putting. When both of those are firing, you don’t just make birdies — you make them look easy.
Why This Matters Beyond Golf
I wrote about Woodland’s PTSD diagnosis and comeback earlier this year, and watching this unfold in real time is something else. The guy had a brain tumor removed. He dealt with years of mental health struggles he didn’t fully understand. And now he’s leading a PGA Tour event by three shots, playing the best golf he’s played since lifting that trophy at Pebble Beach in 2019.
Memorial Park has good vibes for Woodland too — he finished T2 here last year, posting a Sunday 62 to chase down Min Woo Lee. Now he’s the one being chased, and he’s got a cushion.
The Masters Bubble Watch
This was a massive week for several players trying to crack the top 50 in the OWGR for a Masters invite. Here’s how that played out:
Nicolai Højgaard (currently 47th) is in great shape at T2. A strong weekend could lock up his Augusta trip.
Michael Thorbjornsen (56th) is hanging around at -8. Needs a big weekend push.
Min Woo Lee climbed 29 spots on Friday with a 63 to sit at -9. The defending champ isn’t going away quietly.
And then there’s the heartbreakers…
Big Names Who Missed the Cut
The cut fell at 2-under, and some notable names are heading home:
- Brooks Koepka (+4): Opened with a 5-over Thursday and never recovered. His PGA Tour comeback continues to be a roller coaster.
- Rickie Fowler (E): This one hurts. I wrote about Fowler’s Masters heartbreak just two days ago, and now his last realistic shot at climbing the OWGR rankings before Augusta is gone.
- Wyndham Clark (+2): Quietly disappointing week for the former U.S. Open champ.
- Will Zalatoris (-1): Just missed by a shot. The Zalatoris experience in a nutshell.
- Billy Horschel (E): Another veteran who couldn’t get it going.
What to Watch This Weekend
The story is Woodland, full stop. Can he hold it together for 36 more holes and complete one of the most inspiring comeback stories in recent PGA Tour history? He’s got three shots to play with, but he hasn’t been in this position since 2019. The nerves will be real.
Behind him, Højgaard’s Friday 62 tied the course record, and Suber matched it later in the afternoon. Both are dangerous and have nothing to lose.
Lee defending at -9 is compelling too. And anytime Jason Day and Adam Scott show up on a leaderboard together, the Aussie contingent is worth watching.
But this weekend belongs to Woodland. Let the man cook.
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